Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger is a classic muscle car from Chrysler produced from 1966. The Charger was built as a rival to the Ford Mustang. Chrysler wanted the Charger to be a model to fit between the class of the Mustang and the Ford Thunderbird.

The 1966 and 1967 Dodge Chargers were all fastback vehicles. The Charger's debut also followed by a half model year the introduction of a new street version of the 426 cu in (7.0 L) Chrysler Hemi engine. With the Charger, Dodge had a new model to build a performance image to go along with this engine.The grille used fully rotating headlights (180 degree) that when opened or closed made the grille look like one-piece unit. The dash housed a 0 to 6000 rpm tachometer, a 0 to 150 mph (240 km/h) speedometer, as well as alternator, fuel, and temperature gauges as standard equipment.Engine selections consisted of only V8s, though a straight-six engine became standard by 1968. Only 468 Chargers were built with the 426 Hemi.

The entire B-body lineup for 1968 was redesigned. The standard engine was the 318 cu in (5.2 L) 2bbl until mid-year when a 225 cu in (3.7 L) slant-six became available. The 383-2 and 383-4 remained unchanged. A new high-performance package was added, the R/T ("Road/Track" with no 'and' between Road and Track). The R/T came standard with the previous year's 440 "Magnum" and the 426 Hemi was again optional. The Charger R/T received bumble-bee stripes (two thin stripes framing two thick stripes). The stripes were standard on the R/Ts and came in red, white or black. They could be deleted at no cost. The 1968 model year Charger sales increased to 96,100, including over 17,000 Charger R/Ts.

 The 1969 model year brought few modifications. Exterior changes included a new grille with a center divider and new longitudinal taillights. A new trim line called the Special Edition (SE) was added. This could be available by itself or packaged with the R/T, thus making an R/T-SE. The SE added leather inserts to the front seats only, chrome rocker moldings, a wood grain steering wheel and wood grain inserts on the instrument panel. A sunroof was added to the option list as well, and saw only 260 sold installations. The bumble bee stripes returned as well, but were changed slightly. Instead of four stripes it now featured one huge stripe framed by two smaller stripes. In the middle of the stripe an R/T cutout was placed. If the stripe was deleted, a metal R/T emblem was placed where the R/T cutout was. Total production was around 89,199 units.

 The Charger 500 prototype had a Torqueflite transmission, a white interior and 426 Hemi. The Charger 500 was tested for production, got the greenlight and was one of three models introduced in September 1968. The Charger 500 was standard with the 440 Magnum but the factory literature claims the 426 Hemi was standard. The Charger 500 had the Torqueflite standard and the same equipment standard as the R/T. A total of 500 Charger 500s were made but only 392 were bought for street use. The rest were bought by racers and gutted, stripped, modified and/or repainted. Only 67 Charger 500s were built with the 426 Hemi; 27 with 4-Speeds and 40 with Torqueflites.

Dodge was not satisfied with the results of the Charger 500. The car was not enough to beat the other aerocars on the NASCAR circuit. After months of research and development, including the aftermarket shop Creative Industries Inc., the Dodge Charger Daytona was introduced on April 13, 1969. Within hours of its unveiling, Dodge had received over 1,000 orders. Only 503 Charger Daytonas were built, 433 were 440 Magnum 139 4-Speed and 294 Torqueflite; 70 were 426 Hemi power, 22 4-Speed and 48 Torqueflite.

Over the years, the Charger kept on evolving. The Charger also starred in some movies and series, e.g; "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The Fast and The Furious".

Until today, the Charger remained as the rival of the Mustang and some other muscle cars. The original Charger remained as one of the most collectible cars today.