Origins

• The new generation 2006 4-door Dodge Charger.
  
  The Charger was introduced for the 1966 model more as a concept car to test the public's reaction rather than a full-fledged offering. Its emergence resulted due to pressure from Dodge dealers who wanted a high-performance match against the Mustang, the Pontiac GTO, Buick Gran Sport and the Oldsmobile 442.
  
  

The Answer

• The radically-designed 1966 Dodge Charger.
  
  What emerged was a rather boxy, but undeniably sporty 2-door fastback with a straight roofline from windshield to the end of the rear deck. It featured bucket seats, a state-of-the-art instrument cluster and a center console. Equally important was its wide range of engine options for 1966 to 1967: two versions of the 318-cubic-inch V-8, the 361-ci V-8, and two versions of the 383, a 426 Hemi and the 440.
  
  

Specifications

• The new Charger sat on a 117-inch wheel base, measured an astounding 203.6 inches long and was 75.8 inches wide. Total production for the 1966 model year was a strong 37,344 units.
  
  

Racing Hopes

• Dodge management had hoped that the Charger would prove itself on the NASCAR circuit, but it initially performed poorly. Its aerodynamics were poor at best; its squared rear deck acted like a huge aircraft wing in which the rear end lifted while cornering. A spoiler was installed. It helped as it captured more than a dozen first-place honors in the 1966 NASCAR Grand National Championship series.
  
  

Second Generation

• The 1969 Dodge Charger.
  
  Only 15,788 1967 models sold, so the car was restyled for 1968 with its now-famed "Coke bottle" look in which the fenders and side paneling were slightly curved to give it a stylized bottled appearance. The rear deck had a lip providing a slight spoiler look; the rear window took its styling cues from the popular Pontiac GTO. The basic concept of the grille hiding the headlights remained but the full-length rear taillamps disappeared with Dodge taking another styling tip by using Corvette-style lights.
  
  

Charger 500

• The 1970 model of the Charger 500.
  
  Dodge engineers developed the Charger 500 based on the 1968 R/T model equipped with a 426 Hemi to compete effectively against Ford at NASCAR. By the time it was ready for the public, the Charger 500 was equipped with either the 426 Hemi or the 440 Magnum V-8, and a 4-speed manual transmission or the Torqueflite automatic. Five-Hundred 1968 Charger 500 cars were built.
  
  

Tough Decade

• The 1975 Dodge Charger based on the Chrysler Cordoba.
  
  The Charger lost its way from 1975 to 1978 when Dodge placed it on a Chrysler Cordoba frame. The car lost much of its sporty appeal thanks largely to the 1970s oil crises and flux of Japanese imports. The Charger died in 1978, but was resurrected as a 4-door sedan in 2005. Despite its four doors, it's a lean, aggressively-designed car equipped with a 5.7- or 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 to bring back that muscle car feel.