Dodge Charger 1973 – 800 HP

This 1973 Dodge Charger claims a custom 605 cubic inch big block making 805 horsepower, numbers that were never remotely possible from the factory. A real ’73 Charger Rallye topped out around 280 horsepower from its 440 Magnum, respectable for the era but nowhere close to this. So what does it take to turn a genuine Rallye-package Charger into an 800-horsepower monster, and how much of the original car survives the transformation?

Custom built 605 cubic inch / 9.9 Liter Big Block V8 engine packing 805 horsepower.

A “custom built 605 cubic inch big block V8 packing 805 horsepower” is a wild claim for any car, let alone a Charger built to look like it rolled straight off a 1973 showroom floor. Stock 1973 Chargers weren’t exactly slouches for the era, but they were nowhere near this territory, which raises the obvious question: how much of this Charger is still 1973, and how much is a modern engine builder’s fantasy stuffed under a genuine Rallye body?

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What a Stock ’73 Charger Actually Packed

The real 1973 Charger Rallye topped out with a 440 Magnum V8 rated around 280 net horsepower, a number that reflects the era’s shift to lower-compression, emissions-friendly engines rather than any lack of ambition from Dodge. Buyers who wanted the muscle-car look without the big-block cost could step down to a 340 four-barrel making roughly 240 horsepower, and the Rallye package itself added sway bars, a power-bulge hood, and Dodge’s signature body stripes and tie-down pins to back up the attitude.

From 280 Horses to Eight Hundred

A 605 cubic inch big block simply didn’t exist on any Dodge order sheet in 1973, which means this is almost certainly a modern stroker build shoehorned into a genuine Charger shell, the kind of project serious builders take on specifically because the factory never gave them enough cubic inches to work with.

It’s a reminder of just how far the aftermarket has pushed these old B-bodies. The styling, the stripes, and the stance all still whisper 1973, but the number under the hood belongs to a completely different era of engine building.

Cars like this one tend to split opinion in Mopar circles: purists want the numbers-matching factory drivetrain preserved at all costs, while builders argue a period-correct body deserves an engine that can actually back up the attitude the Rallye stripes promise. Either way, it’s a Charger that turns heads for reasons the factory never intended.

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