Dodge Charger
There have been a number of vehicles bearing the Charger nameplate, but the name has generally denoted a performance model in the Dodge range. The 1966 to 1974 Chargers were the high performance B-body models. The 1975 to 1978 Chargers were based on the Chrysler Cordoba.
Birth of the Charger
For years Dodge had to stand by and watch as the Pontiac GTO, which started the muscle car era in Detroit, ran away with the sales. The rest of GM's divisions were quick to jump on the muscle car bandwagon. Buick followed with the Gran Sport and even Oldsmobile brought out the 442. Yet Dodge, despite putting out cars that could meet or beat these cars, didn't have a performance image muscle car of their own. Despite a wide array of performance engines, their Coronet's styling and image was conservative. Dodge needed something that would show that they were capable of competing in the muscle car race.
Burt Bouwkamp, the Chief Engineer for Dodge during the 1960s and one of the men behind the genesis of the Charger, related his experience during a speech in July 2004.
"Lynn Townsend was at odds with the Dodge Dealers and wanted to do something to please them. So in 1965 he asked me to come to his office - for the second time. He noted that one of the Dodge Dealer Council requests was for a Barracuda type vehicle. The overall dealer product recommendation theme was the same - we want what Plymouth has. The specific request for a Mustang type vehicle was not as controversial to Lynn. His direction to me was to give them a specialty car but he said 'for God's sake don't make it a derivative of the Barracuda': i.e. don't make it a Barracuda competitor. "So the 1966 Charger was born.
"We built a Charger 'idea' car which we displayed at auto shows in 1965 to stimulate market interest in the concept. It was the approved design but we told the press and auto show attendees that it was just an "idea" and that we would build it if they liked it. It was pre-ordained that they would like it."
And like it they did. Enthusiastic reaction clearly indicated that all Dodge had to do was put on practical bumpers and start production.
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