​Dodge Challenger is still hot after more than half a century

More than half a century ago Dodge introduced the Challenger – and it remains one of the hottest cars on the market. The Challenger was brought out in the fall of 1969 as a 1970 model.

Dodge was a latecomer to the pony car race. The Ford Mustang launched the segment in the spring of 1964, and it wasn’t until the fall of ’66 that Chevrolet brought out its competitor called the Camaro. Later that fall came the Mercury Cougar and the Pontiac Firebird, and the AMC Javelin was introduced for the 1968 model year. Not to be forgotten is the Valiant Barracuda, which actually was introduced a few weeks before the Mustang. But the Barracuda – best known for the huge fastback rear window – was outsold by a 10-to-1 margin by the Mustang during the first three years, 1964 to ’66.

Then came the Challenger, to challenge all these other established brands in this segment. The Challenger shared many components with the revised 1970 Plymouth Barracuda (the fastback was gone), although the Challenger was slightly larger, more luxurious and more expensive. The 1970 Dodge Challenger dealer brochure says, “Here it is. Low, lean, close to the ground, and fast. The totally new Challenger for 1970. It’s a machine that looks exciting sitting still. It’s a machine you just have to look at to make your heart beat faster.”

While the 198 cubic inch slant six engine was available in the Challenger, most were equipped with V8s – and there were plenty of choices when it came to cubic inches: 318, 340, 383, 440 (with an optional three two-barrel setup) or the legendary 426 Hemi. Motor Trend magazine reported in September 1969, “The Challenger is quite a hunk of a car…The wide stance and short wheelbase add up to some quality handling features.” Car and Driver magazine put the new Challenger on the cover of its November 1969 issue, and said, “Essentially a sporty car of the type everyone is selling, it is meant to have more interior room and a comprehensive list of options… The Challenger is a handsome car.”

In 1971 a white Dodge Challenger was featured in the movie Vanishing Point. Barry Newman starred as Kowalski, who is delivering the Challenger, with a 440 magnum V-8, nonstop from Denver to California while on uppers to keep him awake, as police chase him and he meets various characters along the way. The original Challenger lasted from the 1970 to 1974 model years.

The Challenger name was used by two other Dodge models. In 1959, there was a Dodge Silver Challenger, a package that included some popular options such as white wall tires and an upgraded interior. From 1978 to 1983 the Challenger name was used in North America ona re-badged version of the Mitsubishi-made Galant Lambda.

Meanwhile, the original Challenger remained very popular with car buffs.

The revised Challenger came out in 2008 and borrowed many of the styling touches from the original 1970 version, although the new one is a bit bigger than the original.

The new 2008 Challenger was a rival to the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, re-igniting a market battle that first surfaced 1970. These three models were the last of a dying breed – North American-made rear-wheel-drive V-8 models (although V-6 versions were also offered.) While consumers were largely moving to front-wheel drive vehicles, imports, SUVs, and 4-cylinder engines, there was still a market for these types of vehicles.

Dodge later offered higher performance versions of the Challenger, like the Demon and Hellcat – which produced 707 horsepower and had a reported 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds. The Challenger pulled ahead of the Camaro in the sales race in 2018, and has remained ahead since then. However, the Mustang remains the sales leader, perhaps because it also offers 4-cylinder versions, while the Challenger doesn’t.

Dodge will end production of the Challenger in 2024, although it is promising a battery electric muscle car at that point.

For car buffs who like rear-wheel-drive V-8s – whether from the 1970s, or the 2000s and 2010s – no doubt used Dodge Challengers will continue to be very popular, even if they are no longer rolling out of the factories.

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