Dodge Challenger

Dodge Challenger was the name of two automobile models marketed by the Dodge Division of Chrysler Corporation in the 1970s.

First Model

The first Challenger was the division's late entrant to the pony car market segment in the United States, launched for the 1970 model year.

It was strongly based on the similar Plymouth Barracuda's new E-body but with two inches (51 mm) of extra wheelbase and somewhat different outer sheetmetal. Although the Challenger was well-received by the public (with 80,000 sales in 1970 alone), it was criticized by the press, and the pony car segment was already declining by the time the Challenger arrived. Challenger production ceased after the 1974 model year, only having lasted five years; performance dropped off dramatically after the 1971 models. About 165,500 Challengers were sold over the this model's lifespan.

Engine choices included the following:

225 in³ (3.7 L) slant 6: 1970-1972.
318 in³ (5.2 L) LA V8: 1970-1974.
340 in³ (5.6 L) LA V8: 1970-1973.
360 in³ (5.9 L) LA V8: 1974.
383 in³ (6.3 L) B V8: 1970-1971.
440 in³ (7.2 L) RB V8: 1970-1971. Available in Magnum 4-barrel carbureted form (developing 375 bhp (280 kW)) or Six-Pack (3 × 2-barrel carburetors and 390 bhp/490 ft.lbf) form.
426 in³ (7.0 L) Hemi V8: 1970-1971. 425 bhp (317 kW)/490 ft.lbf, costing an extra $1,228, and very few sold.

The 440 and the 426 Hemi engines were considered the most desirable, and nowadays command sizeable premiums over the smaller engines, but their weight negatively affected handling and the small-block engines gave a much better driving experience.

Challengers could either be hardtop coupes or convertibles (through 1971 only). The performance model was the R/T (Road/Track), available in both body styles; both standard and R/T hardtops could be ordered as the more luxurious SE specification, which included leather seats, a vinyl roof and a smaller 'formal' rear window. Other options, as well as engines and manual transmission, included steeper rear axle ratios, a limited-slip differential, and a shaker scoop.

A 1970-only model was the Dodge Challenger T/A (Trans Am) racing homologation car, which used a specially tuned Six-Pack version of the 340 cubic inch (5.6 L) powerplant, topped with a giant hood scoop in a fiberglass lift-off hood. 'Megaphone' exhaust outlets were fitted in front of the rear wheels. A 'Rallye' suspension package was available, and different-sized wheels were fitted front and back, with very fat rubber on the rear.

By 1972, maximum power was down to 240 hp, and production stopped in 1974.

Second Model

The name was revived in 1978 for a version of the early Mitsubishi Galant Lambda Coupe, also sold overseas as the Mitsubishi Sapporo, sold through Dodge dealers as a captive import and identical except in color and minor trim to the Plymouth Sapporo. Although mechanically identical, the Dodge version emphasized sportiness, with bright colors and tape stripes, and the Plymouth one luxury in more subdued trim. Both cars were sold through 1983.

The car retained the frameless hardtop styling of the old Challenger, but had only a four-cylinder engine and was a long way in performance from its namesake. Nevertheless, it acquired a reputation as a reasonably brisk performer of its type, not least because of its available 2.6 liter engine, exceptionally large for a four-cylinder. Fours of this size had not usually been built due to inherent vibration, but Mitsubishi pioneered the use of balance shafts to help damp this out and the Challenger was one of the first vehicles to bring this technology to the American market; it has since been licensed to many other manufacturers.

Popular Culture

The 1971 movie Vanishing Point was centered on a 1970 Dodge Challenger.