Hot Rod HEMI Interviews

Discussion about the Hemi in general.

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BlueDjinn
Posts: 57
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:27 pm

Hot Rod HEMI Interviews

Post by BlueDjinn »

GEORGE WALLACE: Former Chrysler Engineer in charge of 426 Hemi development.
HRM: During the Sixties, did Chrysler give you a Hemi powered company car?

No, I'm one of those guys that likes little cars. I was driving four cylinder stuff in the Fifties and Sixties. I drove Fiats. Later when it was pointed out to me that driving Fiats was not helping me at Chrysler, I got a Sunbeam Imp. That was a rear engine, four cylinder 850-cc car with a die cast aluminum engine. Then as now, I like little cars, even when gas was 20-cents a gallon.

"I drove Fiats". Wow, I'm not going to go as far as to say that's prophetic but I will say that it's definitely ironic.
I would have thought that maybe a Chrysler performance engineer's idea of smaller might have been a hyper-pak
slant six or something; but he likes smaller "cars". I'm surprised that he wasn't driving a BMW Isetta (Bubble Car).
The Isetta is due to return in 2010 as a Fiat Topolino. Topolino is Italian for Mickey Mouse.
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