Simon Cars - Dodge Charger 1968-70

Dodge Charger 1968-70

Designer Richard Sias was able to differentiate the second generation Charger in 1968 from its B-body siblings with a double coke-bottle waistline, altered rear lamps, and foldaway headlamps. The Charger R/T was specced out for Road/Track and typically carried double stripes across its bootlid. However, the standard R/T proved to be unaerodynamic on banked circuits and therefore uncompetitive. To remedy this 500 Charger 500s were made with revised grille and flush rear window in 1969; the 1970 Charger 500 reverted to a standard body. An even more aerodynamic Charger was created in the Dodge Charger Daytona with extended nose and high rear wing, and 503 were sold. In 1970 the Charger again claimed the NASCAR Championship, winning even more races than its sibling Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird. For 1971 a new B-body was introduced.

aa Dodge Charger 1969 badge

Dodge Charger 1969 - badge on c-pillar

ac Dodge Charger 500 1970 head

Dodge Charger 500 1970. The 1970 Charger 500 had the option of the Magnum 440 Six Pack fitted with three two-barrel carburetors and rated at 390bhp.

Dodge Charger 500 1970 front

Dodge Charger 500 1970. Conceived as a special 500-build model for 1969, the original Charger 500 had improved aerodynamics by way of a different grille and flush-fit rear window. For 1970, however, the Charger 500 became a mainstream model with mainstream features.

Dodge Charger 500 1970 rear

Dodge Charger 500 1970. A modest restyle was made for 1970 and the Charger 500 lost its individual aerodynamic features, such as a flush rear window. But the 500 and the R/T did get different rear lamps to other Chargers.

Dodge Charger 1968 R-T 440 side

Dodge Charger 1968 R/T 440. Along the the R/T (Road/Track) package came the 440 Magnum (7,200cc) 375bhp V8 engine. The 'Bumble Bee' stripes on the tail were part of the R/T package, but could be deleted.

Dodge Charger 1968 R-T frontb

Dodge Charger 1968 R/T. For 1968 Chrysler gave all its B-body cars a new design. To differentiate the Charger from Dodge Coronets, Richard Sias designed the 'double diamond' waistline and gave the Charger dual scallops on the doors. Harvey J. Winn did the front and back, giving in hidden headlamps.

Dodge Charger 1968 R-T rearb

Dodge Charger 1968 R/T. Richard Sias gave the Charger the flying buttresses, although the Charger 500 was goven a flush rear window for better aerodynamics. The R/T package included double 'Bumble Bee' stripes over the bootlid but these could be deleted.

Dodge Charger 1969 front

The 'Charger' name debuted on a 1966 Dodge and formed a whole line up on the new 1968 B-body Dodges. A range of engines was offered on the Dodge Charger, including the surprise of a slant-6 on such a performance car

Dodge Charger 1969 rear

Dodge Charger 1969. Although based on the B-body Dodge Coronet, the Dodge Charger had its own unique double coke bottle waist, with flying buttresses of the rear window by Richard Sias and Harvey J. Winn.

Dodge Coronet 383 Magnum 1968 front

Click here to go to an album on: Dodge Coronet 1968. Dodge Coronet 383 Magnum 1968. The 'Magnum' version of the Coronet had a 383 cu in (6.3-litre V8) engine, but there were higher performance versions including the R/T models and the Super Bee models.

Chevrolet Camaro 1970 Z28 front

Chevrolet Camaro 1970 Z28. Offered for the first time, the Z-28 was a performance package for the Camaro using the LT-1 5.7-litre V8 engine from the Corvette, with 4-barrel carbs and 360bhp (350 after 1971)

Ford Mustang 1970 Mach 1 351 front

Ford Mustang Mach 1 351 1970. Ford introduced the Mach 1 for the 1969 model year based only on the 'sportsroof' (fastback) body. A 351 cu.in 5.8-litre Windsor V8 powered the Mach 1, although other engines were optional. Sales of 72,000 Mach 1s saw the GT model (5,400) pulled in favour of the Mach 1 for 1970. The 1970 Mach 1 got a 5.8-litre Cleveland 351 cu.in. V8 in 2-barrel or 4-barrel tune. When the Mustang II was launched in 1974 a Mach 1 edition was also offered.

American Cars Dodge Index Simon Cars