A Legend Reborn? A Helephant-Powered “Hemi Under Glass” is Coming

It’s funny how things can start off small and eventually snowball out of control. One moment, a creator might be looking at a concept on a drawing board. The next, it comes to life. After comes to life, things might get even bigger!

Perhaps creating this end product comes with a side effect that the original creator never even saw. We think that the perfect example of this is the car that goes by the name of “Hemi Under Glass.” For those who haven’t heard of it, the car has been piloted at different spots around the country by different drivers. The car was originally thought up by George Hurst. The thought was to promote his shifter company by the same name.

The original idea was that, by putting the Hemi in the middle of the vehicle, it would provide better traction. This is a concept that we see in play with a variety of different vehicles. However, for one reason or another, with the way that this car was set up, different side effects would come the life. Instead, the 1968 Barracuda refused to keep the front wheels down. While this wasn’t originally the point, the car drew major attention as a sideshow. After all, a car in a full wheelie while driving at any reasonable rate of speed is guaranteed to draw attention. That attention would fit perfectly into the car’s goal as a marketing piece.

To the delight of Mopar and wheelie fans everywhere, the fan favorite is slated to make a return with newer technology. With all that the automotive community has been through, perhaps a refresh is necessary. Mike Mantel, the man who Hemmings describes as the driver and owner/custodian of the Hemi Under Glass these days has been toying with the idea of bringing it back for years.

“At the 2019 Spring Festival of LX, held at the Pomona Fairplex in Pomona, California, last month, Mantel witnessed crowds of young enthusiasts with their Chrysler 300s, Dodge Challengers, and Dodge Chargers. More than 2,000 cars showed up, and when he showed the concept rendering for an LX-based Hemi Under Glass, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Factor in Mopar’s announcement at last year’s SEMA show about the Hellephant crate engine — a 426-cu.in. supercharged HEMI V-8 rated at 1,000 hp and 950 lb-ft of torque — and the stars just seem to be aligning in favor of a modern Hemi Under Glass, to run with the ’68 car, not in place of it.” –Hemmings.com

Rendering By – @abimelecdesign 

Mantel still seems to have some planning left to do but he has an unnamed shop picked out to do the build. He says that the 2020 season could be the debut of the second coming of the Hemi Under Glass. This time, it’ll have 1,000 Hellephant horsepower to go with it.