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Chrysler 300C SRT8 hemi
After lying dormant for decades, the ultimate muscle car is crashing through all barriers

Chances are you haven't had this much metal in front of you since a visit to the orthodontist. The massive all consuming slab could have been ridiculed by minimalists, but is instead worshiped by the power hungry faithful. This is because of two very big things it has going for it. For one, it comes with a grill that is so large and so gorgeous it transforms the metal stub into something that could be classy, in a sort of cross between the glamour of the Mafiosi and the glory of NASCAR. Secondly, that stub of metal is made up of the shamelessly brutal Hemi that is now enjoying a resurgence after the 1964 Daytona. It was so successful on the track that the organisers banned it, and it's been consuming road with barely legal muscle power ever since.

Deliciously retro
This car's draw is also the fact that it comes ensconced in RO20,000 worth of trimming, while sporting the kind of muscle usually associated with tattoos and garage grease. While 6.1 litres of raw power run idle, the SRT8 will politely turn down its side mirrors while reversing, switch from your sixth MP3 CD to your seventh and even give you individual tyre pressure readings. Apart from these little niceties, you'll find little else, and the otherwise Spartan dashboard's only claim to something original is a deliciously retro little analogue clock. It's obvious the focus here is under the hood. Make do with leather seats, and a boot that is almost filled to capacity with a gargantuan spare tyre.

Hemispherical generations
So what's all the fuss about the Hemi for? A Chrysler Hemi engine – they spell it big as HEMI – is one of three internal combustion engine families from the company that uses a hemispherical combustion chamber. A hemispherical cylinder head allows the valves to be inline rather than side-by-side, which gives a straighter, simpler airflow path, allows larger valves and gives greater efficiency. The design places the sparkplug in the centre, giving more even ignition.

The advantages of the hemi cylinder head come at the disadvantage of requiring intake and exhaust valve stems that point in different directions, requiring much more complicated rocker arm setups in overhead valve engines. These also increase the space taken up by the cylinder head – Hemi engines are not space efficient. The 426 Hemi was nicknamed the 'elephant engine' at the time, a reference to its far from compact dimensions and extraordinary power. That becomes obvious with the SRT8, but Chrysler has turned it to its advantage by making its size so appealing.

The three generations of Chrysler Hemi engines included the first (the Chrysler FirePower engine) in the 1950s, the second from the mid 1960s through the mid 1970s, and finally in the early 2000s. The hemispherical head design was revived in 1964. These were the first engines to officially use the 'HEMI' name, a word Chrysler trademarked. All Chrysler Hemi engines of the 1960s displaced seven litres. Although just 11,000 Hemi engines were produced for consumer sale, they became legendary, with Hemi becoming one of the most familiar automobile-related words in the United States.

All this heritage, ripples of muscle and old glory translate into a ride that will propel you into the nether regions of radar popping speeds that you will find addictive. This thrill at your toe tips also brings you to the other side of the hemispherical equation, bringing you full circle: how much power do you really need, and how much muscle is too much? And, more importantly, can you handle this?

The end of muscle
You will only be the latest in the long series of owners who have had to grapple with this uneasy balance of power and rationality. The fierce competition in the Hemi hey days in the United States led to an escalation in power that peaked in 1970, with some models offering as much as 450hp, and the muscle cars' performance became a liability during this period. The automotive safety lobby decried the irresponsibility of offering such powerful cars for public sale, particularly targeted at young buyers. The high power of the muscle cars also underlined the marginal handling and braking capacity of many, as well as the severe limitations of their tyres. In response, the insurance industry began levying punitive surcharges on all high powered models, soon pushing many muscle cars out of the price range of their intended buyers. Simultaneously, efforts to combat air pollution led to a shift in Detroit's attention from power to emissions control. With all these forces against it, the market for muscle cars rapidly evaporated.

Street and racing
But you can have your muscle car, again, bought new today. If you can afford the Chrysler you can afford the petrol, and with Brembo brakes, electronic stability control, air bags and the tyre monitoring system, you're far away from most problems of the 1970s. Of course, even as you come to the conclusion that you could never fully press down on that tantalising accelerator, just knowing you could do it is perhaps enough reason to buy it. This is the SRT, after all, and if street and racing technology does it for you then go ahead. As Chrysler says, ‘Drive it like you mean it.’ Just don't press down too hard.