Unleashing The Beast: The Legacy Of The Mopar 440 Six Pack V-8

The Chrysler 426ci Hemi V-8 was the defining engine of the Golden Age of American Muscle, which guaranteed that Mopars equipped with them were the kings of the streets and tracks. With that kind of powerful, iconic engine option, people have kind of forgotten how awesome the 440 Sick Pack was. In fact, had the Street Hemi never existed, as awful of an alternate reality as that is, the 440 Six Pack still would have been the dominant V-8 of the classic muscle car era.

Generating slightly less horsepower than the Hemi, but just as much torque, the 440 Six Pack could blast a car down the quarter-mile in the 13s. It was a quicker accelerating engine than the Ford 429 Cobra Jet as well as the GM 454 and 455, with less displacement. One of the key factors in how much butt an engine can kick is how fast it can consume fuel, and with the 440 Sick Pack's 3x2 carburetor setup, it could gobble the juice, turning it into humiliation for any challenger at a red light.

Back in the glory days of muscle, Chrysler's divisions had different names for the same things, like Dodge's Plum Crazy purple paint code was In-Violet over at Plymouth. The 440ci V-8 was called the "Magnum" in Dodges, "Super Commando" in Plymouths, and "TNT" in Chryslers. The six-barrel high-performance version of the engine was a Dodge Six Pack or a Plymouth 6-BBL. Whatever name it went by, this V-8 was a beast that has been underappreciated and overlooked for too long.

Let's Crack Open A 440 Six Pack

Chrysler introduced the RB big block V-8 series of engines in 1959 as a lighter-weight replacement for the FirePower series, which were the first generation Hemis. Unlike most American automakers who would change the stroke on their engines to increase displacement, the Chrysler RBs all had a 95.3 mm stroke and the bore was changed to get more cubic centimeters.

The RBs are often referred to as "Wedge" engines because of their wedge-shaped combustion chambers, as opposed to the hemispherical ones on the Hemi. All RB V-8s were oversquare, meaning their cylinders had a greater bore diameter than their stroke length.

440 RB Specs

The 440 RB was rolled out in 1965 as the successor to the legendary Max Wedge 413. The Max Wedge 413 could be configured in either a single four-barrel or dual four-barrel carburetor, producing from 340 to 390 horsepower and 480 to 530 pound-feet of torque. In reality, the 426 Hemi was the replacement for the Max Wedge, as a high-powered drag engine, while the 440 was more like a normal top-option V-8. Still, the single four-barrel carb 440 produced 375 horsepower, and when Chrysler came out with the 390-horsepower triple two-barrel Six Pack/6-BBL version in 1969, they suddenly had two drag engines.

The Mighty 440 Six Pack/6-BBL

In 1968 Chrysler ordered that the 426 Street Hemi should only go in dedicated muscle Car models, where it had previously been available to most Mopar models. For Dodge, these cars were designated by the R/T suffix and usually had 383 as the base engine, with the 426 and 440 as options. In 1969, they decided that the R/Ts needed another powerful available engine that cost less than the Hemi, and introduced the 440 Six Pack/6-BBL with three two-barrel Holley carburetors and an increased compression ratio, which squeezed out an extra 15 horsepower and 10 pound-feet of torque over the four-barrel version.

Extra Six Pack Gear

In addition to the extra two barrels and increased compression ratio, the 440 Six Pack/6-BBL had an aluminum Edelbrock intake manifold, Moly piston rings, and Hemi valve springs. To accommodate the added performance, Six Pack/6-BBL cars, at least in 1969, also came with heavy-duty radiators, 4.10 rear gears, heavy-duty 11 drum brakes, and extra-wide 15 Goodyear tires. Rounding out performance enhancers, the '69 Plymouth Road Runner 440 6-BBL and Dodge Super Bee Six Pack, had lightweight removable fiberglass hoods with big open-air scoops.

440 Six Pack/6-BBL Cars

The 426 Street Hemi was only available from 1966 to 1971, but that seems like an eternity compared to the 440 Six Pack/6-BBL's life. First made available mid-model year in 1969, it was effectively done by 1971, though a few snuck out of the factory in 1972. The 440 Six Pack was initially offered as a limited production vehicle in the 1969 Super Bee and was designated the A12. The '69 Road Runner was the first Plymouth to be gifted the 440 6-BBL and was also an A12 car. Both were wildly popular because they offered Hemi-like performance without the 426 option price tag.

Factory-Equipped Six Pack/6-BBL Rides:

• 1969-1971 Plymouth Road Runner
• 1969-1971 Dodge Super Bee
• 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T
• 1970 Plymouth Sport Fury GT
• 1970 Plymouth Superbird
• 1970-1971 Plymouth Cuda
• 1970-1971 Dodge Challenger R/T
• 1970-1971 Dodge Charger R/T
• 1970-1971 Plymouth GTX
• 1972 Plymouth Road Runner GTX
• 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye

In 1969, upgrading to the 426 Street Hemi cost $700, while the Six Pack/6-BBL option was just $119. In today's dollars, that's the difference between $6,013 and $1,022. Considering how rare and expensive Hemi cars are now, the extra dough seems totally worth it, but back then it was a lot of money. In practical terms, as on the street, a Hemi car ran in the low 13s, while 440 Six Packs and six-BBLs were in the mid to high 13s, so a couple of tenths of a second couldn't be justified for many buyers. Hey, in the classic era of American muscle, if you had a 13-second car you were never getting smoked, and that's all that mattered.

Expanding the Six Pack/6-BBL

The 440 Six Pack and 6-BBL was such a raging success in 1969, that it spread faster than a Mopar equipped with one could win a red light challenge. In 1970, Dodge expanded the Sick Pack to the Challenger R/T, Charger R/T, and Coronet R/T. Plymouth made the 6-BBL available to the 'Cuda, GTX, Sport Fury GT, and Superbird. In 1972, a few Plymouth Road Runner GTX and Dodge Charger Rallye ended up with six-barrel 440 V-8s but it's unclear how or why.

Six Pack/6-BBL Production

During three years of production, 13,883 cars left the factory with a 440 Six Pack/6-BBL compared to a total of 9,778 426 Street Hemis in twice as many years. In fact, the success of the 440 Six Pack/6-BBL probably hastened the demise of the Hemi. In 1968, there were 2,289 Hemi cars made, but in 1969, that number dropped to 1,724 because there was a cheaper option. In 1970, the Hemi slid further with just 1,543 cars, and practically disappeared in 1971 with only 356. The Plymouth Road Runner was the biggest recipient of the 6-BBL with 4,189 examples, and, not coincidentally, was also the biggest Hemi hog, with 2,014 cars.

440 Six Pack/6-BBL Performance

All of this history, specs, and production numbers talk is fine, and hopefully interesting, but the true test of an engine is on the blacktop. At TopSpeed we like to compare vehicles by putting them in a virtual drag race and for this, there is no better apples-to-apples competition than a 1969 Dodge Super Bee Hemi vs. a 1969 Dodge Super Bee Six Pack. If ever there was a test to show off the capabilities of the Sick Pack/6-BBL, this is it. Perhaps it seems a bit unfair to pit anything against a 426 Street Hemi, but it really isn't.

Super Bee vs. Super Bee Drag Race

The Hemi Super Bee won this race, but not by a lot, and the Six Pack Bee has nothing to be ashamed of as 13.6 in the quarter-mile is a damn good time. For the record, a '69 Road Runner 6-BBL runs it in 13.5 and a '69 Road Runner Hemi clears 1,320 feet in 13.4 seconds. While we're comparing acceleration, a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429's quarter-mile time was 14.1 seconds and a '69 Ford Torino 429 Cobra Jet did it in 14.7 seconds. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, and Oldsmobile were under GM's silly big engine ban in 1969, so none of them get to participate in this classic muscle car race.

440 Six Pack/6-BBL Collectibility

Hemi-equipped Mopars are the darlings of the classic muscle car collector world, which, when properly configured (mostly four-speed convertibles) can fetch up to $3.5 million dollars at auction. While there are no million-dollar 440 Six Pack or six-BBL cars yet, they are still premium collectibles that go for six figures. A 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda 6-BBL convertible almost joined the Million-Dollar Mopar Club, selling for $962,500 at Mecum Kissimmee 2021, which is pretty freakin' close and a serious shout-out for the 440.

Top Recent Six Pack/6-BBL Auction Sales:

• 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda 6-BBL - $962,500
• 1970 Plymouth Superbird 6-BBL - $550,000
• 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Six-pack - $275,000
• 1971 Dodge Charger R/T Six Pack - $242,000
• 1969 Dodge Super Bee Six Pack - $240,000
• 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda 6-BBL - $239,250
• 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SE - $230,000
• 1970 Dodge Super Bee Six Pack - $187,000
• 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 6-BBL - 176,000
• 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T Six Pack - $165,000

The truth of the matter is that 440 Six Pack/6-BBL Mopars make for better collectible classic muscle cars than big V-8 Fords and Chevys. The top-selling Ford Torino Cobra 429 went for 126,500 and even an ultra-rare '69 Mustang Boss 429 only crossed the auction block at $605,000.

The most expensive Chevrolet Chevelle is a 1970 SS 454 LS6 convertible unicorn car, and it was sold for $600,000, which is far below the most valuable Six Pack/6-BBL Mopar classic. The 426 Street Hemi was clearly the Alpha Dog V-8 of the Golden Age of American Muscle, but the 440 Six Pack/6-BBL wasn't far behind, giving Dodge and Plymouth the top two engines of the classic era.