I bought my '66 off a guy up the road for $750 when I was 18.  She d sat there a good long time, but this was Arizona  dry as a bone, so body rot. Came home hitched to a tow truck  and I know my mom wasn t too excited about the new lawn ornament.  The old 383 V-8 needed a rebuild, and body was a little dinged  but she was unmolested and all original.  So what if it didn t run yet  she was mine.  If only I had held on to her  but I ran outta time, money and energy.  More than that  I had a girlfriend with plans to move us down to Tucson to attend the U of A.  Never should ve let her go  the Charger that is.  It still pains me, but what s done is done
 Guys, listen to your gut and hold on to a good thing.  Like your dream car.






The 1966 Dodge Charger was introduced on New Years Day  a late but lethal answer to the Mustang and Baracuda fastback frenzy.  Based on the Coronet, the Charger came packed with serious muscle that few street cars could compete with.  The '66 Charger debuted one of the most legendary and talked-about engines ever  the 426 Street Hemi.  The Hemi engine had been available in prior years, but the 426 Street option was designed for exactly that  performance on the street.  Rated at 425 bhp, some say it actually produced closer to 500 bhp.  That dog will hunt, son.




The Charger s concealed headlamps, luminous backlit gauges and roomy interior were a true work of art.  With two bucket seats in the front, it also had two more in the back that could fold down for storage.   The console also reached all the way to the back seat.  It felt luxurious and sporty all at once.  Sadly, the full length console was nixed with the release of the '67 model.




1967 gave birth to a new Mopar performance engine  the 440 Magnum.  This was their biggest engine yet, and produced 375 bhp.  Impressive as it was  it was still no Hemi.  The 440 Magnum could keep up off the line, but the Hemi would quickly outpace it once 60 mph was exceeded.  For most, the extra power the Hemi provided wasn t worth the added expense ($1,000 upgrade at the time) and hassles.  The 440 Magnum was cheaper than the Hemi, and easier to tune and maintain  good enough for most motorheads.  Still, the true racers were loyal to the badass 426 Hemi.






1968 brought a drastic and commercially successful restyling to the Dodge Charger.  The new  Coke bottle  look made the Charger one of the best-looking muscle cars, period, with many considering it the best-looking performance car of the 1960s. Dodge pronounced,  This is no dream car. It s a real 'take-me-home-and-let s stir-things-up-a-bit  automobile. 




The 1968 Charger came in a choice of six interior and 17 exterior colors. Also in 1968, three out of every four Chargers sold were equipped with a vinyl top. Pictured here is a '69 Charger R/T.




The 1969 Charger introduced a new center grill divider and recessed tail lights, but other than that the exterior was basically the same.  Note the intentional omission to any reference of a certain obnoxious Confederate flag wearing '69 Charger that was responsible for scores of Chargers meeting an untimely demise.  Yee-haw buddy?  Yawn.




The Charger Daytona 500, with a flush-mounted grille and rear window, stormed on the racing scene in 1969.  In accordance with NASCAR rules, 500 production units had to be produced in order to qualify as a production model, and allow them to race on the stock car circuit.  Dodge produced 505.  The Charger Daytona eliminated aerodynamic problems that previously hurt it in comparison to Ford s lower-power but more slippery racing models. Turns out Mopar had an ace up their sleeve  extensive wind tunnel testing. The Daytona included a massive rear spoiler and an aero nose. No other car could match it for top speed (200 mph), with its standard 440 and optional Hemi.  In 11 years of racing, the Dodge Charger - running in close to stock form - won 124 NASCAR Cup races and took three drivers to five championships.  Richard Petty won three of his seven titles behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger, according to Dodge.






After '69 I lose interest
 increasing gas prices and stricter federal emissions regulations end the true American muscle car era.  Sure, the Charger and others limp on, but it just ain t the same.  They don t look the same either  styling really starts to suffer.  1971 really signals the beginning of the uglies.