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This week, we are celebrating some of the greatest cars in American history. These cars had some of the biggest engines ever seen in anything smaller than a truck. They continuously dominated each other both in racing and on the street. They produced a sound that could rupture the eardrums of anyone wandering a little too close. These are the big block cars from the golden age of American muscle.

April 26: The 426 Hemis

There's a good reason most people think of Dodge Challengers and Chargers when the term, "Muscle Car," enters the conversation. Chrysler's Hemi engine was the pinnacle of performance technology in the 60's and 70's. At 425 hp and almost 500 ft.-lbs. of torque (but probably much more), this engine was rocketing Chryslers, Dodges, and Plymouths to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds; quite fast even today. The Hemi-equipped Mopars were especially successful in racing. Whether it was the drag strip or the oval, these things dominated the competition with unrelenting ferocity.

Most famously, the Hemi was used by Dodge and Plymouth in NASCAR with the Charger Daytona and Roadrunner Superbird. These two high-winged, nose-coned race cars were known for being able to hit 200 mph in racing. They were so successful on the oval that they were banned by NASCAR just one year after they started racing. You know you've got a fast car when you're not allowed to use it.

Meanwhile, dragsters like the Dodge Dart and the Plymouth Barracuda were shooting down the quarter-mile in less than 14 seconds. Just like with their NASCAR brethren, none of the other manufacturers could compete. When your opponent had a Hemi and you didn't, there was no point in even trying unless you had one of the select few of the baddest, most expensive engines from another manufacturer. Even the Hemi-powered cars that were built for the street like the Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth GTX were not really for the street at all because they were so ridiculously powerful. Only the smooth asphalt of a drag strip combined with massive, treadless tires could contain the beast that was the 426 Hemi. These cars were truly the people's race cars.

April 27: The Chevy 427 Big Blocks

Chevy's 427 big blocks were hands down some of the greatest engines of all time. The most famous of these engines were probably the L71, L72, and ZL-1. These were names that, in typical Chevy fashion, were just identification codes and meant absolutely nothing. The Hemi's main advantage was its strength in numbers. Chrysler put it in just about every high-end model they could think of and therefore made it more accessible to the general public than the Chevy engines. However, what Chevy lacked in numbers, they made up for in sheer brawn. These three engines could match and even surpass the Hemis by quite a margin.

The L71 and L72 were both rated at 425 hp and 460 ft.-lbs. of torque. The only real difference between the two is that one was used in the first-generation Camaros and the other was used in the third-generation Corvettes. These engines were made even cooler because some guy named Don Yenko used them in his specially modified Camaros, Corvettes, and Novas. These cars were particularly rare and very fast. They ran mid-13s in the quarter-mile, and while the engines themselves were unmodified, they were rated at a more accurate 450 hp. These cars are also known by the term, COPO, which stands for Central Office Production Order. This meant that if you wanted one, you had to know somebody who worked for Chevy. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know the cars existed.

But the real gem in Chevy's big block lineup was the ZL-1. You may have heard this particular identification code before. That's because it currently belongs to the fastest, best handling, and most powerful factory Camaro ever. The same was true in 1969 as well, although the handling part is debatable. This engine was an absolute monster. From the factory, it was rated at 430 hp and 450 ft.-lbs. of torque. But we all know that's not true. Realistically, the engine was making over 500 hp and ALMOST 600 FT.-LBS. of TORQUE! The current ZL1 makes 650 hp and 650 ft.-lbs. of torque. It's really not that much more powerful than the 1969 model. With the ZL-1 engine in the Camaro, you complete the quarter-mile in less than 13.2 seconds. That's crazy! And it only gets better! When the ZL-1 was equipped in a Corvette, the lightweight construction and aerodynamic shape would allow it to basically teleport to the end of the drag strip in 12.1 seconds! A brand new Camaro SS can't even do that! The only things keeping these cars from destroying everything on the drag strip were the price and production numbers. Only 69 Camaro ZL-1s were ever built and only 2 Corvette ZL-1s were sold to the public. And they were worth more than a pretty penny. As in, you could buy anything with a Hemi for thousands of dollars less. Even so, no original Hemi would ever be able to beat the original ZL-1.

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April 28: The 428 Cobra Jets

When the Muscle Car Wars were raging in the mid-1960's, Ford and its new Mustang didn't really seem to want any part of it. The Mustang had the price, looks, and performance to attract young buyers, and that was just fine. But as time went on, people saw that the Mustang just wasn't enough in its current state. It seemed that Ford hadn't quite hit the mark after all...

But there was one key element that the public had overlooked, and his name was Carroll Shelby. Shelby had been working with Ford to update the Shelby Cobra for competitive racing. They ripped out the old 289 small block and added a 427 big block. That same 427 was later put into the Ford GT40, and when the GT40 won Le Mans, people started to see that Ford could compete in the performance market. Then 1968 rolled around, and with it came something truly monstrous.

From the development of the Ford 427 came the 428 Cobra Jet. It was combined with a stripped out fast-back Mustang to create one of the fastest drag cars ever. The Cobra Jet Mustang dominated at the NHRA Winternationals in 1968. The engine itself wasn't quite as powerful as the big blocks from other manufacturers, but the car still managed to run mid 12s in the quarter-mile because it weighed significantly less than the competition. The 428 was later put into other models like the Ford Torino and the legendary Shelby GT500. The only car that would have been able to stop this thing would have been one of the two Corvette ZL-1s that were sold to the public, and those didn't come until 1969.

April 29: The Boss 429

The Boss 429 was an interesting engine. It wasn't made for drag racing or even street dominance. By 1969 Ford had already done that and was now ready to shift their focus to NASCAR. Yes, the 429 was indeed a NASCAR engine. It was not built for the street. It was built to hold at higher RPMs meaning that acceleration was not it's strength. But in order to use this engine in NASCAR, Ford had to put it in at least 500 production cars. And what better car to put it in than the Mustang?

Despite all of the engine's shortcomings on the street, the Mustang Boss 429 is still one of the coolest cars ever produced. While it wasn't as fast as the competition, it was still fast, running 14 seconds flat in the quarter-mile. The car had reworked suspension which meant it had a wider track so could actually handle quite well for what it was; certainly better than most other muscle cars. It looked really good too. I've always found the Boss 429 to be one of the best-looking muscle cars, and I think it's because of the wider track. The way the tires almost stick out of the fenders make it look that much more aggressive. It also has a massive hood scoop which is quite functional.

In the end, the Boss 429 wasn't very well received because of its relatively poor acceleration. It was only produced between 1969 and 1970. However, many people today hold it in high regard because it wasn't really a typical muscle car. The only reason people didn't like it back then was because they had been spoiled with some of the fastest cars the world had ever seen. The Mustang Boss 429 could handle and it had looks that killed. It puts the earlier Mustangs to shame just because it's really freaking cool. And you can't tell me that the name, "Boss," doesn't make the car cool just on its own.

Conclusion

The big block muscle cars of the 1960's and 1970's are some of the most iconic machines to ever exist. In their time, they were some of the fastest as well. Therefore, we at Driftin' Donuts are declaring these four days to be holidays. So you have our permission to stay home from school, work, or whatever you want to get away from at this time every year so that you can celebrate these Detroit icons... and so you can read more Driftin' Donuts...