1966 Dodge Charger

Advertising for the 1966 Hemi Charger referred to it as the 'Boss Hoss,' and for good reason, as the engine had taken the nation's racetracks by storm since 1964, and was now going to be placed in production street models. Based on an auto show prototype, the 1966 Charger was given a full-length console, a luminescent turbine-pod dash cluster, and a fastback roofline. With potent engines, it gave Dodge its first design-specific entry into the muscle car marketplace.

What became Charger had initially shown up as a styling exercise on the show circuit. The first Charger was a show car presented in 1964, followed by the 1965 Charger II concept car. The production version that followed in 1966 had a close resemblance to the Charger II Concept.

The 1966 Charger rested on the Coronet chassis and shared its running gear components. Exterior design elements included hidden headlights, full-width taillights, a convex grille with vertical bars, and a Charger crest in the center. The fastback hardtop had seating for four occupants, with the rear bucket seats individually foldable to provide additional luggage compartment. The instrument panel was unique to the Charger, containing four round, large pods with instrumentation. The floor shift, either standard or automatic, was located in a full-length console located between the front and rear seats.

In 1968, the Chrysler B platform was redesigned, and updates were applied to the Charger. The powertrains were carried over from 1967, but the 225 CID slant-6 became available in mid-1968. The third generation Charger was introduced for the 1971 model year, as the Chrysler B platform was modified to meet new safety and emissions regulations. A fourth-generation was introduced in 1975, again as a B-body car, and continued through 1978. When the Charger returned in mid-1981, it had become an economy subcompact hatchback coupe with front-wheel-drive.

1966 Dodge Charger Specifications
The 1966 Dodge Charger two-door hardtop (fastback) was based on the Chrysler B platform with a 117-inch wheelbase, a width of 75.8 inches, and an overall length of 203.6 inches.

Engine options included a two-barrel 318 cubic-inch V8 with overhead valves, a cast iron block, hydraulic valve lifters, 9.0:1 compression, five main bearings and 230 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The 361 CID V8 had a Carter two-barrel carburetor, overhead valves, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, 9.0:1 compression, and delivered 265 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The four-barrel 383 cubic-inch V8 had 10.0:1 compression, five main bearings, and hydraulic valve lifters, and produced 325 horsepower at 4,800 RPM. The top-of-the-line engine was the new 426 Street Hemi and only 468 examples of the Charger were so-equipped. It had hydraulic valve lifters, 10.25:1 compression, overhead valves with hemispherical combustion chambers, and produced 425 horsepower at 5,600 RPM.

Transmission options included an A230 three-speed manual, an A833 four-speed manual, and a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic. The three-speed manual was mounted on the steering column and paired with the base engine, and the four-speed manual was a console-mounted unit.

NASCAR Competition
The 1966 Dodge Charger competed in NASCAR and rather than bringing glory to the marque, it proved difficult to handle on the faster tracks due to lift generated by the body. Dodge added a small lip spoiler on the trunk lid to improve traction at speeds above 150 mph, and this became a dealer-installed option in late-1966 and into 1967. This made the 1966 Charger the first U.S. production vehicle to offer a spoiler.

David Pearson drove the #6 Cotton Owens-prepared Dodge to the NASCAR Grand National Championship in 1966, with fifteen first-place finishes (out of forty-nine events). Only one of those victories, however, was with the Charger, and it was at the Capital City 300 in Richmond, VA.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2019