Muscle Car Files
Tony salutes one of the darlings of Dodge's muscle car era, the Challenger which this year celebrates half a century since its launch...
I ca nnot go through 2020 without mentioning that the Dodge Challenger has reached its 50th birthday, along with the thirdgeneration Barracuda. Whatever your muscle car preferences, Chrysler's 1970 E-Body debutants demand admiration. The cars are not without their faults though - plenty of them, in fact - I do not have column inches enough to discuss them all thoroughly. A huge dilemma was that the cars were simply offered too late in a changing auto market where buyers' tastes, ever-increasing insurance policies and mandatory Federal directives slowly strangled the life out of big engine, HiPo muscle cars, yet their exquisite designs still stand up today.
I will concentrate on the Challenger which, built by Dodge, Chrysler deemed a more luxurious E-Body than the Barracuda. At a total length of 192 inches and a 110-inch wheelbase, the car was six inches longer and its wheelbase two inches more than the Plymouth. Much of the outer styling for the Challenger came from Carl 'Cam' Cameron who also designed the 1966 Dodge Charger. Chrysler introduced the Dodge Challenger to the public on September 25, 1969.
From early August, Chrysler's Dodge Main assembly plant at Hamtramck, Michigan, US, prepared for building Challengers and installed a second production line to cope with the extra demands and the forthcoming new '71 onward models. A couple of weeks later, the Chrysler factory at Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, started cranking out E-Bodiesas well.
Engine availability for the Challenger was vast, with nine power plants offered from the outset and a tenth added in April 1970: a 340cu in VB triple carburettor Six-Pack motor to power the limited T/A Trans Am homologation street cars. At first glance, you might assume only two body styles were available - convertible and hardtop - however, by delving deeper into Dodge's line-up, other models can be found.
■ The Challenger Deputy, a budget variant, came as a coupe owing to the rear quarter windows being permanently fixed, standard with a 198cu in Six, or the 31 Bcu in VB, with plenty of extra cost options available. The VIN shared the base hardtop by beginning JH23. ■ The Challenger SESpecial Edition came designated JH29 Sports Hardtop, owing to its unique smaller rear window giving more of a fastback appearance.
■ Base model convertibles came through with a JH27VIN.
■ Challenger R/T Road and Track were given JS23VINs.
■ Challenger RT/SESports Hardtop models took on JS29.
■ Challenger R/T convertibles were indicated by JS27VINs.
■ In addition to these were Challenger T/A versions assigned JH23JVINs. Mid-year 1970 saw the Western Sport Special limited-edition package that also came allocated JH23. A bewildering array of trim, wheels, interior, exterior paints, dealer specials and confusing requirements must have been a nightmare for showrooms and factories alike to comprehend orders. I am amazed that Chrysler generated any serious profit with these cars. Dodge sold 76,925 Challengers in 1970; the sales prediction for more than 100,000 never materialised and sales regularly fell every year. The 1974 model year saw production of the Challenger cease, with a mere 16,437 units completed and the end of Chrysler's E-Body platform. For 1978, Dodge rebadged a Mitsubishi Galant Lambda as a Challenger Colt, which continued till 1983. December 3, 2007, saw Chrysler debut the allnew third-generation Dodge Challenger, which at * the time of writing is still in production today.