Dodge Shelby Charger is a Rad '80s Gem
The Dodge Shelby Charger still serves as a funky nod to a unique era in the history of the auto industry.
Forgotten Charger
The iconic Dodge Charger nameplate is known best today for its current generation, in sedan form, and available with some of the most potent V8s in the industry. To enthusiasts, the name brings to mind images of the original late '60s and early '70 muscle car. But most will have forgotten about the '80s incarnation of the Charger... understandably.
Product of the Era
This Charger was a product of an era in the American auto industry when the pursuit of extravagant design and excess horsepower had been put on the backburner in favor of efficiency. Japanese automakers had far surpassed domestic manufacturers in sales, and the big three responded by following their blueprints in terms of design and engineering.
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No Sign of a Muscle Car
All of this lent itself to the creation of this iteration of the Charger, based on the L-body platform. Unlike the muscle car era version, this car had no V8 or even V6 options available. Instead, it came with a humble 4-cylinder that produced 110 horsepower. The lightweight body made for good handling potential. But this was in no way a muscle car. And it was considered by many as unworthy of the Charger name.
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Iacocca and Shelby
Having left Ford to take the CEO position at Chrysler in 1978, Lee Iacocca had ideas of adding some much-needed performance to the Dodge lineup. He brought in his old friend and colleague Carroll Shelby, who worked on creating the Shelby Charger for 1983. In the beginning, Shelby's touch brought nothing more than chassis and suspension upgrades, improving the car's handling.
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Adding a Turbo
Things changed in 1985, however, when Shelby finally managed to bring a little more power to the table with the addition of a turbo to the 2.2-liter motor. This upgrade added 36 horses to the power output for a total of 146. Less than 8,000 units of the Shelby Charger were sold during each year of production before the model was dropped after 1987.
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Auctioned
Not many of these little Chargers are still on the road these days, and certainly not in such great condition. This blue example recently popped up on Bring a Trailer. The auction closed with the highest bid at $10,000 for the 31K-mile Shelby. It's not the most desirable of Chargers or Shelbys for that matter. But for $10,000, it's a worthy piece of automotive history and a fun little cruiser.
>>Join the conversation about this classic Shelby Charger right here in DodgeForum.com.
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