Dodge Charger – New meets Old
We charge through time to bring the latest SRT8 together with its storied ancestor
By Shahzad Sheikh
The classic Dodge Charger actually ran from 1966-1978, after which the name was thankfully only briefly dusted off (well for about four years), and stuck on a front-wheel drive compact hatchback coupe thingy from 1983-87 , which is a car that we try very hard not to think about too much!
Fortunately when the Charger was reborn in 2006 it was as a larger rear-wheel drive car and today, for this shoot, we have the most recent example of that new breed of Charger, in its more fearsome and ferocious guise – the SRT8.
But before we get to that, looking back at the original 60s and 70s model, whilst there were four generations of that car, there’s only one that immediately pops into our heads when we think classic Charger.
That certainly ain’t the 75-78 fourth gen, which had clearly gone less sporty, more plush-cruiser as it approached the end of its life in the shadow of the of the fuel and energy crisis in the 1970s, and is barely recognisable as a ‘Charger’.
Third generation 71-74 Charger
Nor is it the third gen 71-74 car, although that still looked pretty mean, featuring a new split grille, fuselage-style bodywork and a strong forward-jutting stance. An optional ‘Air Grabber’ scoop sitting on the bonnet that could be opened by the driver via vacuum switch under the dash adds to the cool, and it boasted lurid signature paint schemes such as Hemi Orange, Top Banana and Citron Yella.
First generation 66-67 Charger
So is it the first generation car then? In the early 1960s Chrysler tasked its Dodge division to come up with a full-sized luxury sports coupe to offer something between the Ford Mustang and Thunderbird – both big sellers for Ford at the time, especially the new ’Stang.
The new car arrived in 1966 and ran till the following year only. It was based on an existing platform and mechanicals (chiefly the Dodge Coronet) and was introduced as the new ‘Leader of the Dodge Rebellion’. It had a fastback bodyshape featuring an ‘electric shaver’ grille with hidden headlamps. It’s a stout and ruggedly handsome car, but no, this is not the one I was thinking of.
If you’ve ever seen the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ and ‘Bullitt’ – and who hasn’t? – then you’ll know exactly the beautiful beast that I’m talking about. The second generation 68-70 Charger, which of course, is obviously the car featured in some of the pictures on this page.
Bullitt
Almost as iconic and legendary as Frank Bullitt’s green Mustang GT 390 fastback, is the black 440 Magnum V8 Charger that the bad guys drove in the epochal car chase sequence from that movie. As well as being the star car of the TV series set in Hazzard county (in a similar orange for the ‘General Lee’ as the car we shot), it’s had numerous movie and TV appearances.
These include being the ride of choice for Wesley Snipe’s character Blade and Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto in the Fast And Furious movies. You’ll also see it in films such as Death Proof, and who can forget Amber Heard driving a Dodge Charger in Drive Angry?
Amber Heard in Drive Angry
More than any of the other Chargers of its era, this car was exquisitely styled, employing perfect coke-bottle proportions to make the best of its massive footprint. It’s elegant and graceful flowing lines start with a simple but somewhat intimidating blacked-out grille and hidden headlamps, ending in flying buttress rear pillars that help give the car its signature sleek profile. Scallops were added to the door and bonnet to emphasis the swoopy style and you can see these copied in the lastest iteration.
The potency hinted at by the acre-long bonnet was substantiated by a mighty 7.2-litre 375bhp V8 in the R/T giving a spectacular 0-96kph time of just six seconds (blistering performance for that period) with a top speed of 241kph. By comparison our white 2013 Charger SRT8, fitted with a 6.4-litre 470bhp HEMI V8 will hit 100kph in 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 287kph. That’s fast but granddad’s still not to tardy at all!
In fact this second gen 68-70 is by far the most popular and sought after example of the classic Charger, and although the Dukes of Hazzard show destroyed hundreds of these cars, not to mention countless more being consumed by other movies, over 96,000 were built, so there are still plenty available.
You can pick one up for under $20k (about AED70k) to about $50k (180k) for a decent example, and from $100k to just over $200k for the very best concourse examples. But that would be from the States, as there are few available in the region (most of the ones we know of live in Kuwait, where there’s a real cult following for classic American muscle.
This orange car photographed at Chrome and Carbon Lifestyle customisation specialists in Al Quoz in Dubai, is the only one we could find here in time for the shoot, and even this car had only recent arrived from the US, and is about to undergo a restoration and customisation that will see it resemble the sort of car Toretto would drive. We can’t wait to see the finished version.
Meanwhile, we’re content, make that ‘extremely elated’ to be cruising around in the brand new SRT8. This is quite simply one of my favourite cars that builds on the already successful 2006-10 edition, but manages to make it even sexier and more desirable thanks to not-so-subtle tweaks that add to the dramatic presence to the bluff meaty stance – the full-width rear LED lights alone make this car a winner in the style stakes.
We’ve already previously tested the SRT8 in some sensationally fast, more prestigious and expensive company (read here) and it impressed us for the bang-for-bucks it offered, the astonishingly off-the-line acceleration for something so seemingly bulky, and its capacious comfort and kit. In fact I recall it won that triple test.
There are even digital toys embedded within the brilliant infotainment system that allows you to measure you acceleration and the g-forces your pulling – don’t take it too seriously though. It’s a little bit of a gimmicky fun, and great for impressing your passengers.
Put aside its sports saloon credentials for a moment and just wallow in the awesomeness of its brutal musclecar persona and its swaggering charisma. This is old-skool motoring wrapped up in a contemporary, practical and affordable package.
How affordable? The UAE price is AED189,900 ($52k) and if you willing to do without leather upholstery, a sunroof and the infotainment system, then you can have the same looks and performance for just AED169,900 with the ‘Super Bee’ edition – quite frankly at that money for the muscle, it’s rude not to buy one!
Aside from a presence that sees traffic clearing the way for you, inside it feels big and familiar. From the behind the wheel the imposing bonnet literally does stretch out before you and marks out the front outer extremities, making the Charger easier to place than its largess would lead you to believe.
Best of all however is the way it will rumble and burble even as you cruise around, the way the grunt is accompanied by the staccato gargle of the roaring HEMI as you deploy the 470lb ft of torque.
And delightfully, these days the traction control has been dialled back and is far less intrusive that it used to be. You can now switch it off completely, but if you want to pull the requisite burnouts from standstill, the system will give you a considerable dollop of wheelspin without having to touch any buttons at all. It even squirrels and slides around corners before the skid-nanny intervenes, but you get the feeling that even if it didn’t it would still be eminently catchable anyway.
There’s a real feel-good factor with this car, it’s a beast that puts a smirk on your face, and it’s one of those rides that you’ll never fail to look back at as you walk away. And in this sense it totally encapsulates the greatness and desirability of the 68-70 Charger.
So which one would I have? Aw man, that’s a toughie! Can’t I just have them both?
Also read Triple Test Charger SRT8 vs Jaguar XFR vs BMW M5
[With thanks to Chrome and Carbon Lifestyle for letting us invade their premises whilst they were busy refurbishing them]
Official Dodge Middle East website
Let us know which Charger YOU would own in the Comments section below
