The 426 Hemi would eventually become one of Detroit’s most famous muscle-car engines, but its story didn’t begin under the hood of something you’d casually order from your local Plymouth dealer. In 1964, Chrysler’s new Hemi was built with competition firmly in mind.
This Ruby Red Plymouth Belvedere comes from that first year, and it belongs to an exceptionally small group. Plymouth built just 35 steel-front-end Belvedere hardtops with the 426 Race Hemi, only 18 of which received the heavy-duty TorqueFlite automatic.
Rarity isn’t the only thing separating this one from the crowd. Its odometer currently shows approximately 2,391 miles, and much of the car has survived without being erased by a comprehensive restoration.
Now it’s heading to Richmond Auctions’ Fall Spectacular at the Savoy Automobile Museum with no reserve. For serious Mopar collectors, opportunities involving a first-year Race Hemi this well-preserved don’t appear very often.
This Was The Hemi Before The Street Hemi
Under the hood sits a period-correct 426 Race Hemi with a towering 12.5:1 compression ratio. Interestingly, the listing says it has a factory rating of 425 horsepower, which is identical to the Street Hemi, but Hot Rod claims these engines were putting down dyno numbers well above the 500-horsepower mark. It’s paired with a period-correct heavy-duty 727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic and an 8¾-inch rear axle.
The car was scheduled for production on June 8, 1964, at Plymouth’s Lynch Road plant and later shipped to the Syracuse, New York, region. Its factory documentation specifies Ruby Red paint, a red cloth-and-vinyl interior, and the Maximum Performance 426.
Its timing couldn’t have been better. Earlier that year, Richard Petty led Plymouth to a 1-2-3 finish at the Daytona 500 using Chrysler’s new Hemi, immediately giving the engine some serious racing credentials.
2,391 Miles And Plenty Of Original Details
MMC Detroit describes the Belvedere as an “authentic, rare, largely unrestored” example and designated it a Benchmark vehicle. Surviving details include original trim and glass, lightweight side glass, a steel hood with its original scoop, a trunk-mounted battery, and numerous factory markings.
Documentation includes its IBM Production Car Record, production track sheet, FCA historical record, and period racing material. The underside of the hood also carries signatures from Chrysler performance figures Jim Thornton, Tom Hoover, and Dick Maxwell.
The mileage has barely moved in recent years. When the Plymouth received MCACN Vintage Certification in November 2019, it showed 2,342 miles; roughly six years later, its recorded mileage stood at 2,390.3.
It’s Selling With No Reserve
Richmond Auctions hasn’t published a pre-sale estimate, so there’s no telling where bidding will end. What buyers are getting, however, is an unusually preserved artifact from the very beginning of the 426 Hemi story.
Plenty of valuable muscle cars have been painstakingly restored to resemble the day they left the factory. This Belvedere’s appeal comes from how much of that factory history never disappeared in the first place.
With only 18 steel-front automatic examples originally built and just 2,391 miles showing today, this is about as close as you’ll get to turning the clock back to 1964.