Category: Charger

Transforming a rust-infested 383 Dodge Charger into a show winner – Thomas A. DeMauro @Hemmings

Transforming a rust-infested 383 Dodge Charger into a show winner – Thomas A. DeMauro @Hemmings

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John Hoffman was just 14 years old when the magnificently redesigned Charger was set loose for 1968, and he was convinced even then that someday he’d own an exquisite example of the breed. “I was in junior high school, and I thought it was the prettiest car I’d ever seen,” he remembers. “Then Bullitt was released and that sealed the deal for me. My friends liked the Mustang, but I was the Charger guy. I own that movie and still watch it once a year.

”John’s perceptions are representative of many who venerate Steve McQueen’s classic cop drama, which features one of the greatest car chases ever filmed, and has elevated the 1968 Charger to a pop culture icon. The Dodge’s allure isn’t limited to its cinematic appearance, however, as its engaging design continues to mesmerize even jaded muscle car fans.

All the Charger’s curves and creases were in just the right places. Its Coke-bottle shape, broad grille with concealed headlamps, flying-buttress roof that looked like a semi-fastback from the side but featured a recessed backlite, “racing-style” gas cap, and even the taillights conspired to create a muscular and cohesive visual presentation.

By the early 2000s, with vintage car values rising, John began getting that now-or-never feeling. The Telford, Pennsylvania, resident knew he’d better buy his ’68 before he was priced out of the market. His finances still wouldn’t allow a fully restored example, so he instead sought out one that needed work but was mostly original.

In August 2003, he spotted this Charger online, for sale in Kansas City, Missouri. It was an early build car and was desirably optioned with the 330-hp 383 V-8 with dual exhausts, TorqueFlite automatic, 3.23:1 Sure Grip rear end, air conditioning, tinted windows, driver’s-side remote-control outside mirror, cruise control, radio, center cushion with armrest between the bucket seats, power steering, and power brakes.

John noted that it still had its factory-applied F5 green paint and assembly-line-installed interior and powertrain. He says, “I liked this car because it was very original and seemed like it must have been ordered by an older buyer who didn’t mess around with it.”

Read on

This unrestored 1966 Dodge Charger offers a unique experience – David Conwill @Hemmings

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Plymouth folks are fond of telling you that Dodge stole every good thing Plymouth ever had. Whether that’s a fair assessment or not, it does put an interesting spin on the 1966 Dodge Charger.
In 1964, a few months before the Ford Mustang debuted, Plymouth brought out its own sporty compact. As the Mustang had its roots in the Falcon, Plymouth’s new Barracuda was based on the brand’s compact Valiant. While the Mustang used radically different bodywork from the Falcon, the Barracuda was essentially a new body style of Valiant, with a large glass fastback.
When Dodge dealers saw the success of the Barracuda, they clamored for their own sporty compact based on the Dart. In a rare act of defiance, the Chrysler board said no. Dodge would get a sporty, two-door fastback, but instead of being based on the Dart, it would use the midsize Coronet platform.

Richard Sias’s 1968 Dodge Charger design both defined and ended his career at Chrysler – Daniel Strohl @Hemmings

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Richard Sias should, by many of his contemporaries’ accounts, be as widely hailed an automotive designer today as any of those contemporaries themselves. Instead, he exited the auto design world not long after getting bypassed for recognition for his work on the 1968 Dodge Charger, a design that has since become one of the most iconic of the muscle car era.

Read Daniel’s article here

“Most documented” Hemi Charger heads to auction | Hemmings Blog: Classic and collectible cars and parts

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Five years ago, we asked on the cover of Hemmings Muscle Machines whether this 1970 Dodge Charger was the world’s most documented Hemi car. It’s no idle question, either: Documentation can make or break a car on the marketplace, and the value of this particular Charger’s documentation will soon be revealed when the car goes up for auction at Mecum’s Indy event.

To begin with, Dodge didn’t build all that many Hemi-powered four-speed Chargers in 1970: 56 total, and only 10 in R/T trim with the SE package. After decoding its broadcast sheet and fender tag, owner Steven Segal figured he knew as much as there was to know about the Charger when he bought it from ibaey role in discovering the rest of its backstory. Segal restored the Charger with a non-numbers-matching but era-correct Hemi to replace the original engine, long since scattered in a street race by the original owner. By coincidence, a subsequent magazine feature on the Charger landed in the lap of the man cleaning out old sales files at Suburban Dodge in Metuchen, New Jersey, where its original owner bought the Charger. A muscle car enthusiast, he found the car’s file, saved it from disposal, and sent it on to Segal, who found within it the car’s original dealer order form, Chrysler invoice, notes from the negotiating process, delivery paperwork, and dealer prep work order.

 

Segal didn’t keep the car babied, either. At the time we photographed it, we took it out for a spin and got to hear the Hemi clear its throat through those over-the-counter headers, still with the car. Sometime later, Segal has located and installed the Cragar mags and Parnelli Jones tires that the original owner put on the car, giving it an authentic Day Two vibe.

 

Since our article appeared, we’ve yet to hear of any Hemi car with more documentation than Segal’s Charger.

 

Mecum’s Original Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis will take place May 14-19 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. For more information, visit Mecum.com.

 

 

“Most documented” Hemi Charger heads to auction | Hemmings Blog: Classic and collectible cars and parts.