Jay Leno drives a Dodge Polara, one of the earliest muscle cars

The newest episode of “Jay Leno’s Storage” options what may very well be known as a proto-muscle automotive. It is a 1964 Dodge Polara with a large V-8 below the hood.

The muscle automotive period is mostly thought-about to have began in 1964 with the Pontiac GTO. However some vehicles becoming that template appeared earlier than the GTO or, on this case, at nearly the identical time.

Whereas most Polaras left the manufacturing unit with unremarkable powertrains, this one has the 426-cubic-inch Avenue Wedge engine. Whereas it has the identical displacement because the legendary 426 Hemi, the Avenue Wedge is a special engine with out hemispherical combustion chambers. This automotive has a 4-speed handbook transmission, with a Hurst shifter and floor-mounted tachometer.

Debuting in 413-cubic-inch kind, Chrysler put in the Wedge engine in Dodge (and Plymouth) highway vehicles to fulfill homologation necessities for NASCAR and drag racing. That made this engine the direct predecessor to the 426 Hemi, which debuted in racing kind in 1964 and made it into highway vehicles shortly after.

So why is not the Polara as nicely remembered because the GTO? It is partly as a result of the Polara was a bigger, much less youth-oriented automotive than the GTO. With its plain metal wheels, the Polara was additionally extra of a sleeper than the GTO, which additionally meant it did not get as a lot consideration again within the day.

This automotive stays largely inventory, however with trendy {hardware} like an MSD ignition system, Optima battery, and Wilwood disc brakes. It is also acquired exhaust cutouts, so you may undoubtedly wish to try the total video to listen to that exhaust observe.