1. 1966-1978: Birth of the B-Body Charger - From Fastback Icon to Muscle-Era Legend
Dodge Charger History: 1966-1978 - Birth of the B-Body Charger
From Fastback Icon to Muscle-Era Legend
When Dodge dealers walked into Chrysler headquarters in 1965, they had one blunt demand: "Give us something that isn't a Plymouth Barracuda clone - just make it special."
Six months later the reply roared onto America's television screens during the 1966 Rose Bowl telecast: a silver streak called the Dodge Charger, billed as "the Leader of the Dodge Rebellion".
The first-ever B-body Charger had arrived, and with it the opening chapter of the muscle-car bible that still thrills enthusiasts today.
1966 - The Show Car That Went Straight to the Street
The production Charger was born almost overnight from the Charger II auto-show concept that wowed crowds in 1965.
Designers kept the radical fastback roof, hidden head-lamps and four individual bucket seats, then grafted the package onto the proven mid-size Coronet chassis.
Signature touch: a full-length center console that ran from the dash through the rear seat, creating a cockpit feel no other American coupe offered.
Powertrain buffet: 318-ci base V-8 up to the race-bred 426 Street Hemi, officially rated 425 hp but whispered to be closer to 500.
Unique details: "electric-shaver" grille with rotating headlights, fold-down rear seat-backs and trunk bulkhead for surprising cargo space - think early hatchback ingenuity.
Only 37,000 '66 Chargers found buyers, respectable but not spectacular. Dodge had built an image car; volume would come later.
1968 - Coke-Bottle Cool & the Birth of a Pop-Culture Hero
For 1968 the Charger was re-sculpted with curvaceous "Coke-bottle" hips, a flying-buttress roofline and a menacing recessed grille.
Sales exploded: 96,000 units versus the 15,788 of the slow-selling '67.
Engine menu now included the 440 Magnum (375 hp) and the still-available Hemi, turning the Charger into a street-racer legend.
Hollywood knock: a second-gen '69 R/T became the General Lee, launching the orange Charger into living rooms for decades.
On the strip, Dodge added the Charger 500 and the wind-cheating Daytona with its 23-inch tall rear wing and pointed nose.
NASCAR dominance followed: Buddy Baker's Daytona was the first stock car to break 200 mph on a closed course in 1970.
1971 - New Skin, Same Attitude (For a While)
Fuselage styling arrived for the third generation: a sleeker, loop-bumper look riding the same 117-inch wheelbase.
Horsepower peaked with the 426 Hemi and the new 440 Six-Pack, but tightening emissions and insurance surcharges already signaled storm clouds.
Sales stayed strong - nearly 75,000 in '73 - yet the muscle era was ending.
By 1974 the 454 big-blocks were gone, replaced by catalyzed 360 V-8s struggling to top 245 net hp.
1975-1978 - Luxury Coupe in Muscle-Car Clothing
Government bumpers, unleaded fuel and a national fuel crunch forced a pivot.
The fourth-gen Charger morphed into a personal-luxury coupe, sharing sheet-metal with the Chrysler Cordoba.
Velour interiors, vinyl half-roofs and opera windows replaced hood scoops and racing stripes; the once-ferocious nameplate now chased Monte Carlos and Grand Prixs.
Flagship model: the Charger SE, available with a T-top and the "rich Corinthian leather"-style cabin.
Production slide: from 30,000 in '75 to fewer than 3,000 in the final 1978 run.
The B-body Charger quietly bowed out, waiting for a future resurrection that wouldn't arrive for another nineteen years.
Legacy on Four Wheels
In just twelve short years the Charger had lived three distinct lifetimes:
Avant-garde fastback that introduced rotating headlights and four-bucket swagger.
Coke-bottle street brawler that dominated drag strips and prime-time TV.
Luxo-coupe survivor that cushioned the blow of the '70s fuel crisis.
Every modern Charger - from 707-hp Hellcats to the upcoming Daytona EV - traces its soul back to that 1966 B-body.
Long after the last '78 rolled off the line, the legend keeps charging forward.
Sources
: Wikipedia - Dodge Charger (1966)
: Classic Industries - 1966-1974 Charger History
: Providence Autos - A Brief History of the Dodge Charger
: Viceroy Auto Transport - Evolution of the Dodge Charger
: AutoNation Dodge Ram Broadway - Research: Charger by Year
2. 1981-1987: Malaise-Era Downsizing - How the Charger Became a Front-Wheel-Drive Coupe
Dodge Charger History - Part 2
1981-1987: Malaise-Era Downsizing - How the Charger Became a Front-Wheel-Drive Coupe
The early 1980s were lean years for American muscle. Emission regs, fuel crises and a recession had kneecapped big-cube V-8s, and every domestic automaker was scrambling to build smaller, lighter, front-drive cars. Into that gloom Dodge dropped a bombshell in 1981 - except this time the blast was more firecracker than nitro: the fifth-generation Dodge Charger was now a front-wheel-drive hatchback riding on the humble L-body platform shared with the Dodge Omni.
From B-Body to Omni-Roots
Gone was the 117-inch wheelbase and Coke-bottle sheetmetal that once swallowed 440 Magnums. Instead, the new Charger measured just 96.5 inches between the wheels and weighed barely 2,300 lb - about the same as a modern Fiat 500. The base engine wasn't even American: a 1.7-liter Volkswagen inline-4 making 70 hp. In 1984 that gave way to a 64-hp 1.6-liter Peugeot unit, while the "big" option was Chrysler's own 2.2-liter with all of 94 hp .
Shelby to the Rescue
Realizing a 70-horse "muscle" coupe would be laughed off the street, Dodge called Carroll Shelby. Starting in 1983 the Dodge Shelby Charger added a massaged 2.2 with 107 hp, shorter gearing, stiffer springs, alloy wheels and graphics loud enough to wake the '60s. The 1985 Shelby Turbo Charger cranked boost for 174 hp - enough to hit 60 mph in the mid-7-second range, genuinely quick for the era . Shelby eventually bought the last 1,000 Turbo cars, painted them Omni GLH-style black and christened them Charger GLHS ("Goes Like Hell S'more") with 175 hp and 174 lb-ft - small numbers today, but giant killers in 1987.
Styling & Packaging
The three-door hatch wore crisp, angular lines, a steeply sloped rear glass and blackout trim. Inside you got analog gauges, bolstered seats and fold-flat rear cargo space - practical, but a universe away from the six-passenger bench-seat Chargers of the '70s. Four-wheel-strut suspension delivered decent grip, but torque steer reminded you the wrong wheels were doing the pulling.
Market Reality
Dodge pitched the car against Mustang and Camara, yet buyers saw a $8,000 front-drive Omni coupe no matter how many tape stripes it wore. Sales peaked at 35,000 in 1984, then slid to under 12,000 by 1987 as cheap gas, EFI Mustangs and the coming LX-platform rumors lured shoppers back to rear-drive performance .
Aftermath
The L-body Charger died after 1987, taking the nameplate with it for a 19-year nap. In retrospect the little hatch never stood a chance of replacing the General Lee fantasy, but it kept the Charger badge alive through Detroit's darkest performance decade and proved that, with enough boost and Shelby ingenuity, even wrong-wheel drive can be fun.
Next up: Part 3 - 2006-2010, the Charger returns as a V-8-powered, four-door muscle sedan and rewrites the rulebook once again.
: MotorTrend - The History of the Dodge Charger
: Motor Junkie - 20 Forgotten Malaise-Era Compact Muscle Cars
: Supercars.net - Dodge Charger Ultimate Guide
3. 2006-2010: Return of the HEMI - LX-Platform Revival and NASCAR-Driven Marketing
After a 19-year hiatus, the Dodge Charger roared back to life in 2006 - not as a coupe, but as a four-door muscle sedan ready to reclaim its throne on both the street and the track. Built on the rear-wheel-drive Chrysler LX platform, the sixth-generation Charger fused heritage cues (a gaping cross-hair grille, Coke-bottle hips, and a fast-back roofline) with modern Mercedes-Benz hardware, including a five-link rear suspension and five-speed automatic sourced from the E-Class . The formula worked: MotorTrend's 2005 Car of the Year award for the Chrysler 300 had already proven the architecture's credibility, so giving Dodge dealers a sedan sibling was a no-brainer .
The HEMI Comes Home
Under the hood, the headline act was the revival of the legendary HEMI V8. The R/T model's 5.7-liter unit delivered 340 hp (later bumped to 372 hp with Road/Track Performance Group and Variable Cam Timing), while the SRT8 unleashed a 6.1-liter, 425-hp monster that could hit 60 mph in the low-four-second range . Even the base cars weren't embarrassed: the 250-hp 3.5-liter V6 offered respectable punch, and the optional all-wheel-drive system - unique in the muscle-sedan class - gave northern buyers year-round confidence .
NASCAR, Daytona Names, and Dealer Buzz
Dodge didn't just build a fast sedan; it wrapped the Charger in NASCAR marketing gold. The Charger nameplate returned to the Cup Series in 2005, and production-based stock cars instantly gave the street version track credibility. Special editions like the 2006-'07 Daytona R/T (signature "Go Man-Go!" orange, black decals, and a 350-hp HEMI) flew off showroom floors, each carrying a rear-deck spoiler that winked at its racing cousins . Commercials featured Richard Petty voice-overs, and dealership windows were plastered with #9 and #43 liveries - reminding buyers that every commute could feel like a lap at Talladega.
Cultural Impact and Collectability
The LX Charger's blend of practicality and power widened the muscle-car tent. Police departments ordered thousands of 340-hp Pursuit models, TV shows used SRT8s as hero cars, and enthusiasts discovered that a simple cold-air intake and ECU tune could add 30+ whp. Today, clean, unmodified R/T and SRT8 sedans - especially Daytonas and Super Bees - are already crossing auction blocks with 1970s-Charger-like appreciation curves.
From 2006 to 2010 Dodge sold over 450,000 sixth-gen Chargers, proving that four doors, five seats, and a HEMI could still make hearts race. The revival wasn't just a nostalgia play; it was a blueprint for how to merge classic Americana with modern engineering - and it set the stage for the 707-hp Hellcats that would follow.
Sources:
: Dodge Charger (Wikipedia)
: Chrysler LX platform (Wikipedia)
: MotorTrend - Dodge Charger History
: Dodge Charger (2006) (Wikipedia)
4. 2011-2023: Widebody, Hellcat, and Jailbreak - Pushing 700 hp While the Sedan Market Shrinks
(Dodge Charger History, Part 4 of 5)
1. 2011 - A Clean-Sheet Muscle Sedan
When the seventh-generation "LD" Charger arrived for 2011, Dodge was free of Daimler-Benz and determined to prove a four-door could still be emotional.
Exterior: A 2.2-inch longer nose, "Coke-bottle" haunches and 164-LED racetrack taillamp paid direct homage to the 1968-70 classic.
Powertrains:
3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 - 292 hp (18 city / 27 hwy)
5.7-liter HEMI V-8 - 370 hp
6.4-liter (392 cu-in) HEMI V-8 - 470 hp in the reborn Charger SRT8
Hardware: ZF 8-speed automatic replaced the old 5-speed, cutting 0-60 times by ~0.4s and adding 4-mpg on the highway.
Chassis: New electro-hydraulic steering, larger sway bars and optional adaptive damping gave the big sedan genuine cornering poise.
Sales rebounded 30% in 2011; the Charger was no longer a fleet darling but a halo that kept mid-size Avenger shoppers inside Dodge showrooms.
2. 2015 Mid-Cycle - Aero, Tech and the 707-hp Bomb
A dramatic 2015 facelift slimmed the grille, added hood vents and pushed the windshield forward for a 7% drag reduction. Inside, the 7-inch U-connect became class-competitive and a 60-40 folding rear seat finally made the Charger family-friendly.
The real news, however, was under the hood:
Hellcat: A 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI delivered 707 hp and 650 lb-ft - enough to clock 11.0 sec @ 125 mph quarter miles with four doors and a trunk.
Scat Pack: 485-hp 392 offered 90% of the fun for $15k less.
SXT AWD: V-6 + rear-biased AWD became America's quickest police interceptor.
Suddenly, 500 hp felt ordinary; every rival from BMW M5 to Chevy SS was chasing Dodge on horsepower-per-dollar - and losing.
3. 2020 - Enter the Widebody
Dodge could have coasted, but instead it widened the car just as sedans fell below 25% of U.S. retail sales.
Fender flares add 3.5 inches of width, covering 305-width Pirellis at all four corners.
Track grows 1.6 in front / 0.8 in rear; lateral grip jumps from 0.93g to 0.98g.
0-60 drops by 0.1-0.2s, but the real gain is confidence: 1:12.3 at Grattan versus 1:14.1 for the narrow-body.
Widebody becomes standard on SRT models and optional on R/T Scat Pack, visually shouting that sedans need not be anonymous.
4. Redeye & Jailbreak - The Horsepower Arms Race
In 2021 Dodge answers its own question: "What do you give the customer who already has 707 hp?"
Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye: 797 hp (808 PS) and 707 lb-ft thanks to a 2.7-liter IHI supercharger, 14.5 psi boost and strengthened internals borrowed from the limited Demon.
Top speed: 203 mph - highest of any production sedan, ever.
2022 Jailbreak: software tweak, 91-octane calibration and less-restrictive exhaust unlock another 10 hp for 807 hp total. More importantly, Jailbreak opens every color, stripe, badge, seat, caliper and rim option - over 20 million combinations - proving that personalization sells when raw speed no longer shocks.
5. Shrinking Market, Expanding Legend
Between 2011 and 2023 U.S. large-sedan volume collapsed 72%. Yet Charger sales grew 40% from 2011-2019, peaking at 96k units in 2016 and averaging ~80k even through 2022.
How?
Commodity of Emotion: While Toyota and Ford exited, Dodge kept refreshing the same platform with more power, color and noise - turning scarcity into spectacle.
Police & Fleet: 15-20% of production was Pursuit models, keeping Brampton assembly humming and parts costs low.
Profit Margins: A fully-loaded Hellcat Redeye Widebody stickers near $95k - allowing Stellantis to fund lower-volume models like Challenger Demon and Durango SRT.
6. Epilogue - The Last Roar
The final 2023 Charger SRT "Last Call" models rolled off the Brampton, Ontario line in December 2023. They left as they arrived - loud, unapologetic and staggeringly quick. In thirteen years the LD chassis evolved from 292 hp grocery-getter to an 807 hp super-sedan that could out-run a 2003 Viper while hauling five adults.
Electrification looms, but 2011-2023 will be remembered as the era that proved four doors and 700 horsepower could not only coexist - they could keep the muscle-car spirit alive while everything around it downsized, turbo-charged or disappeared.
Next in the series: Part 5 - 2024 & Beyond: Electrification, Daytona SRT and the Two-Door Revival
5. 2024 and Beyond: Electric Charger Daytona - Can a Two-Door EV Muscle-Carry the Nameplate Forward?
5. 2024 and Beyond: Electric Charger Daytona - Can a Two-Door EV Muscle-Car Carry the Nameplate Forward?
For almost sixty years the word "Charger" has meant one thing to gear-heads: a long hood, a snarling V8, and the smell of 93-octane drifting through a summertime car-meet.
In 2024 Dodge did the unthinkable and pulled the plug - literally. The first next-generation Charger to reach showrooms is a two-door hatchback powered by batteries, not Hemis.
Meet the Charger Daytona EV, the most controversial shape ever to wear the Fratzog. Can an electric coupe still feel like a Charger, or is the nameplate now charging down a one-way street to sacrilege? Strap in; the future of American muscle just got a software update.
From Bullitt to Batteries - Why Dodge Had to Change
Since the 1968 "Coke-bottle" second-gen car leapt through San Francisco in Bullitt, the Charger has survived oil embargos, insurance surcharges, and even a front-wheel-drive hatchback era.
But it could not survive the 21st-century cocktail of:
CAFE fleet rules tightening every model year
Dodge's own success selling 717-hp Hellcats that dragged the brand's average fuel economy into the teens
Stellantis' $35-billion electrification pledge - money that had to produce showroom vehicles before 2025 to avoid billion-dollar fines
The solution: keep the attitude, swap the chemistry. The Daytona badge - last seen on a 2006-2023 trim package - was promoted to full model status and reserved exclusively for the battery line, while the coming twin-turbo inline-six cars will be called "Sixpack".
Hardware - Big Battery, Bigger Personality
| Trim | R/T | Scat Pack |
|---|---|---|
| Motors | Dual permanent-magnet AC | Dual permanent-magnet AC |
| Battery | 93.9 kWh lithium-ion | 93.9 kWh lithium-ion |
| Factory upgrade | Direct Connection Stage 1 (+40 hp) | Stage 2 (+80 hp) |
| Total |
