1968 Dodge Charger

In 1953, the Dodge automobiles entered a new high-performance era with the introduction of the 'Red Ram' Hemi V8 engine. In September of 1953, Dodge brought four 1954 Dodge V8-powered cars to the Bonneville Salt flats were they set 196 new AAA-certified speed records. By the early 1960s, the muscle car era was beginning and the Dodge name was prominent at drag strips across the United States. Race teams such as the Ramchargers and drivers like 'Dandy' Dick Landy made drag racing history a few years later with their 426 Wedge-equipped cars.

The Hemi V-8 was re-introduced in 1964 but it was strictly for racing, enjoying a brief tenure in NASCAR and drag strips across the country. A long list of muscle car options was made available for the 1965 model year, including the 26 'Street Hemi,' floor shifters, and bucket seats with consoles. Dodge advertised its 1966 models as the 'Rebellion' and the new Cornet and Charger combined high-performance and luxury.

Dodge unveiled the Charger for the 1966 model year as an intermediate fastback with four bucket seats and built on the same B-body platform shared by the Coronet. Sales over the next two years were rather disappointing, so the Charger underwent a total redesign for 1968, with the fastback body styles being changed in favor of a semi-fastback design. This second-generation Charger was now based on Chrysler's redesigned-for-1968 B-Body platform, characterized by chiseled body lines, swept 'flying buttress' rear roofline, and round taillights on each side in a flat-black finished escutcheon panel. The new Charger revitalized the brand's aesthetic appeal, and the Grand Touring-themed Charger ran the gamut from luxurious boulevardier to high-performance sleeper with every Chrysler engine and powertrain combination available, plus a multitude of appearance, comfort, and convenience choices.

Chrysler Corporation's market planners initially envisioned demand for perhaps 35,000 of the new 1968 Chargers, but the popularity proved much greater, with sales actually reaching 96,100 units. The 1968 Charger sales levels were five times higher than before and accounted for nearly 16-percent of Dodge Division's total sales. This unplanned-for but welcome demand quickly created production problems, which were resolved by adding additional capacity at Chrysler's Hamtramck, Michigan plant, and another Charger line was added at St. Louis.

Much of the Charger's success was attributed to its high-profile use on NASCAR ovals. Chrysler's Special Vehicle Group, which was formed in 1964, had been responsible for the Charger's sleek new shape, along with the 426 Hemi engine and developments that were also an integral part of Chrysler's racing 'Skunk Works.'

The Charger received all federally mandated safety features plus all-vinyl front bucket seats, carpeting, three-spoke steering wheel, electric clock, heater and defroster, cigarette lighter, and ashtray light. They also had a heavy-duty suspension, heavy-duty rear springs and torsion bars, a quick-fill gasoline cap, and concealed headlights. They had wheel opening moldings, a 318 cubic-inch V8, and 7.35x15 tubeless black sidewall tires.

The Charger R/T (Road and Track) Package (introduced on the Coronet the year before), which had a base price of $3,480, was the high-performance version and included all the standard features found on the base Charger. They had a 440-cubic inch Magnum V8 engine rated at 375 horsepower or the 426 Hemi, along with heavy-duty drivetrain components and heavy-duty underpinnings. The engine was mated to a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. The R/T had dual exhaust with chrome tips, heavy-duty brakes, R/T handling package, racing stripes, and F70-14 Red Streak or white sidewall tires. With the Hemi installed, the Charger R/T was capable of zero-to-sixty mph acceleration in 4.8 seconds and the quarter-mile in just 13.5 seconds at 105 mph - with an automatic transmission, according to Car and Driver magazine's November 1967 road test report.

17,107 Charger's left the factory with the R/T package, with 475 buyers surrendering an additional $604.75 on top of the base price to having their R/T equipped with the 426 Hemi. Of those, 264 were equipped with the 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2013