Quote: Well, ... yes it did,... originally.
The design eventually proved to be capable of producing more power than the cast iron cylinder block technology of the day could handle. Lets face it, they were engines originally designed for 2 ton luxury liners.

It was when these old engines were being pushed beyond 2,000 horespower that it became clear that the limits of cylinder block strength were being reached & some clever people came up with stronger & lighter replacements. It was these that allowed the basic pushrod hemi design potential to really come alive, yet to this day, there has never been a need to move beyond the basic pushrod design. Even the highly desirable, current model, 3rd generation Dodge hemi is a pushrod engine.

Small engines that need to rev to exreme levels to make good power, like F1 or even motorcycle engines, will always benefit from the reduction of reciprocating valve mass that multivalve DOHC designs provide. Horses for courses, but the basic pushrod engines simplicity means that it will always hold a place dear to my heart.