60 Years of Mopar_®’s ‘A990’ HEMI^® Super Stockers Celebrated At MCACN

For six decades, the ‘A990’ HEMI^® V8 Super Stock Package Cars have roamed the drag strips of America. Coming off the successful 1964 HEMI Package Cars that saw a pair of Dodges in the Super Stock final at the biggest race of that year, the NHRA U.S. Nationals, Chrysler had a proven recipe to build winning Package Cars. They applied those ingredients once again to the 1965 Dodge Coronet and Plymouth Belvedere. However, it wasn’t ‘wash-rinse-repeat’ as the NHRA made a huge rules change going into the 1965 season. No longer was aluminum sheet metal allowed as the new guideline for the Super Stock class as the NHRA Rule Book now clearly  stated, ‘Production Sheetmetal only, no exotic materials.’ No worries, the Chrysler Race Engineers – led by some members of the Ramchargers – figured a way to make their new cars just as light and competitive for the new season.

That left Chrysler to be creative when creating their 1965 HEMI Super Stock Package Cars. Like many corporations, internal engineering codes are created. Since the 1964 HEMI Drag Race project was dubbed ‘A-864’, the 1965 program was called ‘A-990.’ Since the Mopar community loves to spout engine code and option codes, the A990 moniker has stuck over the decades. What’s unique about the 1965 A-990 HEMI engine-powered cars is how Chrysler was able to reduce the weight by thin gauge body stampings, lightweight glass, aluminum cylinder heads and water pump housing, magnesium intake manifold, and host other weight-saving items. The 1965 HEMI Belvederes and Coronets also became the foundation for the altered wheelbase ‘A/FX’ cars that became the groundwork to what would become the NHRA Funny Car class that champions such as Dodge/Mopar’s own Matt Hagan competes in today. Back in the early 1960s, Chrysler’s engineers were on the cutting edge of forever changing drag racing, and the A990 HEMI Super Stock Package Cars will forever represent that era.

Among the stellar, astounding, remarkable, colorful and eye-popping vehicles at the recent Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN), the cars in the ‘A990 Invitational’ almost looked like plain Jane cars that our grandparents drove to church or the supermarket. Devoid of many exterior frills other than the hood scoop, the 1965 HEMI Package Cars were all business when they came off the assembly line. Like their 1964 Super Stock Mopar siblings, they were turnkey and race-ready. Just uncap the exhaust pipes, bolt on some slicks and they were ready for action down your local strip. These cars had racers defecting from the Chevy and Ford camps and coming over to Dodge and Plymouth.

With this being the 60th Anniversary of the A990 HEMI Package Cars, the MCACN folks worked with someone who knows these cars inside and out, Jim Kramer. Jim’s company, Kramer Automotive Specialties, was the presenting sponsor of the MCACN A990 Invitational, and he has dedicated his life to researching both the Max Wedge and HEMI engine cars of the 1960s. Jim has amassed a whole library on these cars that includes engineering prints, internal documents, letters to dealers and racers, and much more. Jim spread the word among this tight-knit community of owners of these rare machines and rounded up approximately 12 of these HEMI engine-powered Mopar vehicles. Jim also owns a unique and historic A990 Dodge Coronet that was on display at the MCACN show. It’s had an interesting life that started out as a Super Stocker but morphed into an altered wheelbase racecar. Luckily, the era-correct wild paint job, along with the vintage mag wheels, were left on the car. Today’s enthusiast can get a glimpse of drag racing’s bygone era of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Another supporter of the A990 Invitational was longtime restoration on these HEMI Super Stocks is Ed Strzelecki of HEMIEDDIE Restorations of Rochester, Michigan. “I was honored to support Jim Kramer of Kramer Automotive Specialties in putting together the 60th Anniversary Display at MCACN of the 1965 A-990 Factory Super Stock Cars. The display featured 13 A-990 Dodge and Plymouth HEMI Super Stockers.  What was special about the display was that nine cars had some degree of my involvement,” said Eddie. “Here are some of the cars I worked on that were on display. The 1965 Dodge A990 Coronet of Jim Kramer was a great project. It became an altered wheelbase car back in the day and was raced as the ‘HEMI a Go-Go.’ It required significant cleanup and paint matching on the hood. We had to sandblast the engine compartment, trunk and interior to remove the dirt and debris. We then painted those areas black, but we didn’t mess with the vintage custom paint on the body,” said Eddie.

Eddie also restored the 1965 Plymouth Belvedere A990 HEMI Super Stock known as the ‘Humpin Pumpkin.’ “This is probably one of the nicest 1965 Plymouth Super Stockers in the country. It won the 2023 MCACN Best Stock Plymouth for owners Mike and Dan Kreseski, and they were very happy. I like the challenge, all the unique and hard-to-find parts that were exclusive to these Super Stock cars. My goal when I restore these old racecars is to make them as original as possible. On the ‘Humpin Pumpkin,’ it had the correct date coded HEMI engine block, Alcoa aluminum HEMI cylinder heads, magnesium cross-ram intake, factory headers with exhaust pipes, and even the ignition system is correct. This Plymouth Super Stocker is a true time capsule!”

So it’s true what they say, old racecars never die. Check out these awesome vintage pictures of 1965 A990 and A/FX HEMI drag strip warriors’ courtesy of the McCandless Collection, along with some pics from the recent MCACN show!