Dodge Charger (B-body)

Dodge Charger is the name of several car models of the U.S. automobile manufacturer Dodge. The first models were part of the division of muscle cars and still belong to the most popular classic American car models. In the 1980s, served as the Charger name of the coupe version of the Dodge Omni. The current model Charger is a four-door sedan.

History

1964 Dodge presented a study of a sporty coupe, which, according to a fashion of the time, with hatchback ( " Fastback " ) and large grille should particularly appeal to young customers. In 1965 one small series of Dodge Dart with a more powerful 4.5 liter engine, under the name "Charger 273 ", 1966 came the production model on the market. The design was broadly in the study, the engines offered were only popular in the U.S. V8 engines.

Muscle Cars: 1968-1974

Since the charge were at Dodge believes that the first Charger is working too cumbersome and old-fashioned, came in 1968, a brand new model on the market. It looked even sleeker than its predecessor and was built with this body up to and including 1970. These three model years were the most successful, and then sales figures could not be reached later. In particular, the R / T ( " Road / Track" ) models with the Hemi V8 engine were considered safe winner of each acceleration race, although the Chrysler Group with the Charger and the him like Plymouth Road Runner models in NASCAR to 1970 remained eternal second behind the Ford vehicles.

In 1971, the Charger again a new body style, which was built until 1974 with only minor changes.

Personal Luxury Cars: 1975-1978

Since the mid- 1970s increasingly tough emission laws were put into effect in the U.S., and the buyers preferred instead of muscle cars increasingly comfort-oriented models. Dodge wore this development from 1975 with a redesign of the Charger bill, which led to a departure from the previous model policy and at times caused irritation. So Dodge offered in the 1976 model year, two different cars under the model name of Charger, both of which were positioned in the field of Personal Luxury Cars.

Charger S / E

The 1975 Dodge Charger presented S / E was a comfort-oriented touring car, which was offered only as a two-door coupe. He was a stylistically and technically almost unmodified version of the Chrysler Cordoba. The Charger S / E based on the Cordoba as the Chrysler B platform; overall they were closely related to the zweitürgigen version of the Dodge Coronet. The Charger S / E differed from the Chrysler Cordoba only by a revised grille and taillights alone. As motorization served eight-cylinder engines with 5.2 to 6.6 liters.

The Dodge Charger S / E sold significantly worse than the identical Chrysler Cordoba. While were produced from Cordoba 1975 to 1979 more than 700,000 copies, originated from Charger S / E only 142,000 vehicles. At the beginning of the model year 1978 Dodge took the Charger S / E of the market. He was replaced by the Dodge Magnum, which was based in turn on the Charger S / E, but had a distinct front end with pop-up headlights and received a sportier appearance.

Charger Coupe

Parallel to the Charger S / E offered in the 1976 model year Dodge Charger, the Coupé. This model was the result of a marketing decision, which had a restructuring of the model name in the subject of Dodge. In the Charger coupe it was a two-door notchback coupe, which had been sold in the previous year under the model designation Dodge Coronet. The Charger coupe had no visible resemblance to the Charger S / E and was instead identical to last year's Coronet. This car was - offered as standard with a 3.7 -liter six- cylinder engine ( " Slant Six" ), but could alternatively be equipped with larger eight-cylinder engines - unlike the Charger S / E. From Charger Coupe 1976 almost 24,000 copies were manufactured.

The car was only marketed in 1976 as a Charger coupe. From model year 1977, when the Coronet received the model designation Monaco, was the (again unchanged ) car as a hardtop coupe Monaco in the program. Thus it had received its third model name by Coronet and Charger.

Compact cars: Omni 1983-1987

The Dodge Charger the years 1983-1987 was based on the Dodge Omni Sport Coupe ( inter alia with Volkswagen and Peugeot engines), but a connection with the original models no longer existed.

Study ( 1999)

At the Detroit Motor Show Daimler Chrysler showed in 1999 a sports car study with the name " Dodge Charger R / T". Not only the name should remind you of the successful models of the 1960s, the design of the rear section was inspired by the shape of the Charger models 1968 to 1970. These were a streamlined sports car that hinted also associations with the Dodge Viper. The grille carried the Dodge cross the current models, the side line again decreed on the once popular " Cokebottle " shape. The vehicle was driven by a 4.7-liter V8. Unusually for a muscle car of the modern era were only the use of natural gas as a fuel and the move to a body shape with four doors. After several presentations for the press, which also included test drives, the study, however, disappeared from the scene. At a production model of "Dodge Charger R / T" was never developed.

LX sedan (since 2005)

2004 began the pre-production of a new Charger for the 2006 model year, a limousine. In this version, there is again a powerful R / T version, which is as it used powered by a Hemi V8 and advertised with the success of the classic Charger models. Ultimately, however, has nothing in common with the muscle cars of the 1960s, the current Charger.

LX Sedan Facelift ( since 2011 )

Brazilian version

From November, 1970 to Chrysler Brazil built on the basis of the local Dodge Dart Coupe own high- performance versions under the name LS Charger and Charger R / T. Both models were powered by the 5.2-liter V8 ( 318 cui ) of the sedan, but instead of 201 here 208 hp SAE ( in LS) and, with dual exhaust, 218 hp ( R / T) made ​​. The LS had a three-speed, R / T is a four-speed manual transmission. 1973 Charger received the twin headlights and revised taillights. 1976 accounted for the Charger LS, 1977, the compaction of the Charger engine was lowered ( whereby the power dropped to 211 hp SAE ), and in 1978 was abandoned in the hood scoops on the dummies. Received the 1979 Charger R / T an extensive facelift with a new front fascia, a plastic nose and blinds on the rear side windows; the chassis was also designed softer. 1980, production of the Charger R / T has been set.