Loud, Proud & Outrageous: Muscle Car Badges - Hot Rod Network
It's got the hottest engine Ford Motor Company had cooked up—hotter than the dual-quad E-code (270 hp) or F-code supercharged 312s (300 hp). Hotter than the Police Interceptors (300 hp in 1960). And at least as far as factory horsepower ratings... When I was discussing this with owner Nick Smith, lifelong car guy and longtime Ford dealer, he pointed out that engine callouts didn't become an industry practice until 1962. But once engine badging began, the cool feature was off and running. But if you stepped up for the so-fine 409, you got a pair of front fender badges—the numerals "409" above a chevron, all in classic chrome—declaring your car's superior rank among so many lesser cars. Crosstown rival Ford went a little further with its larger, more elaborate Thunderbird engine badge that came with the upper-tier engine options. Mopars didn't really get into the spirit of the badging game until the appearance of the street Hemi in 1966, which came with a highly revered emblem that read "426 Hemi" in thick letters set above a solid bar. Source: www.hotrod.com
