1970 Dodge Charger vs. 1970 Dodge Challenger: Mopar’s Toughest Family Feud

Dodge gave muscle car buyers an impossible choice for 1970: the aggressive, hidden-headlight Charger with NASCAR-bred styling, or the brand-new Challenger, a pony car built on E-body bones shared with the Plymouth Barracuda. Both could be ordered with the fearsome 426 Hemi, though fewer than 400 buyers of either car actually checked that box. Decades later, Mopar fans still argue over which one deserves the crown, and the numbers behind both cars explain exactly why the debate refuses to die.

Pull up to a Dodge dealership in the fall of 1969 and salespeople had a genuine problem on their hands: two brand-new muscle cars competing for the same buyer’s money, and neither one was obviously the wrong choice. The Charger had spent years building a reputation with hidden headlights and a fastback roofline shaped as much by NASCAR wind tunnels as by design studios. Sitting right next to it was something Dodge had never built before, a pony car with E-body curves borrowed from the same platform as the Plymouth Barracuda, aimed squarely at the Mustang and Camaro crowd. Both could be ordered with the same terrifying 426 Hemi under the hood. Which one actually belonged in your driveway depended on what kind of muscle car person you were.

⚑ Featured Gear

Start Car Conversations →

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Two Cars, Two Completely Different Missions

The Challenger arrived for 1970 as Dodge’s answer to a fight it had been sitting out, going head to head with the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro on the same E-body underpinnings Plymouth used for the Barracuda. The Charger, meanwhile, had already earned its stripes as a big, brawny fastback with racing pedigree, its hidden-headlight nose and swept-back roofline tracing straight back to the aero-focused Charger 500 and Daytona programs. Where the Challenger leaned into curvy, tucked-in pony car proportions, the Charger stayed wide, flat, and unmistakably a full-size muscle machine.

The Engine Bay Didn’t Play Favorites

Order sheets from both cars ran through the same terrifying options list, topped by the 426 Hemi and the 440 Six Pack. Dodge built just 356 Hemi Challengers for 1970, a number so small that finding one today at a car show is basically an event in itself, while the 440 Six Pack found its way into roughly 2,035 Challengers split across hardtops, Special Editions, and a handful of convertibles. Out of 18,512 total R/Ts built that year, the vast majority of buyers actually went with the more sensible 383, which tells you plenty about how rare the top-tier engines really were even when they were brand new on the lot.

On paper, the two ran close, with the lighter Challenger claiming a slight edge in 0-60 times and handling thanks to less weight to haul around, while the Charger’s heft translated into a planted, stable feel at speed that made it the better long-haul bruiser. Neither one gave up much to the other in a straight line, which is exactly why this argument never really got settled back in period and still doesn’t today.

Why This Argument Refuses to Die

Both cars have become blue-chip Mopar collectibles, but scarcity cuts differently for each. Hemi Challengers and Hemi Chargers alike command serious money precisely because so few left the factory that way, while the more common 383 and 440 cars have become the entry point for enthusiasts who want genuine E-body or B-body muscle without a six-figure price tag. Fifty-plus years later, the fight between these two is still one of the most fun arguments in the whole Mopar world, and there’s still no wrong answer.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Republished by Blog Post Promoter