THE HISTORY OF DODGE CHARGER - A DEVELOPMENT by akram

THE HISTORY OF DODGE CHARGER - A DEVELOPMENT

All this serial started a turn of years 1966 and 1967, when it was introduced the first Dodge Charger. The round and elongated linies, bodyworked derived from Dodge Coronet. This was the time when the era of typical front Charger mask has begun (dark sight). The series mounted 8-cylidres 5.2 litres which drived this car by the power of 230 hp at 4400 rpm. It is necessary to take into account that is was driven by the back axle (as well as all Dodge cars) with the help of 3-speed manual gearbox. Later came the first upgrade of this car but only in the engine part. It dealed with more efficient engines. The customer would choose from 361 V8 (5.9 litres, 265 hp), 383 V8 (6.3 litres, 325 hp) or massive 426 Street Hemi (7.0 litres, with the ostensible output 425 hp). It reaches a 100 km/h with the HEMI engine at 6.4s and maximal speed is 200km/h. So what would you say about that? Just think of the fact, that it was only the first Charger and it would already defeat today sport cars. These cars are so exceptional just for this engine feature.
Charger has not changed for the model year 1967 but the engine offer was extended of a new R/T (Road and Track) version. This was given a new engine 440 Magnum V8 with the cubage 7.2 litres which offered an output 375 hp. Charger´s R/T 400 output was nearly the same as it was in the version with the engine Hemi.

Despite it, the engine 383 V8 was reworked to 383 Magnum V8 with the output 335 hp (increase in 10 hp) and the engine 361 V8 was deleted from the offer. The same gearbox was delivered henceforth as it was in 1966. Quite large changes if we take into cosideration that it is only the second year from the beginning of a Charger´s pilgrimage.

The important year 1968 came together with the moderately modified Dodge Charger. The best one from Chargers was the version R/T (Road and Track) which combined really sport character with the perfect american style which was not missing between American Muscle Cars. This car was considered as the most beautiful car of 60-ties.

Just in this case, Dodge reached for the famous „Coke Bottle“ bodyworked style which was quite wide-spread shape of american cars.

The series R/T had the engine 440 Magnum V8 (7.2 litres, V8, 375 hp), 3-speed automatic gearbox or 4-speed manual gearbox, dual exhaust, intensive wheel suspension, dashboard „Rallye“ and the tyres F70x14. The engine 426 Hemi was delivered by customer request and the car was accelerated by it from 0 to 100km/h at 5.3s!

The year 1969 followed, but we will discuss it later because this is the task of this article. It is a year 1970. In this time Dodge had returned to the initial not devided mask from the series beginning and the shape of bodywork was still very similar. As to the engine offer, it was quite large because it consists of 7 engines, to begin with 318 V8 (5.2, 230 HP) and to end with 500 with which this car reached 100 km/h at unbelievable 5.5s.

The year 1971 was in turn, it was referred to as the beginning of the end of Muscle Cars era. ´71 Charger was already not what it was at the beginning.

It had fallen from the „Coke Bottle“ style, also the massiveness of bodywork had fallen off and the mask was inspired by Pontiac, engine was losting its output, concretelly it was 5 hp at engines 440 (final 370HP) and 440 Six Pack (final 385HP).

The time of automatization was slowly comining, the magic of american classic was disappearing and at the same time it was the last year of the HEMI 426 engine because it did not no more satisfy the exhaust emission regulations.

The strongest mounted engine to this model was HEMI 426 V8 – just mentioned, with the output 425 hp.


The year 1972 was a severe one of stubborn performance maniacs. The strict emission regulations become effective and thus, it was engines turn. It was not longer those Muscle Cars in that sense as it was at the beginning. After the HEMI engine finishing, the engine 440 Six Pack became the strongest offered engine. Although his top performace 385HP should have been throttled down to 330HP. The journey of 383 V8 engine was finished with the performance of 335 HP and his place was taken by the new 400 V8 with the performance 255 HP.
1973 and 1974 were quite the same. They were marked by slight cosmetic modification in the front and in the back. The cars disposed by 440 V8 engine with the performance 275HP. Unfortunatelly, a year 1974 was the last year of muscle Dodge Chargers. From 1975 it was cars centred on the luxury also because of the changing requirements of people and life style.

You have certainly notice that a word HEMI was several times mentioned here. It is a common marking for a strong and very strong, respectivelly efficient engines. The first HEMI engine was 6-cylinder mounted to Jaguar. The designer was Harry Westlake. In 1951, Chrysler began to mount its first 180 hp HEMI V8 engines to some of its cars.On that time, it was an enormous power and unknown news.

The principle of HEMI engines is in the fact that the combustion chamber over the piston is in the shape of a hemisphere, so called „hemispherical heads“. The ignition plug is localized on the top of the chamber and so pistons open the oposite sides of a chamber. The result is a heavy performance.

It is plain enough that Charger passed not long but really intensive developmental way when it serves people without having in doubts anybody about its good manners.