Muscle Car
Recognizing The First Dodge Charger
By Mark Weisseg
The Iconic Dodge Charger started life in 1964 as a show car, with the B-bodies running from 1966-79, the L-body from 1983-87 and the current LX and LD 4 door sedans of today built from 2006.
I must be very alone when it comes to loving this original Charger.
The ’66 and ’67 looked like this before they changed to what we call the Iconic 1968 and up Chargers. I have heard awful things said about this car. It looks like a AMC Marlin, or the long rear swooping back is wasteful and weird looking.
I would like to remind you beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this Charger had the same huge engines you would see in the 68 models.
I love the hideaway headlights, the long grill with all the teeth, plus the interior had a really well thought out inside space.
Back in the day this look was in the Torino GT, the AMC Marlin, the Charger and a few more.
1966 and 67 was a very long time ago and the car companies were locked in a massive fight to prove they had the best car. They started offering power windows and air conditioning as well as power steering and brakes.
Not all cars in the mid sixties offered these items we consider standard today. Go look at an old car advertisement back in the sixties and people would highlight the fact the car they were selling had an AM radio and a heater.
Imagine today buying a car and wondering if it had something as basic as a heater? Times change quickly in our beloved industry, so do not judge so quickly until you know the whole story. I had a car once that had one wiper blade on the drivers side only. I guess the passenger did not need to know where you were going. The same vehicle had a heater switch for the drivers side and one for the passenger side. Way ahead of its time.
No matter what the added options were on any given make or model, it’s arguable that the outside design is the thing that counts.
In just a few short years the Dodge Charger went from the design you see here to the iconic late 60s model that everybody knows.
All designs need to start somewhere and the earliest Dodge Charger design shows the Genesis of what is to come and that’s part of its appeal.
I love the Charger and do not see enough of the earliest years out there. The ’68 to ’70’s are everywhere because the styling changed and they were huge hits. I know a guy that has three of them. Talk about love…
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