Car of the Week: 1966 Dodge Charger

dodgechargerfan

dodgechargerfan

CanadianGary
Administrator
IMG_3931.JPG


The Charger was Dodge Division’s answer to the fastback craze and it was dramatically different than all competitors when it arrived. It was big and wide, which gave it a distinctive “flat” look to distinguish it from other muscle cars. It combined MoPar’s bright, clean interior styling with some of the company’s best engine options to create a package that had no peers.

Dodge called its 1966 Charger a “Sports Sedan,” even though it was really a Sport Coupe. This was an attempt to widen its sales appeal beyond the youth market and to stress its cargo-carrying abilities. With a full-size 117-inch wheelbase and 203.6 inches of overall length, the Charger was certainly roomy. And its 75.3-inch width didn’t hurt either. With seating for only four on its front and rear bucket seats, the Charger was not really sedan-like in the passenger-carrying category, either. Its real appeal was its sporty flavor.

Read more.
 
It's a Coronet with a fastback roof.
How is that mutant hideousness?
I'll admit that that picture isn't the best angle. A full on side shot is pretty sexy.
The interior is fantastic.

First production car with a HEMI option, too.

A 66 Charger is on my C.A.S. list.
 
I loved the whole line of Chargers, but not the current four door tubs they're building. They did a nice job with the Challenger, I don't know what happened with the Charger.
Here's what they should have done.

2017%2BDodge%2BCharger%2BSRT8%2B%2B%2BSpecifications.png
 
Last edited:
LeftyTom said:
Did it sport a slant 6?
Click to expand...

The 66?
That was an option then.
A slant 6 Charger from any year is a rare beast, but it did happen.
Slant 6 production was roughly 20% of production each year. Not 20% of Charger production. 20% of total production of all models from all plants.

My 73 had a slanty in it. I had no idea it was so rare. And yes, I know that rare doesn't always equate to desirable.
 
B Valley said:
I loved the whole line of Chargers, but not the current four door tubs they're building. They did a nice job with the Challenger, I don't know what happened with the Charger.
Here's what they should have done.

2017%2BDodge%2BCharger%2BSRT8%2B%2B%2BSpecifications.png
Click to expand...

The current line of Chargers were designed by committee headed up by a guy that wasn't really a designer. He was a boss in charge of design. The Challenger came from the team after they got rid of that guy.

I didn't like the new Charger when it was first introduced. I had one though. It was an option on the company car list and the other options were horrible in my opinion. I had plans of de-badging it and maybe putting Coronet emblems on it, but in the end I decided I wasn't that concerned. It turned out to be a really nice car. When we shitcanned the company car benefit, I bought it out.
 
Oddly enough, the new Chargers are one of the few cars they make that turn a profit. It would be nice to see them make a sports coupe out of the new Charger, but knowing Chrysler, they'd muck it up somehow.
 
never have been a big fan of the 'fastback' look on those cars. a classmate in highschool had a '67 charger with the 440 in it.
 
Jbird said:
Oddly enough, the new Chargers are one of the few cars they make that turn a profit. It would be nice to see them make a sports coupe out of the new Charger, but knowing Chrysler, they'd muck it up somehow.
Click to expand...
Yeah. It got them back into the fleet business - especially with the police.

If the team that were involved in the last 5 years or so were to take a run at a redesign, I'd be interested to see it.
Right now, I'd be concerned about that team being constrained by the Fiat leadership - at least in terms of design autonomy.
I get it though. Right now, I think they want to leverage as much as they already have in place rather than start a whole new platform from scratch.

It would be interesting to know what they've got going on in the R&D and design departments for stuff that might be a few years until release, or even as a concept. Is it more tech focused? Design focused? Both?
Sure. It should be both in an ideal situation, but what is the reality?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top