Dodge Challenger

Classic Challenger points the way for the all-new model.

Words: Roger Meiners

The original Dodge Challenger was developed by Chrysler management with one goal in mind: To fight the new Mercury Cougar in the marketplace. The program was kicked off in the fall 1966, with Styling Vice President Harry Cheeseborough at the helm. He in turn gave the all-important design job to Bill Brownlie who ran the Dodge design studio at the time.

The new car did not have its own heritage to draw upon as did the Barracuda, which was also in the works for the 1970 model year. So Brownlie turned his stylists loose with no preconceptions. The team developed full-size clay models that were completed in early 1967. Brownlie also did his own sketches and had a clay model done from them. It was a good move on Brownlie’s part. His design was ultimately the one that was approved by management. They also adopted Brownlie’s name for the car: Challenger.

Performance was the hot button in the market as the Challenger developed in the late 1960s. The all-new Challenger was destined to be a pony car, cut from the same basic mold as the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Firebird and Mercury Cougar. The Challenger was also an up-market car, though, slightly bigger than the Barracuda with a 2-inch-longer wheelbase. It also had four headlights while the Barracuda had two. It was pricier, too, topping out at $3,535 for the R/T convertible.

Performance was the name of the game for Chrysler in those days and the new car was well endowed. A 440 Six-Pack and the vaunted 426 HEMI® (it cost $1,227 extra) were the weapons of choice for tearing up the pavement. A very competent 383 cid V8 was standard in the R/T model. Of course a 4-speed transmission was available, but the 3-speed 727 automatic was just as good for the street and the strip.

A rare option in 1970 was the Challenger T/A. It was created specifically so that Dodge could go racing in the Trans Am series. This car, like the Plymouth AAR ’Cuda had to meet the minimum production requirement of 2,500 units mandated by the SCCA. The T/A and AAR ’Cuda programs were managed by Chrysler’s Pete Hutchinson. Ray Caldwell’s Autodynamics outfit raced the Challenger T/A, driven by Sam Posey.

The production T/A used the excellent 340 cid small block engine with three two-barrel carburetors. The cars had a distinctive hood (code N-94) and side exhausts.

In addition to its success in the marketplace and in the Trans Am series, the original Dodge Challenger also made a big impact at the drag strip in the hands of the late Dick Landy, who ran Pro Stock in one of the cars.

The start of the 1970s brought the beginning of the end to the muscle car era, but you wouldn’t know it to see the power line-up available to enthusiasts. Every engine size from 340 through 383, 440 and 426 HEMI was there for the picking. But the 383 had a lower compression ratio and lost 75 rated horsepower (due to a new net rating system).

From a design standpoint, the Dodge Challenger looked virtually the same for ’71. 1972 saw a grille and taillight change and so did the 1973 and 1974 models, as was industry practice in those days.

Chrysler dropped the Challenger during the 1974 model year after only 6,063 were built. 135,000 were built during the five-year production run. The car is still popular today as enthusiasts wait for the new 2008 model to be introduced. Chrysler started taking orders for the new car and has been overwhelmed by the response (6,000 orders in just a few days—almost equal to the entire 1974 model run).

If early orders are any indication, the all-new Dodge Challenger seems likely to secure it’s ancestor’s proud heritage.