The Inside Story of Ford's Incredible 427 SOHC
by Tom Shaw
After winning big at Daytona and dominating the ’63 NASCAR season with the new fastback Galaxies and 425hp 427 wedge, Ford watched in angst as Chrysler rolled out its wild 426 Hemi at the ’64 Daytona 500 and overpowered everything else. Junior Johnson jumped from Mercury to Dodge and won the first qualifying race with a record-breaking 170.777 mph average. In the second qualifier the same day, three Molars crossed the finish line three abreast. At the Daytona 500 two days later, a sellout crowd of almost 70,000 watched Mopars lead 198 of 200 laps, and finish 1-2-3, a chilling specter for Ford. Last year’s celebrated champion was outside looking in — through iron bars. With NASCAR popularity reaching an all-time high, and similarly unsavory prospects for victory a sure bet in other sanctioned competition, Ford had to act.
The question was, how? Clearly, a more exotic engine was the only way to overcome the Hemi since displacement was locked in at seven liters. But more exotic engines were the last thing NASCAR chief Bill France wanted.
Despite the 426 Hemi’s electrifying on-track presence, and what appeared on the surface to be NASCAR’s willingness to accept it with open arms, NASCAR officials were troubled by the trend the Hemi represented. The move away from standard production engines toward exotic hybrids was a perceived threat to attendance, since it was felt that fans could more easily identify with cars and engines they had in their driveways.
Adding to NASCAR’s concern over exotic engines were a recent rash of deaths claiming some top drivers; Joe Weatherly, Fireball Roberts and Jimmy Pardue. There were calls to curb the record-breaking high speeds that the horsepower frenzy promised to push even higher.
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