A 23-inch wing on the trunk helped one Dodge become the first car in NASCAR history to break 200 miles per hour, and then NASCAR changed the rules to stop it. Dodge spent the muscle […]
A 23-inch wing on the trunk helped one Dodge become the first car in NASCAR history to break 200 miles per hour, and then NASCAR changed the rules to stop it. Dodge spent the muscle car era building giants, and these four prove it. Here is our countdown of the greatest Dodge muscle cars ever built, from No.4 down to No.1.
No.4: 1968 Dodge Dart GTS 340
Dodge took its small compact Dart and gave it a big attitude. The GTS debuted late in 1967, and for 1968 it came with the 340 cubic inch V8 as standard, rated at 275 horsepower with a four-barrel carburetor. A 300 horsepower 383 big block was optional.
Dodge also contracted Hurst to build a limited run of Darts for drag racing. Around eighty carried the 426 Hemi, and a pilot run of fifty got the 440. Dodge told dealers the Hemi Darts could cover the quarter mile in the ten-second range, and they came with a disclaimer that they were built strictly for competition.
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Even the regular GTS showed what a small car with the right engine could do.
No.3: 1969 Dodge Super Bee 440 Six Pack
Dodge launched the Super Bee in 1968 as its answer to the Plymouth Road Runner, a low-priced muscle car built on the Coronet. Midway through 1969, Dodge added a special-order package coded A12.
It put the 440 cubic inch V8 under a flat black lift-off hood, topped with three two-barrel Holley carburetors. That is the famous Six Pack, rated at 390 horsepower and 490 lb-ft of torque. The package also brought a Dana 60 rear axle with 4.10 gears and heavy-duty internals.
It sat halfway between the standard engine and the Hemi, and it cost $463 extra. Only 1,907 of these A12 Super Bees were ever produced.
No.2: 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T HEMI
Dodge arrived late to the pony car party, but it arrived loud. The Challenger debuted for 1970 on Chrysler’s E-body platform, sharing parts with the Plymouth Barracuda but riding on a wheelbase two inches longer. Designer Carl Cameron based the grille on an old sketch of a stillborn Charger prototype that was meant to have a turbine engine.
Chrysler wanted the Challenger to be the most potent pony car ever, so nearly every engine in its inventory was offered, including the legendary 426 Hemi, rated at 425 horsepower.
Dodge sold 76,925 Challengers in the first year, but sales fell sharply afterward and production ended in 1974. The Hemi R/T is the one everybody wants.
No.1: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
Dodge built the Charger Daytona for one purpose: to win at NASCAR. Engineers added a pointed nose cone, a flush rear window, and a 23-inch tall wing on the rear deck. It was built to Charger R/T specifications with the 440 Magnum as standard, and the 426 Hemi was optional. Only 70 of the 503 Daytonas ever built carried the Hemi.
It won the inaugural Talladega 500 in 1969. Then on March 24, 1970, Buddy Baker drove the number 88 Daytona past 200 miles per hour at Talladega, the first driver in NASCAR history to do it.
NASCAR then changed the rules, and the winged cars were effectively banned by the end of 1970.
Which Dodge would you take home?
From a compact giant killer to a winged NASCAR legend, these four show why Dodge earned its place at the top of the muscle car world. Tell us your pick in the comments, and watch the full countdown video above. For more classic muscle car countdowns, keep exploring MuscleCarFan.com.
Facts sourced from Wikipedia. Photo credits (Wikimedia Commons): 1968 Dodge Dart GTS by Greg Gjerdingen (CC BY 2.0); 1969 Dodge Super Bee by Greg Gjerdingen (CC BY 2.0); 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi by Charles from Port Chester, New York (CC0); 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona by Sicnag (CC BY 2.0); intro image Dodge Charger Daytona by Charles from Port Chester, New York (CC BY 2.0).
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Dodge Challenger 1971 R/T 426 Hemi
