Did Chevrolet Ever Make A Hemi Engine?

For many engine-obsessed gearheads in the automotive realm, the word Hemi inspires visions of powerful cars and trucks that front muscle-car-like performance. The word likely also inspires visions of the Dodge emblem, as the engines — named for their use of a unique hemispherical combustion chamber – have long been utilized by vehicles bearing that badge. It's not surprising that Dodge would be the torchbearer for the Hemi, as the engines were brought into the mainstream in the 1950s by its former parent company, Chrysler.

While Dodge has been the poster child for the powerful engines in the ensuing decades, they are not the only automaker to use Hemis, with Jaguar, Aston Martin, and others also utilizing the power plants. You may not realize it, but even Chevrolet once had plans to develop its own version of a hemispherical engine. Engineers for the iconic U.S. automaker indeed looked to pack Hemi power under the hood of Chevy-branded vehicles in the late 1960s, which would've been one of the first hemispherical engines not designed by Chrysler. 

Yes, the team behind Chevy's Hemi eventually did succeed in producing their very own hemispherical engine, creating the Hemi 302 in large part for use in its Trans Am Racing program. The engines were punchy, to say the least, and they were used on the Trans Am racing series through much of the 1970s. However, Chevy never green-lit its Hemi for mass production, meaning that there are precious few of the power plants around anymore. 

While GM and Chevy bosses never made a proper production engine out of their hard-charging Hemi 302, some of the prototypes that made it off the assembly line actually did find their way into the bay of a vehicle or two. Primarily, they were tabbed to power a handful of late 1960s Camaro Z/28s. They did so with a little help from Motorsports Hall of Fame racer and engineer Smokey Yunick, who used the Camaros in his own efforts on the Trans Am Racing circuit where the rev-hungry Z/28s had already seen plenty of success.

At present there may be only a few of those Hemi 302-powered Camaro Z/28s still around. As of 2021, two of the Camaros — one a best-of-the-build 1968 model and one from 1969 — resided in the collection of Mr. Bob Marvin and were on display at his Minnesota vintage car museum, The Shed. Per reports, a third Hemi 302 Z/28 was also in existence, and was reported to be owned by none other than legendary racing team owner Richard Childress.

Apart from those Hemi 302s, it would seem there may be at least one more out there. As of 2015, collector Rick George reportedly claimed ownership of a Camaro Z/28 fit with an all-aluminum Hemi 302, and just like the other Hemi 302s, it had been touched up by Smokey Yunick. While the Hemi 302 is not the most powerful engine Chevy ever built, given their scarcity, these vehicles and their power plants are likely priceless in the eyes of vintage car enthusiasts.