In 1971, Chrysler announced to America that the “street HEMI” engine would no longer be an available option on 1972 cars. Perhaps no other moment perfectly encapsulated the end of the muscle car era than the end of the 426 “Elephant” HEMI engine. As a business move though, ending the HEMI made sense, and it was only in the past decade that the legendary name was revived. 

Those last few HEMI cars were few and far between, and collectors have paid top dollar for them. But Hemmings Auto Blog has reported that a truly unique car has surfaced, and is currently undergoing a restoration by RK Motors. This car is supposedly the last HEMI Mopar ever produced from that era, and it will make its restored debut this April.

The story goes that the original buyer ordered a ‘71 Dodge Challenger with the 426 HEMI engine backed by a Torqueflite automatic transmission. The salesman didn’t even know if the car would be built, as Chrysler was already phasing out production of the 426 HEMI engine. The HEMI found few buyers during a time of high gas prices.

But the order went through, and on June 18th, 1971, it left the factory with a HEMI engine under the hood. It was one of just 33 HEMI/Torqueflite combos to leave the factory in 1971, which is reason enough to make it a rare collector car. But the June 18th build date is two weeks later than any other known cars, making it perhaps the very last HEMI Mopar ever built.

It will make its restored debut April 4th to 7th at the Food Lion AutoFair at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with its new owner, Joe Angelucci, on hand. For updates, you can visit “The Last HEMI” web site to see the progress of the restoration and how everything is coming along with this unique Charger.