Dodge Charger 1. Generation 426 HEMI 1967
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Automobilhersteller : |
Dodge |
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Modell: |
Charger 1. Generation 426 HEMI 1967 |
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Jahr: |
1970-1974 |
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Art: |
Coupe |
A "mid-1966 surprise was Dodge's Coronet-based Charger fastback." Sharing its chassis and front-end sheet-metal with the mid-sized Dodge Coronet, the Charger "still looked a lot like a Coronet or AMC’s conceptually similar Rambler Marlin ... substantially more expensive than either. The Charger with a $3,100 base price "was immediately paired up in the automotive press with American Motors' year-old Marlin, another fastback specialty machine that came in at around $2,850" and some called the Charger "a good-looking Marlin."
The Charger's interior was different from all other cars with its back seats that folded down and created a station wagon or camper usefulness. "The Charger didn't begin with the performance/ muscle car image, though you could get a Hemi with it." The Charger evolved into possibly the top Chrysler-made muscle car.
The 1966 and 1967 model years of the Charger are also the only Dodge cars that displayed the Fratzog Emblem on the grill as well as the trunk hatch.
The 1967 model year Charger received minor changes. Outside, new fender-mounted turn signals were introduced and this would serve as the main external identifier between a 1966 and 1967 Charger. A vinyl roof became available. Inside, the full length console was eliminated to satisfy customer complaints about the difficulty for entry and exit from the back seats. It was replaced with a regular sized console. Bucket seats were standard, but a folding armrest/seat and column shifter was an option allowing three people to sit up front.
The 440 "Magnum" was added and the 361 cu in (5.9 L) V8 was replaced by a 383 cu in (6.3 L) engine. The 440 was rated at 375hp (280 kW) with a single 4-barrel carburetor. The 318 two-barrel "LA" Chrysler LA engine was now the base engine with wedge-shaped combustion chambers, unlike the previous 1966 polyspherical (or "poly") design, it was rated at 230hp (170 kW). The 383 4-barrel rated at 325hp (242 kW) and the 426 Street Hemi rated at 425hp (317 kW) remained as options. A mere 27 Chargers were built with the 426 engine.
Sales of the 1967 Chargers dropped to half of the previous introductory half-year with a total of 15,788 units. According to automotive historian Patrick Foster, both the AMC Marlin and the very similar looking first generation Dodge Charger "flopped on the market as sporty car buyers were showing their preference for compact pony cars."
