Recently in Charger Category

I have an appreciation for all sorts of cars, but deep down I'm a Mopar man.  I've owned Fords and Chevys, but my favorite cars have been my 1983 Dodge Mirada 340 and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340, and when I get to events like SEMA I'm always very excited to see what Mopar has in store for me.

 

This year, I have to admit that the indoor Mopar display was a little bare, although cars like the Challenger 1320 (click here for more info) and the new Dodge Avenger pro stock car (more info coming soon!) made the display worth the time.  

 

But there was still Mopar Alley.  The area connecting the Central Hall and South Hall runs you through a parking lot and atop a busy overpass, but for years now Mopar has bridged the gap with a variety of new and vintage Mopars -  both privately owned and featured vehicles owned by Chrysler Corporation.

When the Charger name first appeared, this high end trimline of the Dodge Dart was powered by a meager 180 horsepower, 273 cubic inch engine and struggled with its intended competition, the new Ford Mustang. The Charger name was popular, however, so the 1966 Dodge Charger was given a chance with a new body and soul, and eventually, a powerful new heart - the Hemi.

Overview

The 2009 Dodge Charger is a full-size, four-door sedan that makes a bold design statement and backs it up with serious horsepower. A wide range of models is available, but all are comfortable cruisers, offering drivers a friendly haven from traffic and bumpy freeways.

The model line ranges from the basic but entertaining 2.7-liter Charger SE to the high-performance 425-hp SRT8. Between them are 3.5-liter V6 and 5.7-liter V8 models. The 3.5-liter V6 delivers entirely adequate performance for the mid-grade SXT model, while the V8s generate thrilling acceleration performance and make all the right noises. All-wheel drive is available for all-weather capability.

The Charger illustrates just how multi-talented and accomplished today's high-performance cars are compared to the unidimensional hot rods of yesteryear. The Charger has all the pavement-ripping, gut-thumping power of the old muscle cars, but it's packaged with modern creature comforts and tempered by handling competency. With either V8 engine, the Charger is fast in a straight line, and it corners better than those muscle cars of the past. However, it is large and heavy, measuring more than 16 feet in length and tipping the scales near two tons, so it's not as nimble as a sports car, or even a pony car.

It is assumed by some that the General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger in The Dukes of Hazzard was equipped with the 426 Hemi, but it was never stated nor implied. Exact numbers are not known, but the majority of the 309 General Lee's were packed with the 383 big block; many of the engine shots during the show revealed the 383. Deemed "close up cars", Chargers carrying the 383 were kept in better condition than those used for chase scenes. There were some designated with the 440 big block for long distance jumps and other high speed maneuvers, although many of the jump cars were powered by 318 cubic inch engines that weighed less. During those jump scenes, the rear of the cars would be packed with lead weights as heavy as 1000 pounds to prevent the car from nosing down on its landing. Almost all of the cars used during the jump scenes were destroyed on impact, as the incredible amount of weight added to the rear often caused them to fold in half. Even the very first General Lee, named LEE 1, was jumped in one episode and then wrecked in a later episode before being towed to an Atlanta area junkyard. Later, it was purchased and fully restored by Travis Bell.

The American muscle car scene created a handful of legendary cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, and the Ford Mustang. 40+ years later, those high performance street machines are still highly sought after. Not only do collectors pounce on the chance to own the vehicles, the entertainment industry has featured them prominently in movies and television as well: the 1976 Ford Gran Torino on Starsky & Hutch or the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit. Those cars are well known and often replicated, but no movie or television vehicle has stolen the hearts of gearheads the way a 1969 Dodge Charger named General Lee did when it roared through every episode of The Dukes of Hazzard.