The 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air 409 V8 helped define the 1960s muscle car revolution
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- Mecum is auctioning an original 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air 409 in its Indy sale.
- The 409 cu-in (6.7-liter) V8 helped kick off the 1960s muscle car craze.
- Rated at up to 409 hp, 1962 409s could run the quarter in under 15 secs.
Muscle car fans will still be arguing about who got there first long after the world’s oil wells have finally run dry. Was it Olds with its Rocket 88, Chrysler’s letter-series cars, or the Pontiac GTO? You could make an argument for all of those cars and many others, but one machine with a real claim on having kick-started muscle’s golden era is the Chevrolet 409.
The 409 wasn’t a model in its own right, but an engine option for Chevy’s full-size sedan, which was all-new for 1961. The brand’s 348 (348 cu.in/5.7-liter) V8 made a solid 350 hp (355 PS) with its available tri-carb setup, but ticking the 409 option increased the capacity to 409 cubes (6.7 liters) delivered a hairy 11.25:1 compression ratio, forged aluminum pistons, solid valve lifters and 360 hp (365 PS). A four-speed manual was mandatory.
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A year later, now with a new cam and heads, the 409 was kicking out 380 hp (385 PS) with a single four-barrel carb. But splashing out $60 for dual Carter four barrels delivered a mighty 409 hp (415 PS), the magic 1 hp per cubic inch Chevy had first promised with its injected 283 in 1957.
Photos Mecum
True, these are gross horsepower figures (Detroit switched to more realistic net numbers in 1972) but a 409 was seriously quick at the time and could still embarrass a few modern cars. Sub-7-second zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) times were possible out of the box and amateur racers soon discovered they’d get into the 13s in the quarter mile with minimal mods. The 409 was such a game-changer the Beach Boys wrote a song about it, sparking a wave of car-related pop hits from them and other bands.
Unlike late 1960s muscle cars that telegraphed their performance capabilities with spoilers and graphics, and were mostly based on mid-size cars, full-size muscle pioneers like the 409 were the soul of discretion, with only small ‘409’ emblems on the front fenders to give the game away. You could even get the motor in a four-door sedan or wagon, though the bubble-top coupe body seen on this example heading to Mecum’s Indy auction in May is the one most people covet today.
It doesn’t have the ultra-rare aluminum panel package or the showy SS trim option, but it does have the desirable dual-quad carbs, a four-speed manual (a three-speed was standard in ’62) and is being offered for sale with no reserve.
You can click here to see the Mecum listing and view the full gallery for this car and the other classics Mecum has lined up for its April 4 event.