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Automotive History
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General
Lee Toys
Dodge Charger Images click for larger picture
The Dodge Charger was a model of car produced
by Dodge. The 1966 to 1974 Chargers were sporty models based on the Chrysler B
platform that could be ordered with high-performance options. The 1975 to 1978
Chargers were based on the Chrysler Cordoba. The Dodge Charger R/T was one of
the largest muscle cars available in the 1970s.
Birth of the Charger
1965 Dodge Charger II Show Car |
In 1964, when the Pontiac GTO started the
American muscle car era with strong sales, the rest of GM's divisions
were quick to jump on the muscle car bandwagon. Buick followed with the
Gran Sport and even Oldsmobile brought out the 442. Dodge, despite
putting out cars that could meet or beat these cars on the street or
strip, didn't have a performance image muscle car of their own. Even
with available performance engines, the Coronet's styling and image was
considered by most to be "conservative."
Burt Bouwkamp, Chief Engineer for Dodge during the 1960s and one of the
men behind the Dodge Charger, related his experience during a speech in
July 2004. |
"Lynn Townsend was at odds with the Dodge
Dealers and wanted to do something to please them. So in 1965 he asked me to
come to his office - for the second time. He noted that one of the Dodge Dealer
Council requests was for a Barracuda type vehicle. The overall dealer product
recommendation theme was the same - we want what Plymouth has. The specific
request for a Mustang type vehicle was not as controversial to Lynn. His
direction to me was to give them a specialty car but he said 'for God's sake
don't make it a derivative of the Barracuda': i.e. don't make it a Barracuda
competitor.
"So the 1966 Charger was born.
"We built a Charger 'idea' car which we displayed at auto shows in 1965 to
stimulate market interest in the concept. It was the approved design but we told
the press and auto show attendees that it was just an "idea" and that we would
build it if they liked it. It was pre-ordained that they would like it."
The concept car received a positive response, so Dodge put it into production.
1966-1967
1967 Charger
1966 Carl "CAM'" Cameron
would be the exterior designer of Dodge's new flagship vehicle, and on January
1, 1966, viewers of the Rose Bowl were first introduced to the new "Leader of
the Dodge Rebellion", the 1966 Charger. The Charger's debut followed by a half
model year Chrysler corporation's tremendously successful introduction of a new
street version of the 426 Hemi (7.0 L) in its Plymouth line. Finally, Dodge
would have a performance platform, and a performance image, to go along with
this high performance engine.
As the 1966 Charger's features would go, the "electric shaver" grille used fully
rotating headlights, not seen on a Chrysler product since the 1942 DeSoto, that
when opened or closed made the grille look like one-piece. Inside, the Charger
used four individual bucket seats with a full length console from front to rear.
The rear seats and console pad also folded forward, and the trunk divider
dropped back, which allowed for lots of cargo room inside. Many other things
were exclusive to the Charger such as the door panels, courtesy lights and the
instrument panel.
The instrument panel was especially interesting as regular bulbs weren't used to
light the gauges. Instead four electroluminescent dash pods housed the
tachometer, speedometer, alternator, fuel and temperature gauges. In the rear
the full length taillight read CHARGER.
The engine selection was all V8s. A six cylinder engine didn't make the option
list until 1968. In 1966 four engines were offered; the base-model 318 in³ (5.2
L) 2-barrel V8, the truck-sourced 361 in³ (5.9 L) 2-barrel, the 383 in³ (6.3 L)
4-barrel, and the new 426 Street Hemi. The majority of 1966 Chargers were
ordered with the 325 hp (242 kW) 383.
Total production in 1966 came to 37,344 units, which was successful for the
mid-year introduction.
In 1966 Dodge took the Charger into NASCAR in hopes that the fastback would make
their car a winner on the high-banks. But the car proved to have rear end lift
around corners which made it very slippery on the faster tracks. The lift was
because the air actually traveled faster over the top of the car than under it,
causing the car to act like a giant airplane wing. Drivers would later claim
that "it was like driving on ice." In order to solve this problem Dodge
installed a small lip spoiler on the trunk lid which improved traction at speeds
above 150 mph (240 km/h). They also had to make it a dealer-installed option in
late 1966 and through 1967 because of NASCAR rules (with small quarter panel
extensions in 1967). The 1966 Charger was the first US production vehicle to
offer a spoiler. David Pearson, driving a #6 Cotten Owens-prepared Charger, went
on to win the NASCAR Grand National championship in 1966 with 14 first-place
finishes.
1967
Since the Charger was such a sales success despite its midyear introduction,
changes were limited for 1967. Outside, new fender-mounted turn signals were
introduced and would serve as the main outside identifier between a 1966 and
1967 Charger. A vinyl roof become available as well. Inside, the full length
console was gone, due in part to customer complaints about entry and exit from
the back seats. It was replaced with a regular sized console. Bucket seats were
standard, but a folding armrest/seat and column shifter was an option allowing
three people to sit up front.
As for engine options, the 440 "Magnum" was added and the 361 in³ engine was
replaced by a 383 in³ engine. The 440 was conservatively rated at 375 hp (280
kW) with a single 4-barrel carburetor. The 318 two-barrel engine remained,
although it was now the modern Chrysler LA engine with wedge-shaped combustion
chambers, unlike the outdated 1966 polyspherical (or "poly") design. The 383
4-barrel and the 426 Street Hemi remained as options.
Despite the Chargers' NASCAR racing success of 1966, sales slipped by half. In
1967 only 15,788 Chargers were sold. The Chargers faced competition from the
Trans-Am Series, the Ford Mustang and the just introduced Chevrolet Camaro.
Dodge decided that a major redesign was in order, rather than a minor face-lift.
1968-1970 1968
It was clear after the sales drop of the 1967 Charger that a
restyle was in order. Dodge was going to restyle their entire B-body lineup for
1968 and decided that it was time to separate the Coronet and Charger models
even further. What designer Richard Sias came up with was a double-diamond
design that would later be referred to as coke bottle styling. From the side
profile the curves around the front fenders and rear quarter panels look almost
like a Coke bottle. Front and rear end sheet metal was designed by Harvey J
Winn. The rear end featured a "kick up" spoiler appearance, inspired by Group 7
racing vehicles. On the roof a "flying buttress" was added to give the rear
window area a look similar to that of the 1966-67 Pontiac GTO. The Charger
retained its full-length hidden headlight grille, but the fully rotating
electric headlights had been replaced by a simple vacuum operated cover, similar
to the Camaro RS. The full length taillights were gone as well. Instead, dual
Corvette-inspired taillights were added at the direction of Styling Vice
President, Elwood P. Engel. Dual scallops were added to the doors and hood to
help accent the new swoopy lines. Inside, the interior shared almost nothing
with its first generation brothers. The four bucket seats were gone, the console
remained the same as the '67. The tachometer was now optional instead of
standard, the trunk and grille medallions were gone, the carpeting in the trunk
area was gone, replaced by a vinyl mat, the rear seats did not fold forward and
the space-age looking electroluminescent gauges disappeared in favor of a more
conventional looking design.
In order to further boost the Charger's muscle car image, a new high-performance
package was added, the R/T. This stood for "Road/Track" (no 'and' between Road
and Track) and would be the high performance badge that would establish Dodge's
performance image. Only the high performance cars were allowed to use the R/T
badge. The R/T came standard with the previous year's 440 "Magnum" and the 426
Hemi was optional. The standard engine was the 318 2bbl the rest of the engine
lineup (383-2, 383-4) remained unchanged.
In 1968 Chrysler Corporation unveiled a new ad campaign featuring a Bee with an
engine on its back. These cars were called the "Scat Pack". The Coronet R/T,
Super Bee, Dart GTS and 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 also could be deleted at no cost. These
changes and the new Charger bodystyle proved to be very popular with the public
and helped to sell 96,100 Chargers, including over 17,000 Charger R/Ts.
A famous Charger was the four-speed, triple-black 1968 Charger R/T used in the
movie Bullitt. The chase scene between Steve McQueen's fastback Mustang GT and
the hitmen's Charger R/T is popularly regarded as one of the greatest car chase
scenes ever filmed. During filming of the scene, the Charger proved to be
extremely durable. When performing the various jumps over the hills in San
Francisco, the Mustang GT encountered several suspension problems, while the
suspension of the Chargers used never failed once.
A similar 1968 Charger R/T was seen in the
Blade films.
1969
1969 Dodge Charger
In 1969 not much was changed for the popular Charger. Exterior changes included
a new grille with a center divider and new longitudinal taillights both designed
by Harvey J. Winn. 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 it would prove to be
a very rare option (some 260 sold). 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, then a metal R/T emblem was placed where the
R/T cutout was. Total production was around 89,199 units. But in 1969 Dodge had
its eye on NASCAR and in order to compete it would have to create two of the
most rare and desirable of all Chargers: Charger 500, and the Charger Daytona.
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Bo and Luke Duke popularized the 1969 Dodge
Charger in The Dukes of HazzardThe television series The Dukes of
Hazzard (1979-1985) featured a 1969 Dodge Charger that was named The
General Lee, often noted as being the most recognizable car in the
world. The idea for the General Lee was developed from the famous bootlegger Jerry
Rushing's car, which was named for General Lee's favorite horse, Traveler.
Traveler was also the name of the car in Moonrunners, the 1975 movie precursor
to The Dukes of Hazzard.
More on
The General Lee
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"The General" sported the Confederate
battle flag painted on the roof and the words "GENERAL LEE" over each door. The
windows were always open, as the doors were welded shut. The number "01" is
painted on both doors. Also, when the horn button was pressed, it played the
first 12 notes from the de facto Confederate States anthem "Dixie Land". The
muscle car performed spectacular jumps in almost every episode, and the show's
popularity produced a surge of interest in the car. The show itself purchased
hundreds of Chargers for stunts, as they generally destroyed at least one car
per episode. (Real Chargers stopped being used for jumps at the end of the
show's sixth season, and were begrudgingly replaced with miniatures.)
Charger 500
Dodge Charger 500
Dodge Charger 500In 1968, Dodge watched their NASCAR inspired Charger R/T fail
to beat the Ford cars on the high-banks oval-tracks. The Dodge engineers went
back to the wind tunnel and found the tunneled rear window caused lift and the
gaping mouth induced drag. Dodge engineers also made the rear window flush with
the rest of the hood and put a 1968 Coronet Grille up front. The original
Charger 500 prototype was a 1968 Charger R/T with a 426 Hemi. The prototype was
painted in B5 Blue with a white stripe.
The Charger 500 Prototype was actually for sale on ebay motors. The signs it is
the prototype is that it has 1968 side markers. The Charger 500 prototype had a
Torqueflite, 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 claiming the 426 Hemi was standard. The Charger 500 had the
Torqueflite standard and the same equipment standard as the R/T.
The Charger 500 sold for $3482.00 MSRP. The Charger 500 was available with the
426 Hemi for an extra $648.20, The Charger 500 had the options A11 and V88 the
stripe was available with red, black and white colors. The Charger 500 was
available with Air Conditioning on the 440 Magnum for an extra $357.65.
The Charger 500 had 500 made but only 392 were bought for street use. The rest
were bought by racers and gutted, stripped, modified and repainted. 67 Charger
500s were 426 Hemis and 27 were 4-Speeds, 40 were Torqueflites.
The Charger 500 did not get the results expected of it on the NASCAR circuits
and lost to FoMoCo entrants.
Charger Daytona
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, despite the price point
of $3,993.00 MSRP.
Chrysler made many attempts at improving the aerodynamics of the 500 by adding
noses rumoured to be up to 23 inches (580 mm) long. The Charger Daytona finally
received an 18-inch (460 mm) nose. The full size Charger Daytona was tested with
an 18-inch (460 mm) nose at the Lockheed-Martin Georgia facility. The test was a
success and the project was greenlighted. The nose piece was only part of the
innovation. The Charger Daytona also received a 23-inch (580 mm) tall wing in
rear. This wing was bolted through the rear quarter panels and into the rear
subframe. The Charger Daytona's wing also helped out in an unintended way, by
giving the car directional stability as well.
The Charger Daytona proved itself to high management but was shot down by
Dodge's styling department. The Charger Daytona engineering model was tested on
the Chelsea, Michigan Chrysler Proving Grounds on July 20th., 1969. Driven by
Charlie Glotzbach and Buddy Baker, it was clocked at 205 mph (330 km/h) with a
small 4 bbl. carb. The Charger Daytona's nose made 1,200 pounds of downforce and
the wing made 600 pounds of downforce. (a zero lift car) The Dodge styling
department wanted to make changes to the Charger Daytona as soon as they saw it,
but was told by Bob McCurry to back off; he wanted function over finesse.
The Charger Daytona introduced to the public had a fiberglass nose without real
headlamps and a wing without streamlined fairings. The media and public loved
the car, but were mystified by the reverse scoops on the front fenders. The PR
representatives claimed it was for tire clearance. Actually, they reduced drag
3%.
The Charger Daytona came standard with the 440 Magnum Engine with 375 hp (280
kW) and 480lb.-ft. of torque, A727 Torqueflite Automatic Transmission, and a
3.23 489 Case 8 3/4 Chrysler Differential. The Charger Daytona also came with
the 426 Hemi with 425 hp (317 kW) and 490 lb·ft (660 N·m) (620 hp (460 kW) at
6000 rpm and 620 lb·ft (840 N·m) at 4700 rpm) for an extra $648.20. The 426 Hemi
was also available with the no cost option of the A833 4-Speed Manual. 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.
In the end the Daytona was brought down by the decision to make the 1970
Plymouth Superbird the only '70 aerocar, how ever apparently two Charger
Daytona's were built using 1970 sheetmetal. One of them resides in the backyard
of an individual in western Pennsylvania, not far from Pittsburg. Several
enthusiasts have tried to buy the car, but the owner refuses to sell, and the
car sits un-covered and deteriorating. While Daytona's were raced thru the 1970
season, only one Daytona still raced until 1971 (in the 1971 Daytona 500) when
NASCAR decreed that engine displacement of wing cars would be limited to 305 ci.
That particular car finished somewhere in the top-10 of that race.
1970
In 1970 the Charger changed slightly again. This would be the last and rarest
year of the 2nd generation Charger and it now featured a large wraparound chrome
bumper and the grille was no longer divided in the middle. New electric
headlight doors replaced the old vacuum style. Side markers were now actual
lights. The taillights were similar to those used in 69, but 500 and R/T models
came with a new more attractive taillight panel. On the R/T new rear-facing
scoops with the R/T logo were mounted on the front doors, over the door
scallops. A new 440 or HEMI hood cutout made the option list for this year only.
In order to achieve the desired look, Dodge painted the hood scallop inserts
black and put the silver engine callouts on top. New "High Impact" colors were
given names, such as Top Banana, Panther Pink, Sublime, Burnt Orange, Go Mango
and Plum Crazy (sometimes nicknamed "Statutory Grape"). The 500 returned for
another year, but now it was just a regular production Charger unlike the
limited production NASCAR Charger of 1969.
Interior changes included new high-back bucket seats, the door panels were also
revised and the map pockets were now optional instead of standard. The ignition
was moved from the dash to the steering column (as with all Chrysler products
this year), and the glove box was now hinged at the bottom instead of the top as
in 1968-69. The SE "Special Edition" option added high end luxury to a full on
muscle car and was available as 500 SE and R/T SE models. The all new pistol
grip shifter was introduced, along with a bench seat, a first for the Charger
since its debut.
A new engine option made the Charger's list for the first time, the 440 Six
Pack. With three two-barrel carburetors and a rating of 390 hp (291 kW), it was
one of the most exotic setups since the cross-ram Max Wedge engines of the early
1960s. The Six Pack was previously used on the mid-year 1969 Dodge Super Bee and
Plymouth Road Runner and was notorious for beating the Hemi on the street.
Despite this hot new engine, production slipped again to 46,576 but most of this
was due to the brand new E-body Dodge Challenger and the high insurance rates.
In the 1970 Nascar season it was the 1970 Charger that tallied up more wins (10)
than any other car....including the notorious 69 Dodge Charger Daytonas and
Plymouth Superbirds, giving Bobby Isaac the Grand National Championship.
1971-1974
In 1971, the all-new third generation Charger debuted. It was completely
restyled with a new split grille and more rounded "fuselage" bodystyle. The
interiors now looked more like those of the E-body and were now shared by the
Plymouth B-body. Hidden headlights were no longer standard, they were now
optional. A rear spoiler and a "Ramcharger" hood made the option lists for the
first time. A special scoop was mounted in the hood, directly above the air
cleaner. If the driver wanted to draw clean air directly into the carburetor, he
pulled a small lever under the dash and the scoop popped up. The Plymouth
Roadrunner used this device and called it the "air grabber hood". This device
had been used on the Coronet R/T and Super Bees, but this was the first time it
was used on the Charger.
Dodge also merged its Coronet and Charger lines. From 1971, all four-door
B-bodies were badged as Coronets and all two-door B-bodies as Chargers. This
change would add the one-year-only Charger Super Bee to the Charger stable.
The Dodge Super Bee made the move from the Coronet line to the Charger line for
1971 only, then the model was discontinued. Several other models were carried
over from 1970, including the 500. The R/T and SE versions carried over as well,
but the R/T's popularity was on the downslide thanks to higher insurance costs.
Only 63 Hemi versions were built, and 2,659 were built with other engines that
year. Rapidly rising insurance rates, combined with higher gasoline prices,
reduced sales of muscle cars and 1971 was the last year of availability for the
426 Hemi "Elephant engine" in any car. 1971 also saw the end of the
high-performance 440 Six-Pack engine (although some Dodge literature stated that
this engine was available for 1972, it was pulled at the last minute. However, a
few factory installed six-pack Chargers and Road Runners were built very early
in the production run).
The 1972 Charger bowed with a new "Rallye" option to replace the former R/T
version. The SE was differentiated from other 1972 Chargers by a unique formal
roof treatment and hidden headlights. The 440 engines were still available, but
now had to use the net horsepower rating instead of the gross horsepower rating.
This would cause their horsepower ratings to go down substantially, although the
net horsepower rating was actually more realistic. Also beginning in 1972, all
engines featured lowered compression ratios to permit the use of regular leaded
or unleaded gasoline rather than leaded premium fuel as in past years due to
increasing tighter emissions regulations. A low-compression 440 with a 4 barrel
carburetor became the top dog engine, and the use of the pistol-grip 4-speed
Hurst manual shifter was limited to engines of 400 cubic inches.
The 1973 Chargers sported new
vertically slatted taillights and new grilles (and no more hidden headlights,
even as an option). The 318 was still standard, with the 340 (available only on
the Rallye), 360, 400 and 440 remaining as options. The SE models had a new roof
treatment that had "triple opera window" treatment surrounded by a canopy-style
vinyl roof. All other models had a new quarter window treatment, ditching its
AMC Gremlin-style window in favor of a more conventional design. Sales this year
were around 108,000 units, the highest ever for the 1971-74 Charger generation.
74 Dodge Charger
1974 was a virtual rerun of 1973. Minor changes included all new color choices,
a softer grain pattern on interior surfaces, and a slight increase in the size
of the rubber bumper tips(brought on by ever-changing federal front and rear
impact regulations). The biggest news was that the Rallye option was dropped and
the 360 4bbl replaced the 340 as the small block performance engine. All other
engine options remained the same. Several performance rear end ratios, including
a 3.23 limited slip rear end were still available. A four speed transmission was
still an option except with the 440 engine. Emphasis in these years turned to
luxury instead of performance, hence the high sales figures for the SE model,
but one could still equip a Charger with respectable performance options if one
were so inclined and turn in decent performance figures for the day. The
Charger, however, was no longer considered a performance car, and was gradually
turned into personal luxury car, because all manufacturers "saw the handwriting
on the wall." The muscle car era came to a close, and the 1975 Dodge Charger
would be the final nail in the coffin.
1975-1978 Beginning in 1975, the
Dodge Charger was based on the Chrysler Cordoba. The Charger SE (Special
Edition) was the only model offered. It came with a wide variety engines from
the 318 in³ (5.2 L) "LA" series small block V8 to the 400 in³ (6.6 L) big block
V8. The standard engine was the 360 in³ (5.9 L) small block. Sales in 1975
amounted to 30,812. Because of the extreme squareness of the bodystyle, NASCAR
teams were forced to rely on the previous years (1974) sheetmetal for race-spec
cars. In order for Dodge to be represented, NASCAR allowed the 1974 sheetmetal
to be used until January 1978, when the new Dodge Magnum was ready for race use.
In 1976 the model range was expanded to four models — base, Charger Sport,
Charger SE and the Charger Daytona. The base and Sport models used a different
body than the SE and Daytona, and were essentially a rebadging of what had been
the 1975 Dodge Coronet 2-door models - and available with a 225 in (3.7 L) Slant
Six, which was not offered on the SE and Daytona. The Charger Daytona was
introduced in hopes or rekindling the performance fire, but it amounted to
little more than a tape/stripe package. It did offer either the 360 small block
or the 400 big block. Sales did go up slightly to 65,900 in 1976 but would
quickly plummet after that mainly due to the fact the base and Sport models were
one-year only offerings that did not return for 1977.
In 1977 the base Charger and Charger Sport were dropped as this body style
became part of the newly named B-body Monaco line, and only the Charger SE and
Charger Daytona were offered. Sales dropped to 36,204. In 1978 only about 2,800
Chargers were produced (likely to use up leftover stock of 1977 trim parts),
after which it was replaced by the similar 1978 Dodge Magnum.
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