Jay Leno Shows Off His Rare 1964 Dodge Polara Max Wedge, Takes It for a Spin

And it's not just any Polara. The red, chrome-laden two-door sedan you're looking at hides a Max Wedge engine under the hood. The mill that turned Dodges and Plymouths into the cars to beat at the dragstrip from 1962 to 1964, before the iconic 426 Hemi entered production.

Just like the Hemi, the Max Wedge was born as a racing engine. While Chrysler offered it in intermediate, B-platform Dodges and Plymouths that were street legal, the engine was, in fact, created to capitalize on the rising popularity of NHRA super stock racing.

The Max Wedge debuted in 1962 as a 413-cubic-inch (6.8-liter) mill. It was called the Ramcharger 413 by Dodge and the Super Stock 413 by Plymouth. The engine was rated at 410 or 420 horsepower, depending on compression ratio.

Chrysler enlarged displacement to 426 cubic inches (7.0 liters) in 1963. That's when output also grew to 415 or 425 horsepower. The Max Wedge found its way into a handful of Mopar cars, but the Dodge Polara is arguably the most iconic. And like all Max Wedge-fitted muscle cars, it's quite rare too.

Leno is the third owner of the red-painted Polara 500. Much like all Max Wedge cars, this Dodge saw a lot of action at the drag strip back in the day, but he got it in surprisingly good condition.

A few years and upgrades later, and it's one of the finest Polaras out there. Far from being a 100-percent accurate restoration, this sleeper sports a few upgrades under the shell, including modern brakes at all four corners. The Max Wedge unit is still all-original, but an electric cutout exhaust enables it to roar louder than usual. Make sure you check that out at the 12:50-minute mark.

That's also when Jay takes the Polara out for a spin, but I strongly suggest you watch the whole video to learn more about the rare and fabulous Max Wedge V8 engine. Because this mill is just as spectacular as the 426 Hemi. And he will tell you why that is.