you are both wrong.
i'm telling you the elephant name was coined before the Rb BB hemi.
http://www.themotorbookstore.com/chrysler-engine-manual.html
The Chrysler FirePower Hemi was first introduced in 1951 as a 331 cubic inch V-8, weighing in at almost a thousand pounds dry, with a then unbelievable 180 horsepower at 4000 rpm. This behemoth came with a forged steel crank and big valves, a 1.81 intake and 1.5 exhaust, to give it unbeatable flow. Unusual to these first 331ci Hemis were the cast in the block bell housing flange, which was discontinued in 1954. This elephant was only the start with the cubes getting pushed up to 354, then the ultimate 392 Hemi, putting out up to 390 horsepower straight from the dealer. As “Big Daddy” Don Garlits explained, “I’ll never forget my first introduction to the Chrysler Hemi. My friend and I were driving down a street in Tampa, Florida, and we looked in the window of a Chrysler dealership. They had a big sign that read, ‘V-8, 180 horsepower.’ We thought it was a mistake, it should be 108 horsepower. But it was not a mistake.”
http://www.moparstyle.net/history/earlyhemimotor.htm
i can find plenty of articles that call the early hemi the original elephant.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/The-...nt-Poster_W0QQitemZ270061426793QQcmdZViewItem
P4876824 MP HEMI ENGINE MANUAL $ 32.95
The "elephant" motor has a home of its own, at last! This all hemi engine manual is packed with racing secrets, engine building and blueprinting, performance modifications and more. Read about Hemi heritage, from the "wake up the flathead boys" infamous 331 cis trailblazer, through the 354 and 392 cid versions that shook drag racings foundations, to the colossal 426. Details abound; all you need to know about carburetion, ignition systems, oiling, coolant requirements, trans recommendations, and more! (456 pgs)
http://www.jimsautoparts.com/literatu.htm
who says chrysler named it anyway. drag racers named it.
i can agree to disagree. but i can get just as much literature as anyone to sell my view.
they may call the 426 en elephant, but the original 426 wasn't even stinkin hemi, it was a wedge.
383,412,426,440