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As for engine longevity, Chrysler played safe with a reduced 12,000-mile (19310-km)/12-month warranty on the Hemi, and even this would be invalidated by what they euphemistically called “extreme operation.” Still, it was a sensible move. With a car this fast, it seemed almost inevitable that keen owners would take it racing on weekends, before turning up at the dealer come Monday morning, with some broken parts and a warranty claim form in hand. They played even safer with the Hemi cars built for Super Stock: these had no warranty at all. A notice under the hood reminded owners of the fact: “NOTICE: This car is equipped with a 426-cu in engine (and other special equipment). This car is intended for use in supervised acceleration trials and is not intended for trials or general passenger car use. Accordingly, THIS VEHICLE IS SOLD ‘AS IS’ and the 12-month or 12,000-mile vehicle warranty coverage and 5-year or 50,000-mile power train warranty coverage does not apply to this vehicle.” For 1967, Chrysler attempted to catch up with the flashier muscle car competition. The GTX was really a Belvedere with a massive hood scoop, stripes, rally wheels, and bucket seats. Although basically a Belvedere, it looked the part of a muscle car, and in Super Commando form came with the biceps to back it up, the choice of 440- cu in (7.21-liter) Max Wedge or Street Hemi V8s. Although smaller than the Max Wedge, the Hemi offered an extra 50 hp (37 kW) for an extra $564, which included heavy-duty suspension. So, it was good value, but again, few GTX customers opted for it: 720 out of around 12,500 (and at least one author puts the figure at just 125; but, either way, the Hemi was in a minority).

The Chrysler GTX was really a Belvedere with the addition of a large hood scoop.

Hemi Muscle Cars 13

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