Dodge Charger 8)

The Legendary Charger is our next assignment! In the early sixties many automobile manufacturers were exploring new ideas in the personal luxury and specialty car segments. Chrysler slow to enter the specialty car market and the Dodge Division was selected to enter an untapped market for a bigger model to fit between the "pony car" Ford Mustang and the "personal luxury" Ford Thunderbird. The intention was to use the B-body for a sporty car with fastback look while sharing as much of existing hardware as possible.
There were four generations of the Dodge Charger - 1. First Gen (1966-67) 2. Second Gen (1968-70) 3. Third Gen (1971-74) 4. Fourth Gen (1975-78) and three main iterations - muscle car from 1966 to 1978, a subcompact car from 1983 to 1987 and the present-day sports sedan built since 2006.

The Charger was produced under various body types ( the L, the B, the A, etc ). The most exciting was the one which was produced in 1968. The Dodge charger 1968 is a legend and had some of the coolest features which even some modern cars lack. Coming to the looks department, the Charger 68 has concealed turn indicators in the front grille and the headlights never seem to be present in the first place but turn around and switch on, on the press of a button. The other extras of the "legend" were it had power windows, child protection feature, all four bucket seats and the best part is that the rear seats could be folded to make some extra space for the cargo. What more?, the charger had a clock behind the gear lever. The dash was extended a bit more downward to give more leg and knee protection. Other optional safety equipments included front driver and passenger headrest, shoulder belts for front and rear outboard passengers and a rear window defogger. It came out with 6 different interior colors and 17 different exterior colors.

Now to the Engine, the standard engine in the Charger was the 318 (5211cc) cubic inch V-8. Options incline the 383 ( 6276cc ) cubic inch two barrel V8, the 426 ( 6980cc ) Hemi, and the 440 (7210cc) Magnum. The R/T Hemi variant had OHV( Over Head Valve ) 426 ci ( 6980 cc ) V8 engine and it did 0-60 mph in 5.3 secs. Max torque and horsepower of 490 and 425 were produced at 4000 and 5000 rpm's respectively. A quarter mile drag can be done in a not so-slow 13.8 secs. The thing has also got some heavy duty brakes. The car proved extremely good both on the road and the track. A special edition "daytona" was made and used for nascar races. Apart from the vintage beauties new sport sedand are also manufactured under the name of Charger. Priced at $3500 in 1968 this piece now goes for over a million dollars and is a true legend in the making.

Until next time as I say goodbye, its Subangh signing off.

re at http://www.allpar.com/model/charger.html?ktrack=kcplink