Dodge Classic Cars

The Dodge Viper is one of the most distinctive sports cars ever made. It started in the 1990s, with the idea of recapturing the spirit of the 1960s Shelby Cobra and Carroll Shelby, himself, was attached to the Viper’s development. Sadly, the last Viper rolled off the production line in August 2017, and it doesn’t look like there’s going to be a new one. And while prices have remained steady, one question remains: is it worth it? YouTube channel Raiti’s Rides gives a good answer.

We are all familiar with the tuning potential of the 2JZ engine, which makes it one of the more popular engine swaps. That said, there are certain boundaries one should not be crossing. This is exactly what Mike Finnegan, from Finnegan’s Garage YouTube channel, did, as he took the rustiest 1968 Dodge Charger and put a 2JZ GTE engine in it. While it’s up for debate whether that’s worse than putting an LS into it (at least it’s a V-8) some MOPAR fans are sure to blow a fuse or two over Finnegan’s build.

When you think of iconic, classic American cars, Cadillac Coupe DeVille, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, and Dodge Challenger are, often, some of the first to come to mind. And while each of them has had their fair share of special editions, we can’t help but wonder what classic American cars can be like, with a European twist. Whether it’s their design or an unusual engineering solution, these are the most obscure American classic cars ever to exist.

The Dodge Charger was Chrysler Corporation’s more luxurious response to the Mustang, billed as a mid-size fastback coupe similar in size and shape to the AMC Marlin. It was based on the Coronet but shared none of its visuals and spawned a number of super quick versions that tortured just about any early Mustangs.

The year was 1966 when Dodge finally joined the fastback muscle car party with the Charger. It was based on the B-body platform and was previewed in an ad that ran during that year’s Rose Bowl which talked about the new "Leader of the Dodge Rebellion."

The original Charger was a more refined coupe sitting just under the personal luxury category dominated by Ford’s T-Bird. That’s why performance wasn’t paramount from the get-go although the 426 Hemi engine was duly available. Also, Dodge quickly put the Charger on the track in the Nascar series, the car winning the 1966 NASCAR Grand National championship with driver David Pearson.

A 1985 Dodge RamCharger Prospector is available at Barrett Jackson’s auction in Scottsdale, Arizona this weekend. Regarded as perhaps the best-kept secret in the world of vintage trucks and SUVs, the RamCharger Prospector’s status is expected to blow up as prices for old Broncos, Land Cruisers, and Wagoneers become unattainable. Fortunately, the RamCharger Prospector can be still had at affordable prices, including this fine 1985 model that only has 7,563 original miles under its belt. There’s no reserve price attached to this particular piece, so it’s going to be sold to the highest bidder regardless of the final price. If you can score this burgeoning collector’s item, you could be ahead of the game in the quest for 1985 RamCharger Prospectors that are still, at the very least, in good running condition.

The 1968 Dodge Dart GTS is considered a compact muscle car, one that solidified Dodge’s performance-oriented image among the young buyers of the ’60s. It featured a boxy look by ’68, which was carried all the way to the end of the car’s lifespan, but what it didn’t gain in looks it more than backed up in performance.

The Dodge Dart was originally introduced as a smaller full-size model in 1960 as Dodge’s entry-level car. Back then, the Dodge brand was the meat in Chrysler Corporation’s sandwich that placed Plymouth as the budget brand and Chrysler at the top of the pile. However, the Dart went on to become the model that bridged the gap in luxury between Dodge and Plymouth.

The Dart never got anywhere near the area of the market governed by Dodge’s Charger, but that’s also what saw it gather a different kind of fanbase that wanted enjoyable performance for a reduced MSRP. In 1967, the fourth-generation Dart was introduced and, by 1968, the biggest engine you can get on a two-door Dart was the 383 cubic-inch, 6.3-liter V-8, aside from the Hurst-installed 426 cubic-inch, 7.0-liter, Hemi V-8.

The 1972 Dodge Challenger is the epitome of the tired muscle car. Not yet bloated and altered beyond any recognition like the 1974 Mustang, but showing clear signs that the muscle car phenomenon was dead thanks to stringent emission and safety regulations that turned all of America’s muscle to mild fat.

The Challenger, which debuted in 1970, has somewhat always lived in the shadow of the bigger Charger but, there, it had a life of its own. It raced to some success in the then-sprawling SCCA-governed Trans-Am Series, and that spawned a highly popular homologation special: the Challenger T/A. Then, things changed and new regulations swept away all of the big engines, so the 1972 Challenger was only available with a choice of three small block engines.

To make it even more evident that the status quo had changed, Dodge decided to give the Challenger a makeover. Basically, the body itself remained unchanged, but the car sported different front and rear sections which made it, arguably, uglier than the original iteration. With that being said, it’s unarguably still a work of art compared to the generic Japanese car Dodge decided to rebrand as a ’Challenger’ in 1977...

Following a number of teasers in the run-up to the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, the speed gurus from Mopar, FCA’s in-house performance group, pulled the sheets on a brand-new, utterly custom Dodge Charger concept car, and with it, a new crate engine that puts last year’s “Hellcrate” package to shame.

Between 2016 and 2020 the list of supercars will include the Ford GT, the Mercedes-AMG Project One, the Aston Man Valkyrie, and at least one new car from Ferrari. But what are sports cars fans with smaller wallets supposed to do? We have some great cars like the Miata and BMW is bringing a Z4 replacement soon, but so many great cars don’t exist anymore. Especially in the “affordable” range.

So we started talking in the office about what sports cars we want to see revived, and we settled on a pair of classic sports cars and one car that is officially dead, but not out of showrooms yet. The Porsche 944, Honda S2000, and the Dodge Viper are all in our dream garage of dead cars we want to return. Keep reading to find out why!

The Dodge Coronet was first introduced in 1949 as one of the company’s first post-war body style. Production spanned over four generations until it was discontinued in 1959. The nameplate returned in 1965 on the B-body platform, shared with the Plymouth Belvedere and Road Runner and the Dodge Charger among other Mopar vehicles. The sixth and seventh generations followed in 1971 and 1975, but the Coronet was discontinued for good in 1976. Arguably the most iconic version of the Coronet was that produced between 1968 and 1970 when the nameplate was also involved in Detroit’s muscle car wars.

After three years on the market, the fifth-generation Coronet was redesigned in 1968, as was the Dodge Charger, which shared the B-body platform. The facelift brought a more aggressive design, new appearance packages, and upgraded engines. Dodge even introduced a station wagon version of the Coronet 500, but the star of the lineup was obviously the range-topping Super Bee trim. This version was produced from1968 through 1971 model years only and was Dodge’s version of the successful Plymouth Road Runner.

Continue reading to learn more about the Dodge Coronet Super Bee.

Classic cars are absolutely amazing – they are a genuine piece of history, and each one has their own unique story. But, when you find a classic car that’s also a movie car, it’s a completely different ballgame. The history is there, but the storyline is usually crazy, and the value of the car itself can get up there as well. Most movie cars end up destroyed these days, but every now and then, one comes to the surface – and usually with a hefty price tag in tow. Think about the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T from the original Fast and Furious movie. It went on sale back in 2010 for some $130,000. (art97828) This time around, it’s a 1971 Dodge Challenger that’s for sale, and it’s the very car used in Quinton Tarantino’s Death Proof.

As you would expect from a movie car, it is “used,” but don’t fret, a lot of the body damage is actually painted on. It has just 38,965 miles on the clock and is motivated by a 383 Magnum V-8. That’s a 6.3-liter that’s good for 335 horsepower and 425 pound-feet of torque – not much by today’s standards, but it was pretty exceptional for its time. It’s one of only two surviving Challengers from the movie, and despite the way it looks, it’s actually in really good shape with no structural rust and a little wear and tear from use in the movie. It was sold by the production company 10 years ago, and still features the camera mounts underneath, the racing seatbelt mount points, the fake plastic radio, and a support in the trunk that allowed one of the rear wheels to be locked. It also has the typical Hollywood chopped seats to make it easier to see the actors that were in the rear during in-car scenes. Keep reading to learn a little more about it and see more pictures.

It was in 1939 that Dodge debuted a new design for its pickup truck. A marketing campaign accompanied the truck called “Job Rated,” which helped owners choose the right Dodge pickup for the job. Several versions were offered, including half-ton, three-quarter ton, and one-ton versions, with different engine and wheelbase choices intermingled within.

Things were going well for Dodge when World War II broke out. Like nearly every other private business in 1942, Dodge began making wartime equipment. In its case, the Power Wagon was its shining star. However, Dodge promptly restarted production of civilian trucks a mere two hours after the last military truck rolled off the line in 1945.

It was in 1946 that Dodge built this particular pickup – a half-ton class with an inline six-cylinder engine and four-speed manual transmission, all coated in dark blue with chrome bumpers. It also comes fitted with the Deluxe cab package, which brought more comfortable seats, a driver side armrest and sun visor, dual electric windshield wipers, and chrome trim around the windshield.

The post-war pickups did receive minor updates thanks to enhancements made in wartime production. The chassis and clutch houses were made stronger, and a higher capacity radiator was introduced. All this made the Job Rated Dodge pickup a hardy competitor to other domestic pickups in the post-war boom.

The example seen here recently went under the gavel at the 2016 Mecum car auction at Monterey. It sold for an undisclosed amount, but Mecum’s pre-auction estimate put the price between $50,000 and $60,000.

Continue reading for the full review.

The Power Wagon name is an icon, having been tied to some of the greatest and most utilitarian pickups of the last 70 years. Even today, the Power Wagon name lives on under the Ram brand and boasts some of the most hard-core off-road equipment found on any showroom floor.

It all got started after WWII when Dodge started producing a civilian version of its military WC Series trucks. Debuting for the 1946 model year, the first Power Wagon brought 4WD to the masses. Sure there was the Willys Jeep, but the Power Wagon was more useful around the farm and for businesses that needed to transport product. The truck’s eight-foot bed and heavy-duty suspension gave the truck the ability to haul upwards of 3,000 pounds.

These early Power Wagons were powered by old-school flat-head inline six-cylinders. The early 230 cubic-inch examples and later 251 cubic-inch mills produced adequate power for hauling such loads, though they pale in comparison to modern engines, including the current 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 used in the 2014 Dodge Ram Power Wagon. Still, the Power Wagon made a name for itself in those early years.

Production of the original Power Wagon lasted through 1980, though a redesign in the mid 1960s brought a more modern, less military look and added more creature comforts. After 1980, the Power Wagon name laid dormant until Dodge revived it on its trail-ready Ram 2500 model for 2005. Nowadays, Dodge has given way to the Ram Trucks brand while the Power Wagon name thankfully lives on.

Still, of all the Power Wagon variations that came throughout the years, it’s those early flat-fender workhorses that earned the Power Wagon name a spot in automotive history.

Continue reading to learn more about the 1946 Dodge Power Wagon.

Three-time platinum-selling blues musician and muscle car aficionado, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, had his 1972 Dodge Charger stolen. It disappeared from a Los Angeles Warehouse where it was stored among a fleet of other vehicles from the film industry.

The 1972 custom-built Dodge Charger was about to leave the Picture Car Warehouse in San Fernando Valley for an early morning shoot when it was stolen. According to reports, the carjackers also managed to steal four other cars from the warehouse, one of which was owned by a staff member. A 2005 Mini Cooper, Ford Econoline E-350 van and a BMW M3 were among the others stolen.

Police were able to trace three of the cars but sadly, the Charger is yet to be found. If you have any information about the car, you contact Los Angeles Police Dept. West Valley Division at 818-374-7611.

Click past the jump for more Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s amazing car collection

Back in 1978, Dodge rolled out a special edition package for its D150 pickup trucks, which were not yet named “Ram.” This new package was known internally as Package Code YH6 and featured a high-output 360-cubic-inch V-8 engine with a 4-barrel carb pumping in fuel. The engine boasted high-flow cylinder heads and an aggressive cam shave and it all hooked up to a 3.55-to-1 rear end. This package, which we all know as the L’il Red Express, only lasted two years – 1978 and 1979 – and saw only 2,188 units in 1978 and 5,118 units in 1979. This makes it one of the most sought after Dodge pickups ever built.

Well, Ram is rolling out a remake of this classic short-body pickup truck in the form of its SEMA-stationed L’il Red Express Truck. Though it is more modern than the original rendition, it certainly pays it homage rather well. It features the bright-red paint of the original, a side-stack exhaust system, and a wood-trimmed bed.

In addition, this remake of the cult classic pickup features 22-inch Mopar rims with gold inserts, a 5.7-liter HEMI engine that pumps out 390 horsepower and 407 pound-feet of torque, gold accent stripes, “Hyperblack” painted grille inserts, and a custom Katzkin (no, not “cat skin”) interior. Sure, it lacks the flare-side styling and the wood-outlined bed of the original, but it is bad-ass nonetheless.

There is no mention of this special edition ever coming to the Ram lineup, but don’t be too surprised to see it roll out in 2013 and 2014, as Chrysler loves running special-edition Rams – there have been plenty of them. One thing is for sure, it would definitely carry a higher premium than the $1,131 price for the original L’il Red Express package.

Stay tuned to find our of Chrysler plans to launch this model or not.

The name Carroll Shelby may not be quite as familiar to new automotive enthusiasts as it is for older generations, but his creations are no stranger to anyone that follows and loves performance automobiles. Mr. Shelby was not only a genius when it came to building high-performance American muscle, but he was also an accomplished racecar driver.

Carroll managed to parlay his racing roots into a partnership with Ford that spanned over 50 years. However, that partnership almost never happened, as his first choice in partners was Chevrolet. Imagine that, a “Shelby Camaro” or “Shelby Corvette,” it just doesn’t quite sound as good as "Shelby Mustang,” does it?

Carroll Shelby lived a full life, as he graced this world with 89 years of his presence and nearly 60 of those years he was providing us gearheads with examples of his automotive skill, be it winning races or designing hot rods. Carroll Shelby will be missed dearly by everyone in the automotive world, but we are not here to mourn the passing of this legend. Nope, we feel that the right way to send off this legend is by celebrating his long and legendary life.

Click past the jump to read the complete life history of Mr. Carroll Shelby

The original Dodge Charger had been somewhat of a failure for Chrysler. It sold in large numbers to the public, but remained without a win in racing. The year 1969 was the time Chrysler and Dodge decided to pull out all the stops and turn the Challenger into a formidable racing machine. What emerged was the Dayton model that looked like a mix between an airplane and the original Charger.

This #6 car for sale through Canepa Design holds a special place in the racing record books, being the first car to break the 200mph mark. The car led that race for over 100 laps until another car put it into a spin knocking it out of the race. These 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona models are very rare and sought after by collectors. Even fewer were built with the Hemi engine such as this car and none have the same race history. If you would like to own a piece of history than expect to pay over six figures when this car hits the block.

Hit the jump for more details on the Dodge Charger Daytona.

There’s something to be said about turning nothing into something, even if that ‘nothing’ was once a 1970 Dodge Challenger. With years gone by, a car like a Challenger can lose its edge if it just sits in a garage collecting some dust.

Three years ago, a man named Dave Salvaggio dusted up an old Challenger and proceeded to rework and rebuild it, resulting in what is now being sold at R&H Collections as the “Insidious” Dodge Challenger. A fitting name, Insidious, considering that this car looks all too menacing and sinister once you find out what changes Salvaggio did to it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and even if it sometimes looks like there’s no cause for hope that it could be restored back to its former glory, we get a good reminder from Salvaggio that even in the most rusted states, cars can always be shined up again if it’s worked on by the right pair of hands.

Details after the jump.

Last year towards the end of the NASCAR season we had the opportunity to talk with three time Daytona 500 winner and South Florida native Bobby Allison about his life in the stock car circuit. One of his more memorable machines was a red and gold Coca-cola sponsored 1970 Dodge Charger Daytona, that oddly enough never even turned a wheel in competition, recently went up for auction at the 2010 Mecum Auto Auctions in Kissimmee, FL.

What makes this car so special, aside from the over sized wing towering over the rear end that was designed to provide down force and stability at over 200 MPH on the high banks of super speedways like Talladega and the track the car was named after, Daytona. For the 1970 season, the man in charge of NASCAR, Bill France, handicapped the big winged race cars by limiting their displacement forcing racers to choose between sheer power and aerodynamic optimization. Never being one to back down from a challenge, Allison and car builder Mario Rossi decided to try their luck with a destroked version of the 426 Hemi that only displaced 305 cubic inches.

Any enthusiast knows that there is no replacement for displacement, but any engine builder will tell you that for every 0.1 Liters you lose, the motor gains about 2,000 RPM. While the new combination looked promising for the 1970 NASCAR season, Mr. France flexed his muscle once again and banned the car from competition, so the world was never able to see what a big winged high revving Hemi could have done on track. Unfortunately the one of a kind test mule didn’t sell at auction despite registering a high bid of $210,000.

Press release after the jump.

Back in the 70’s when America was in the middle of a love affair with the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro, the other member of the Detroit 3 – Dodge – had to come up with their own muscle car or risk becoming just an afterthought to what has become a ‘vehicular arms race’ between Ford and Chevy.

Dodge did release its own muscle car – the Dodge Challenger – and to this day, it is universally recognized as one of America’s true muscle cars.

The Challenger’s design was done by Carl Cameron, the same man who was responsible for the design of the 1966 Dodge Charger. Although the Challenger took off in the eyes of the public at the start – 76,935 cars were produced for the 1970 model year – the changing times and the waning interest in the pony car segment meant that the Challenger didn’t live a long life and was out of production in 1974. Ironically, as a result of its short shelf-lif,e not a lot of Challenger models lived to see the turn of the millennium – especially the 440 R/T version, which only had 163 models built. As a result, those who did have the specific-modeled car ended up owning a priceless piece of American muscle-car history.

Continued after the jump.

For moms who prefer metal that moves over metal that adorns, stop by the Walter P. Chrysler Museum on Mother’s Day weekend for a treat that’ll get her motor running. The Museum, in Auburn Hills, will exhibit a newly restored 1955 Dodge La Femme in its original feminine Sapphire White and Heather Rose color scheme Friday through Sunday, May 11 - 13.
Chrysler Corporation introduced the La Femme, a customized Dodge Custom Royal Lancer, as a marketing strategy to appeal to females as the women’s (...)