1966 Dodge Charger– 426 Street Hemi engine option available that produced well over 425 bhp.

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I bought my ’66 Dodge Charger off a guy up the road for $750 when I was 18. She’d sat there a good long time, but this was Arizona– dry as a bone, so no body rot. Came home hitched to a tow truck– and I know my mom wasn’t too excited about the new lawn ornament. The old 383 V-8 needed a rebuild, and body was a little dinged– but she was unmolested and all original. So what if it didn’t run yet– she was mine. If only I had held on to her– but I ran outta time, money and energy. More than that– I had a girlfriend with plans to move us down to Tucson to attend the U of A. Never should’ve let her go– the Charger that is. It still pains me, but what’s done is done… Guys, listen to your gut and hold on to a good thing. Like your dream car.

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The 1966 Dodge Charger– the fastback that’s full-sized and fully loaded.

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The 1966 Dodge Charger was introduced on New Years Day– a late but lethal answer to the Mustang and Baracuda fastback frenzy. Based on the Coronet, the Charger came packed with serious muscle that few street cars could compete with. The ’66 Charger debuted one of the most legendary and talked-about engines ever– the 426 Street Hemi. The Hemi engine had been available in prior years, but the 426 Street option was designed for exactly that– performance on the street. Rated at 425 bhp, some say it actually produced closer to 500 bhp. That dog will hunt, son.

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1966 Dodge Charger fastback with concealed headlamps that rolled-back when not in use.

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1966 Dodge Charger– Boss Hoss available with a 426 Street Hemi!

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The Charger’s concealed headlamps, luminous backlit gauges and roomy interior were a true work of art. With two bucket seats in the front, it also had two more in the back that could fold down for storage. The console also reached all the way to the back seat. It felt luxurious and sporty all at once. Sadly, the full length console was nixed with the release of the ’67 model.

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The 1966 Dodge Charger’s amazing interior.

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1967 gave birth to a new Mopar performance engine– the 440 Magnum. This was their biggest engine yet, and produced 375 bhp. Impressive as it was– it was still no Hemi. The 440 Magnum could keep up off the line, but the Hemi would quickly outpace it once 60 mph was exceeded. For most, the extra power the Hemi provided wasn’t worth the added expense ($1,000 upgrade at the time) and hassles. The 440 Magnum was cheaper than the Hemi, and easier to tune and maintain– good enough for most motorheads. Still, the true racers were loyal to the badass 426 Hemi.

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The 1967 Dodge Charger R/T

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1968 brought a drastic and commercially successful restyling to the Dodge Charger. The new “Coke bottle” look made the Charger one of the best-looking muscle cars, period, with many considering it the best-looking performance car of the 1960s. Dodge pronounced, “This is no dream car. It’s a real ‘take-me-home-and-let’s stir-things-up-a-bit’ automobile.” Check it out in the iconic car chase scene from Steve McQueen’s classic film Bullitt. Legend has it, the Charger flat-out ran circles around that little Mustang– on and off the set.

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The 1969 Charger introduced a new center grill divider and recessed tail lights, but other than that the exterior was basically the same. Note the intentional omission to any reference of a certain obnoxious Confederate flag wearing ’69 Charger that was responsible for scores of Chargers meeting an untimely demise. Yee-haw buddy? Yawn.

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The Charger Daytona 500, with a flush-mounted grille and rear window, stormed on the racing scene in 1969. In accordance with NASCAR rules, 500 production units had to be produced in order to qualify as a production model, and allow them to race on the stock car circuit. Dodge produced 505. The Charger Daytona eliminated aerodynamic problems that previously hurt it in comparison to Ford’s lower-power but more slippery racing models. Turns out Mopar had an ace up their sleeve– extensive wind tunnel testing. The Daytona included a massive rear spoiler and an aero nose. No other car could match it for top speed (200 mph), with its standard 440 and optional Hemi. In 11 years of racing, the Dodge Charger — running in close to stock form — won 124 NASCAR Cup races and took three drivers to five championships. Richard Petty won three of his seven titles behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger, according to Dodge.

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Warning: I can not control myself and feel the compulsory need to pile on more vintage ads–

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After ’69 I lose interest… increasing gas prices and stricter federal emissions regulations end the true American muscle car era. Sure, the Charger and others limp on, but it just ain’t the same. They don’t look the same either– styling really starts to suffer. 1971 really signals the beginning of the uglies.

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