First generation, 1970-73: Late to their own party
In 1967, the pony car market was red hot. Chrysler predicted that the “compact specialty” segment would grow to 1.5 million sales by 1970, of which it could easily claim 200,000 or more. The company set out to design a replacement for the Plymouth Barracuda, with the caveat that Dodge would eventually get its own version, a luxury model to compete against Pontiac’s new Firebird and Mercury Cougar.
The original 1964 Plymouth Barracuda, which actually beat Ford’s famous Mustang to market by two weeks, and made Mopar fans think the class shouldn’t be called horse cars, but fish cars , had one problem: it was based on (and its 1967 replacement). on Chrysler’s compact A-body platform, which was overwhelmed by Chrysler’s big-block V-8s. For the 1970 models, Chrysler designed a new electronic body platform, combining parts from the A-body with the Charger’s mid-size B-body.
Dodge introduced the 1970 Challenger in the fall of 1969, and while it looked a lot like the Barracuda, the two cars not only had unique sheet metal, they weren’t even the same size. The Challenger’s wheelbase was 2 inches longer, and the car measured 4.6 inches longer and 2 inches wider than the Barracuda. Innovative features included hidden wipers, recessed door handles, an energy-absorbing steering column and the industry’s first molded polypropylene door panels.
Dodge offered the Challenger in standard ($2,850) and R/T ($3,266) models, the latter with a stiffer suspension, bigger brakes and bigger engines. Dodge offered both versions as a coupe or convertible, as well as a high-luxury SE coupe with a padded vinyl roof and cloth interior. Powertrain availability included nearly every engine in Chrysler’s lineup, from the thrifty Slant Six to the behemoth 440 (7.2-liter) V-8 and the legendary 425-hp 426 Hemi. Transmission options included three- and four-speed manuals and the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic, the latter offering a SlapStik ratchet shifter that foreshadowed today’s paddle shifters.
One notable model was the Challenger T/A, a homologation special for the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans-American Championship Series. It came with a unique version of the 340 V-8 (shared only with Plymouth’s AAR ‘Cuda) that used a three-barrel carburetor “Six Pack” configuration, and Dodge built just 2,399 examples.
The only thing the Challenger lacked was good timing. As the 1970s began, muscle cars were on the way out, victims of rising insurance rates and changing consumer tastes. With buyers beginning to shun Detroit’s big firepower for smaller, more economical and responsive cars, Chrysler sold fewer than 140,000 E-bodies for 1970, 83,000 of which were Challengers, and it was thought that many d ‘these sales were borne by the Charger. In 1971, Challenger sales plummeted to around 30,000, while Plymouth failed to sell a full 19,000 Barracudas. The glory days of the E-body were over before it began.
1972 is largely seen as the end of the muscle car era. Horsepower numbers dropped across the industry, not only because of a shift from gross to clean ratings, but because compression ratios dropped in response to the new emissions standards. The 1972 Dodge Challenger received a styling update, but the company dropped the convertible along with the R/T model and all big-block engine options. The ’73 Challenger got massive bumper blocks to meet new federal crash standards, and engine options were reduced to the 150-hp 318 and 240-hp 340. Sales rose a bit: 1973 was a big year for the entire industry, but then the OPEC oil embargo plunged the United States into an energy crisis. Ford’s scaled-down Mustang II was an instant hit, but Dodge sold only 16,000 Challengers in 1974. After five short years of production, Chrysler phased out the E-body cars, never reaching their sales goals and, as they say, lose money with the program.
Second Generation, 1978-1983: The Japanese Mustang II?
Ford grafted its pony name onto a Pinto-based compact to create the Mustang II, but few people realize that Dodge did something very similar. Chrysler had been importing subcompact cars from Mitsubishi since 1971, and for 1978 added a new Mitsubishi model, a rear-wheel-drive coupe based on the Japanese-market Galant. While Plymouth chose a new name for its version, Saporro, Dodge called its version the Challenger.
The Challenger was designed to be sporty and luxurious, with bucket seats, alloy wheels and a five-speed transmission. Like the Mustang II, the engines focused on economy: Mitsubishi-designed 1.6- and 2.6-liter four-cylinder engines equipped with balance shafts for smooth operation. (The 1.6 dropped after the first year.) Prices started at $5,665, nearly $2,000 more than a base model Dodge Aspen coupe.
Unfortunately, the timing of the new Challenger was no better than that of the original. Ford was about to introduce the Fox-body Mustang, and while the 1979 oil crisis helped small car sales, the strengthening yen boosted the Challenger’s price, which rose steadily from $6,487 in 1979 to $8,323 in 1983. Combined sales of the Saporro and Challenger fell below 30,500 in 1978 and dropped a couple of thousand units each year thereafter. The second-generation Challenger died a quiet death in 1983, replaced by Chrysler’s sports coupe, the 1984 Dodge Daytona.
Third generation, 2008-2023: Challenger finally realizes its potential
The longest and most successful iteration of the Dodge Challenger began in January 2006 at the Detroit Auto Show with Dodge’s introduction of the Challenger Concept. At a time when retro cars were all the rage, the Challenger was notable for its close resemblance to the 1970 original, all the more striking since it was based on the Dodge Charger LX platform, which had its roots in the LH front wheel drive from the 90s.cars with bits taken from the Mercedes parts bin. (Daimler, you’ll recall, owned Chrysler at the time.) The concept perfectly captured the look of the original Challenger, with nods to the past, including a modern pistol-grip shifter and a 6-cylinder V-8 ,1 liters with a capacity of 425 hp. When the production version of the 2008 Challenger SRT8 appeared in February of that year, it stayed as true to the original as the concept.
Dodge filled out the lineup for the 2009 model year with the 376-hp, 5.7-liter Challenger R/T and the lower-priced 3.5-liter V-6-powered Challenger SE to $25,000. . The SRT8, which had been automatic only in 2008, received an optional six-speed manual transmission. With Chevrolet re-launching the Camaro for 2010 (and Ford’s Mustang in continuous production), the pony car wars are back on for the first time in 35 years. The retro vibe was strong, but the third-generation Challenger also had its weak points, most notably low-rent interior fittings and uninspired handling.
The LX-based Challenger got its first and only update in 2015, with updated styling to more closely resemble the 1971 Challenger, a change almost completely overshadowed by the arrival of the Hellcat V-8. A 707 hp / 650 lb-ft 6.2-liter supercharged monster, it was able to cut quarter-mile runs in the mid-11 seconds straight off the showroom floor, something that even the Original 1970 Hemi Challenger couldn’t get it. Other changes included more power for the rest of the engine lineup, better handling, and a much-needed interior update.
More new models followed, including an all-wheel drive version in 2017, the 840bhp SRT Demon in 2018 and the 797bhp Redeye and optional wide body pack in 2019, plus a number of special editions . Although it was designed to pay homage to the original, it could be argued that the 2008-2023 version is the ultimate Dodge Challenger – a hit with fans and buyers alike, this latest (and ultimate?) version finally achieved the success that Chrysler predicted for her long ago. in 1967.
