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Welcome to Charger history

Here you can find the history of the classic Charger (1966-1974). I have put this page together to get a clear view of what changed over the year that the Charger was produced. It all began in 1966.

1966

This was the first year the Charger was going to be produced. In 1966 the people were asking for a quality sportscar. Dodge was going to built that for them. Ford already had their Mustang and Dodge wanted to be in on the success of the sportscar. That is why they decided to built a nice sportscar that was fast but also had luxury.

In 1964 Dodge had revealed their Charger concept car. The public liked it and in 1965 the Charger II prototype came out. The Charger II prototype was styled very close to how the Charger would come out in 1966.

The Charger had a luxury interior with all the accessories available to the market at that time. The backseats could be folded down, which created a larger truck space.

But the Charger was not only luxury. It was also a sportscar. Created to go fast, though not everyone could afford one of them high performance engines. So Dodge also put in some of the smaller engines like the 318 cubic inch V-8 or the 361 cubic inch V-8. But the Charger really became fast with the 425 horsepower strong 426 cubic inch big Hemi V-8 engine. Due to that engine the Dodge Charger became one of America's fastest sportscars. It could beat almost all the stock Mustang's and other American sportscars.

Dodge made 37,344 of these fine cars. There should have been made more.

1967

The second year the Charger was produced, there were not many differences between the 1966 and the 1967 model. There were some minor changes to the exterior, but the biggest changes came in the engine options, this was the first year the 440 cubic inch V-8 came available in the Charger. The 361 cubic inch V-8 that was available in 1966 was there no longer, there did came a down-grated 383 cubic inch V-8 with a 1-2 barrel carburetor instead of the 1-4 barrel carburetor, which was still available though.

Also the 318 cubic inch was redesigned and now had wedge styled heads. Because of the heads the compression ratio of the 318 ci V-8 went from 9.1:1 to 9.2:1 Also the mechanical lifters were changed into hydraulic tappets.

Changes made between the 1966 and the 1967 model:

In 1967 there came a performance package. That was enough reason to say that Dodge could keep it presence in the muscle car world. Here are the items that came with the performance package:

There were 15,788 Dodge Chargers made in 1967.

1968

This is the first year the Charger really changed since it first came out in 1966. The entire body and interior was completely different. To the people that know the Charger and her history this is the year that the second generation of Chargers started. 1966 and 1967 are the first generation Chargers.

The body of the 1968 Dodge Charger was shaped in a "coke bottle" shape. The new body line of the Charger made it look fast, low, smooth and overall a performance car. The Charger body was very different to other Chrysler vehicles and was never seen like this. The Charger had simulated scoops in the doors and on the hood, a beautiful flip top gas cap (note from maker: what a nice thing to put all the money to you have in) was mounted on the drivers side upper quarter panel.

The grill still looked almost the same, except it was not made out of metal anymore, it was plastic. In the new grill the vertical lines were painted silver to give the grill a more clean and open look. The grill still had the hide away headlights.

The rear end of the Charger was nicely styled with 4 round taillights with the back-up lights made to fit into them.

The interior of the Charger was made for performance, with just a little touch of luxury. The dashboard had very easy to read gauges and everything was very well laid out. The bucket seats looked sportive and were very comfortable. They were separated by either a full console or a center arm rest.

The body was not the only thing that changed in 1968. The performance of the Charger was also upgraded. To begin with this was the first year the Charger R/T (Road & Track) was produced. The R/T was the high performance version of the normal Charger. Standard it was equipped with a 440 ci  V-8 with 4 barrel carburetor and dual exhaust. Of course the Hemi was still there as an option on the Charger R/T. By the way none of these two engines were available on the normal Charger.

The Charger R/T also had some exterior changes. It had a bumblebee stripe added in the rear and the emblems now said Charger R/T.

But it was not only the exterior and the engine that changed. The Charger R/T had some high performance items added standard:

There was a total production of 92,470 Chargers in 1968.

1969

The freshly restyled Charger that came on the market in 1969, had improved on his looks that were already great. The only exterior changes that were made on the Charger were they grill which now had a divider in the center of the grille, the taillights that became two wide chrome trim taillights and the side marker lights on the fender were changed from little round ones to box type ones who were mounted lower on the fender than the round ones.

The performance package was changed a little bit with the addition of new rear axle ratios. Available on the R/T, a 3.91 ratio available with the TorqueFlite automatic transmission, while a 4.10 ratio and the heavy duty Dana 60 9 3/4 axle is available in either 4 speed manual or TorqueFlite automatic. Just like the late 1968 models the 1969 was also available with the 4 speed Hurst transmission.

In 1969 two more additional models of the Charger came on the market. The Charger SE and the Charger 500.

The Charger 500 was a all performance car with the standard Charger R/T features, but with a lot of exterior changes. The Charger 500 had a aerodynamic body and grille. (See pictures 1 and 2). The grill featured fixed headlights. And the body had a different rear window. Where with a standard Charger the rear window would be between the two C pillars. The Charger 500 had it filled with a steel plug creating a smooth rear deck, because of the rear deck, the normal trunk lit didn't fit on the Charger 500 anymore, therefor the the Charger 500 has a special created shorter trunk lit than the standard Chargers. The front A pillars were crapped with stainless-steel covers in order to reduce wind resistance. The Charger 500 was later that year changed into the Charger Daytona. There were 392 Charger 500's built in 1969.

The Charger SE (Special Edition) features a special package of luxurious accessories. The SE package was both offered on the Charger and the Charger R/T. The package included: leather and vinyl upholstered front bucket seats, simulated wood-grain steering wheel and instrument panel, pedal dress-up package, deep dish wheel covers, hood mounted turn signals, C-pillar emblem.

During the production year of 1969 the Charger 500 was redesigned and named the Charger Daytona. The Charger Daytona had all the features of the Charger 500, but there were a couple of additional changes added. The Charger Daytona had a nose cone to make the front of the Charger more aerodynamic, the Charger Daytona also had a spoiler in the rear to put downforce on the car. There were 503 Charger Daytona's built in 1969.

Changes made between the 1968 and the 1969 model:

In 1969 there were 89,199 Chargers built, this figure does not include the Charger 500 and the Charger Daytona.

1970

This is the third year the second generation was built. The basic looks of the Charger were still the same, though there were some changes. Just like every year in the second generation the Charger in 1970 had changed grill and taillights. The grill was no longer divided in two pieces and had a massive wrap around the grill bumper. The taillights were changed, they still had the same shape but the chrome around the taillights was gone and it now had a black aluminum finish panel.

The Charger R/T model was still available in 1970 and now had besides the emblems and the bumblebee racing stripe another feature that made it different from the standard Charger, the side scoops. The side scoops were mounted were with the normal Charger the two simulated scoops are in the door. The side scoop has a R/T symbol on it. The NASCAR style hood pins are also available for the Charger R/T. But the biggest change for the Charger R/T was the new 440 cubic inch "Six Pack" engine. This engine has three two barrel carburetors. From this year the Hurst Pistol Grip shifter came available on the Charger R/T.

Here are some differences between a 1969 Dodge Charger and a 1970 Dodge Charger:

Inside the 70' Charger 500 and R/T high back bucket seats with built in head restrains add to the performance image already so powerful with Charger. The gauge cluster retained from the 1968 model houses deeply recessed round instruments. The Special Edition (SE) package continues to offer leather seating, wood grain dash appliqué, and wood grain steering wheel. The SE package also adds hood mount turn signals and deep dish wheel covers.

1971

This is the year that the third major change in the Charger's design happened. The entirely new body is given a nice wedge shape, the lines on the 3rd generation Chargers are softer and more smoother than the other generations so far. But it was still definitely a muscle car.

In 1971 there were 6 models of the Charger:

Charger Coupe: E78 x 14" tires and Fixed quarter windows.

Charger Hardtop: Drip rail molding, Wheel lip molding. F78 x 14" tires and Moveable quarter windows.

Charger 500: Hood and front fender moldings. Sill molding, deck lid and quarter end moldings. Drip rail molding, wheel lip moldings, louvered taillights, and deluxe wheel covers. F78x14" white stripe tires.

Charger R/T: Unique performance hood insert-exhaust louver style. Simulated door louvers with black tape depressions. Black grill with exposed headlights. Wheel lip moldings. Black performance tape strip on sides. G70x14" raised white letter tires.

Charger S.E.:  Front Bumper reveal moldings, hood (rear) and belt moldings. Front stone shield molding. Surround tape stripe-hood, door, C-pillar, and roof. Canopy vinyl roof. Deluxe wheel covers. Concealed headlights. Inside hood release. F70x14" tires.

Charger Super Bee:

Of course in 1971 the Charger R/T was still available as a high performance package, with it's 440, 440+6 pack and the Hemi 426. The Charger R/T was definitely a high performance car. The Charger R/T still offered all the great options like in the past, but now also had a beautiful hood scoop that was added. The air grabber hood could be opened from inside the car giving her an increase in performance and looks.

Besides the Charger R/T Dodge also offered the Super Bee as a high performance package. The Super Bee was the little bit less expensive high performance package that Dodge offered. The Super Bee with the 383ci engine standard and optional were the 440 6 pack and the 426 Hemi engines it was more than obvious that this was one of the high performance packages. The exterior differences between the R/T and the Super Bee were the limited. The Charger R/T had different taillights and different graphics (like the R/T on the hood).

Also the interior changed. The new interior still had the full instrumentation that was deeply recessed into the dash. The seating was offered as a full bench or a high back bucket seat divided by a armrest or a console. The new console was designed to be more smoother and user friendly.

1972

For 1972 Dodge offered a simpler line up of models. Instead of six models like the previous year they now offered 4 (Charger Coupe, Charger Hardtop, Charger SE and Charger Rallye). The 440 and 426 cubic inch engines were not available anymore. Here is a list of the available engines:

The exterior of the Charger had some minor changes. The Charger now had different side markers, new grill, new side moldings and taillights. The Charger SE received a different roof line which made it easier to recognize a Charger Coupe or Hardtop from a Charger SE. Also the vinyl roof is now standard and the small quarter windows changed.

The options of the new Rallye package:

1973

This is the first year that the Charger became more of a luxury car than a performance car.

The interior had become its most luxurious and provided a lot of accommodations. With a large scale of interior trim levels (5), the buyer could get a basic vinyl bench seat or the full foam all-vinyl or cloth and vinyl high back bucket seats with integral head restraints. The high back buckets came standard with a fixed center cushion and folding arm rest, and offered a full length wood console as an extra cost optional.

The exterior of the Charger got a new grille, tape stripes and bumpers. Most of the changes to the Charger are hard to spot, but that does not mean they are not there.

With the new model changes the Charger has become a great personal luxury car. The all performance image is gone. Though not entirly the Charger was still available with the 440 and 400 cubic inch engines. They could still beat most of the other cars with the same luxury image.

Although the Charger Rallye is still available, a lot has changed when you look at the past Charger Rallye's. It came with a side stripe and any V-8 could be ordered with it. The image of it being a high performance only package was gone. Here is a list of options that came with it.

1974

1974 was going to be the last year the classic Charger was going to be produced. The 1973 and 1974 Dodge Charger weren't much different. Almost all the features were still the same, the "Rallye" package was also still available and the SE was still produced.

The interior of the 1974 Dodge Charger was still luxurious equipped with a lot of accesoirres. Also the exterior barely changed, the major differences were that the 1974 had bumperettes and had the chrome spacer that was introduced in the late model year of 1973. The hood also changed, it had no longer vents like the 73 and before. There is not much more to say about the 1974 model year.

If anyone has any additional information that I might want to add, please e-mail me.

Any comments, suggestions or just questions e-mail me.