1968 Dodge Charger – Auction Car of the Week

As far as muscle cars go the Dodge Charger is up there with best of the best. One of the coolest models in this brawny bunch of Yank tanks the Charger has always exerted a domineering presence, not just as a stalwart of that scene but in the wider automotive landscape too. You just have to look at the car’s big screen credentials to realise its perennial popularity. From its starring role alongside Steve McQueen and his 390GT Mustang in Bullitt to Dom’s iconic 900bhp supercharged 1970 model in the original The Fast and the Furious, the Dodge Charger has captured the hearts and minds of movie goers and car fanatics alike for decades, but what is it exactly that makes this car such an alluring beast?

Well, coke bottle styling combined with a massive great V8 is always going to be a match made in heaven and the Charger is a prime example of this perfect pairing. And with a name like “Charger” it was always going to be a smash hit now wasn’t it? Debuting in ’66 the original Charger may have been inspired by Ford’s Mustang but Dodge were adamant that this was a car for grown ups, seeing the emerging Pony Car market as being for the younger generation. Here was a car with presence, with refinement and with an absolute shed load of power and it was marketed as a luxury sports model from the get go.

Based on parent company Chrysler’s B-body, mid size passenger platform the first generation Charger, penned by Carl Cameron, was a two-door fastback design with hidden headlights and clean lines that was available with a host of V8 engines, from the base model 5.2-litre to the range topping 426 Hemi 7.0-litre offering well over 400bhp. Yummy. Dodge now had the perfect car to help market a new performance image, with a win at NASCAR also helping to proliferate the car’s burgeoning reputation.

It was the second gen model that debuted in ’68, though, that really put the Charger on the map in terms of both style and performance, and many, including us, consider the ’68-’70 cars to be the cream of the crop. Here is where we see that aforementioned Coke bottle styling come into play with buttresses at the rear in place of the previous incarnation’s fastback aesthetic for a more muscular look. Not as refined in terms of luxury the second generation Chargers more than made up for any perceived lack of comfort with big fat wads of attitude.

It was at this point too that Dodge introduced a new high-performance package to the line up. Known as the R/T (for Road/Track) these special editions came with either the 440 Magnum V8 or the optional 426 Hemi. Now the Charger was the muscle car to have for any aspiring petrolhead. Two further generations followed but neither captured the imagination like the second gen cars had managed so effortlessly to do and by the time end of production came around in 1978 the Charger was a mere shadow of its former self, curtailed by an energy crisis as well as changing consumer tastes.

The good news for you guys is the car we have available via our online auctions platform is a ’68 model Charger. It’s been in the UK since 2004, having gone through three lucky owners since its arrival and has been treated to regular servicing. Accompanied by a significant history file the car presents in fantastic condition throughout. It’s also a NO RESERVE listing to boot.

Fitted with a period correct (although not matching numbers) 7.2-litre 440 Magnum V8 and repainted in 2023 in a rather fetching black with white stripes R/T colour scheme, this Charger certainly looks and sounds the business. Complete with American Racing Vector wheels straight from The Dukes of Hazzard and a three-speed automatic gearbox for all of your smoky burnout needs there’s a lot to like here so if you want to straighten some curves and flatten some hills, with this beauty the mountain might get you but the law never will. (NB: Car & Classic takes no responsibility should the law ever actually get you for being naughty in a Dodge Charger…)