1962 Dodge Lancer Hyper Pak 4 bbl 4 speed

1962 Dodge Lancer Lancer GT

In 1960, in building #135 of the Chrysler complex in Highland Park, Michigan, the very first high-performanceslant sixwas born. The 170 cubic inch slant six was originally designed in 1958 to replace the flat-head six, which was big and bulky, and underpowered for the new Valiant compact car line for model-year 1960.
A high performance manual 3-speed was used behind the race version Valiant with a special clutch driving disc that carried P/N 2201219, with a clutch cover and pressure plate with P/N 2201223.

The name Hyper-Pak was given while the engineers were doing the dyno runs with their new high performance 170 cu. inch six cylinder; once it fired up the motor would shake and lope badly and some of the engineers commented, "that thing is so hyper!" The rest is history.

With the slant six introduced in 1960 in two versions, a 101 hp, 170 cu.in and a 145hp, 225 cu. in. version, the slant six built its reputation for performance and reliability. The 148hp, 170 cu. in Hyper-Pak introduced in the 1960 Valiant was the next step and the one that was to prove the new engine worthy of any performance challenge.

Seven slant six Valiants entered the a new NASCAR race; when the race ended, not only had all seven Hyper-Paks finished, proving their reliability and durability, but they won the first seven places!

This type of performance speaks for itself.

This is something you've most likely never seen before and might just never see another one. I have been restoring cars for 45 years and worked for a private Mopar collector for 10 years with a penchant for early 300's and any go fast Chrysler product and I had never even heard of a Hyper Pak much less seen one. I stumbled over this car in a barn in south Phoenix and didn't quite know what I was looking at. I had to go home and Google "Hyper Pak" and I was amazed.

This is a very solid Arizona car that was well taken care of and was going to get a "light" restoration and as these things go it was completely rebuilt. It is pretty much as stock but with a few improvements to make it a bit more fun to drive. The first is a 4 speed transmission with a heavy duty clutch to connect that torque to the pavement. The other addition is an aftermarket under dash A/C system for the hot Arizona summers. It has all new upholstery including the foam rubber bolsters. It has the correct pattern on the heel pad and all new carpet headliner and door panels. It needs the speaker grill on the dash. I have the original but it is just crumbling apart. I wonder if someone could 3D print one?

It has all new paint in the factory color combination with the addition of a driving stripe and scoop to emphasize the Hyper Pak motif. The paint is still in excellent condition with a few chips as would be expected on any driven car. I'd like to say it is 100% rust free but there are about four or five pimples of rust right behind the right rear tire. I included a close up picture of this. I'm certain this is just from a water leak either at the trunk or the back glass. Nobody would ever suggest this is a rusty car. The car never fails to get gobs of attention whenever I drive it. It is so"cute" I wish it looked a little bit sinister to complement the highly unusual drivetrain. It is a bit disheartening to show off the 26 inch ram manifold and split cast iron dual exhaust and factory 4 barrel intake and then have even my car knowledgeable friends tell me about their aunt Mildred's slant six that "ran forever". When you find someone that knows about the "leaning tower of power", they go crazy about seeing this car. I had this at the Goodguys Show in Scottsdale and only two people there knew what this was.

This is a beast to drive. It is not easy. The linkage to the carb changes direction three times and is very hard to give a smooth throttle. It hits the four barrel really hard and I usually am looking at the hood rise every time I take off with it. The 3600 pound clutch doesn't make it any easier. This is not a car you'd want to get stuck in rush hour traffic in. I'm sure my left leg has more definition than my right. This is not a car for wimps. Once you get it going it runs down the road like a scalded coyote. The sound it makes is like nothing you would expect a six cylinder anything to make. The speedometer goes to 180. It was squealing, shrieking actually and I had to disconnect it. I have no idea of the actual miles on this car. I don't expect anyone to believe this has 17,000 mile on it, but at the show people thought it was. It really is as pretty as the pictures.

These came with heavy duty springs, shocks, and station wagon brakes. (not power). it drives very solidly and goes where you point it. There is none of that "wandering" feeling to this car. It is solid as a rock and drives like it was built for NASCAR in '62. even the steering (also not power) has good road feel. I think it could use shorter gears in the rear end as I feel like I am pushing it at 70 or 80 MPH. Also the shifts come real quick. I think it is a matter of what you want to use the car for. It is snotty fast the way it is. I am a very large guy and I have a tough time grabbing 2nd gear as I need to squeeze my legs together to get room for the shifter. As it is I need to take my wallet out of my pants just to drive it.

I love this car. I need to be 6 inches shorter and about 50 pounds lighter to really get the hang of this. As I said it is a beast to drive, but when I put some time in the seat, I'm driving much smoother than when I started. I have a bunch of cars and I need to let some of them go. I'm offering this up for sale. I don't need to hear from Nigerian Princes or people trying to smuggle Amelda Marco's shoes. I need the funds to clear my bank before the car leaves my possession. This car is 57 years old. I have to sell it as - is. I can help with shipping anywhere.