Dodge Charger America's Cars

Popularized by NASCAR dominance and later a hokey TV show, the Dodge Charger is one of America's most revered performance nameplates. Originally an icon of the muscle car era, the Charger has recently been reborn as an affordable performance sedan -- and it's one of the better ones available in this market niche.

The Dodge Charger debuted in the mid 1960s as a response to America's growing interest in average cars with above-average performance. This two-door coupe boasted aggressive fastback styling and big V8 power, including Chrysler's famed 426 Hemi. As with similar vehicles of this time period, however, the Charger's glory quickly faded after 1970 due to rising insurance and gas prices, higher emissions standards and changing consumer tastes.

Dodge Charger

Dodge Charger

Dodge Charger

2011 Dodge Charger Unofficially Shows Off its Rear on Fast & Furious 5 Movie Set

Spied on the set of the next (why, God?) Fast and Furious movie was the 2011 Dodge Charger, all dolled up in a police uniform. Although it's still too soon to critique the final product, these latest pics from Autoblog are revealing enough to hesitantly say that yes, the car's set to get a decent-looking exterior refresh.

The 2011's wide-taillight treatment is a blast from the past; definitely cool with rumored LEDs, but it should have been the taillight layout from the start. The front end is reportedly angrier and gets a new lower fascia (like the rear), and from at least one of the pics it appears that the side could be gaining a styling streak. Oh, and the hood is getting a little more character in the form of those two indentations.

The other big news is that interior. If...IF...that's the final decision on the dash, well...that's a lot of vinyl and silver plastic. As the former owner of a Chrysler with a similar sliced-from-the-inside airbag mechanism (should that be used), let me say this to owners of older cars as a warning: the vinyl may crack through and leave passengers with a nice cut to stare at.

Not too thrilled about that; just because the technology is there to eliminate supplementary restraint system panels doesn't necessarily mean it needs to be done. In this case, I'd rather have an SRS section that would offer some lines to design around instead of that sea of vinyl.

As always, final judgments will come after an official release. For now, we can at least be happy that Dodge is taking its Charger in the right direction.

The 1968 Dodge Charger

Sometimes there are those cars that stir such passion and favorable emotions that they immediately become an instant classic. Such was the case with the 1968 Dodge Charger, with the car exploding onto the scene when its performance and popularity were cemented in movie Bullit. This propelled the 1968 Charger to immediate success; however it is important to note that this was the second model of the infamous car developed by Dodge.

What happened was the Charger was originally created in 1966 with it originally being designed as an alternative for the muscle car craze that was gripping the nation. The first version featured a V - 8, with an electric shaver grill borrowed from the 1942 De Soto and the inside dashboard panel involved the use of actual bulbs to illuminate the gages. However, the car had some initial problems such it would lift when taking corners in excess of 150 miles per hour. This forced Dodge to impose dealer modifications to the 1966 and 1967 models. After seeing disappointing sales in the 1967 model because of this problem and complaints about some of the features forced the company to revaluate how the new Charger would be designed.

The 1968 Dodge Charger involved a complete top to bottom redesign with the body of the car having what is known as the double diamond styling or Coke bottle image. Next there was more sheet metal added to the under carriage, this is important because it help provide stability when the Charger would take corners at high speeds.

All of the different lights such as headlights and the tail lights were hidden. The rear window was given the same kind of sleek look that was so popular on the 1966 - 1967 Pontiac GTO. The biggest distinction that would help the 1968 Charger become one of the iconic muscle cars was the R/ T package. This was a special designation given to those cars that had one of the two highest performing engines that Dodge produced 440 Magnum and the 426 Hemi.

Together these two V - 8 engines would set the standard for Dodge muscle cars in the future. There were massive improvements to the suspension and brakes, with added supports so that the car can be able to handle various jumps easier. The interior of the car was very roomy with the 1968 Charger being able to seat six people. The different extras included power windows, hidden ash trays, front head restraints, should harness seat belt for the front as well as rear outside passengers, a padded steering wheel and a rear window defroster. Together all of these different elements meant that the Charger would be known for reliability and speed. A good example of this occurred when the movie Bullit was being filmed on the streets of San Francisco with the Charger have no problems and more equipped to handle jumps along with sharp turns in comparison to the 1968 Ford Mustang.

Clearly the 1968 Dodge Charger is an icon for that speed, power and luxury that muscle cars are known for. What makes the 1968 model so special is because it was the first time that Dodge was able to make massive improvements to their original design. This was important because these changes set the standard for muscle car design for all the major American automobile manufacturers.

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