Dodge Charger 440
What makes a car iconic? There are many cars one could consider great, but how many are truly iconic? Two qualities come to mind, form and function. No car can reach such a lofty status without these two qualities; when they are united in a single design, one could argue that cultural impact becomes inevitable. To mid-century Americans, the automobile was a physical manifestation of their hopes, dreams and aspirations and through the 1960s they aspired to going ever faster. The muscle car era began in 1964 and kicked off an arms race between the major American auto manufacturers. Throughout the decade each manufacturer would try to outdo the next with ever-increasing engine capacities and horsepower figures.
When it came to horsepower, Chrysler was the first to start setting benchmarks, as early as 1957 the 300C could be optioned with as much as 390 brake horsepower. Its legendary 426 cubic-inch Hemi engine had dominated racetracks up until it was outlawed by NASCAR in 1965. For 1966 the Hemi was repackaged for public consumption and joined the ranks alongside the already popular 440 big block. It seems odd, then, that Chrysler would be late to the muscle car party. In ’66 and ’67 the Pontiac GTO outsold the first-generation Dodge Charger more than three to one. Chrysler’s struggle was not for lack of muscle but lack of aspirational design. That all changed in 1968.
The first-gen Charger was poorly received by critics and consumers alike. Proportionally, it was unbalanced with an ill-conceived fastback roof slapped atop a boxy body. Carl Cameron’s design wasn’t unattractive but it lacked the sense of drama and occasion that consumers had already come to expect from a muscle car. In 1967 sales dropped to an all-time low of 15,788 units. Chrysler had no choice but to rework the Charger for 1968, this time under the direction of Dodge design chief Bill Bownlie. The results were nothing short of spectacular.
The second-generation Charger was an instant hit. In just one year Chrysler jumped from the bottom off the pack to the top with the hottest muscle car on the market. The Pentastar finally had an offering that combined unbridled horsepower with the looks to arouse men and women alike. Gone was the slab-sided box and in its place were subtle curves, wide hips and a drawn-in waist. The hidden headlights and full-width grille were retained but were now recessed deeper into the body. Like a blindfold, the blanked grille added to a sense of mystery. The resulting aesthetic was uniquely powerful, it was muscular and masculine but had a feminine subtlety at the same time. It was both dominant and submissive, an object of pure desire. Chrysler created an icon and American consumers couldn’t get enough of it. In its first year of production, this new Charger outsold the Pontiac GTO and Chevrolet
Chevelle SS by 8000 and 33,000 units respectively. The new Charger appealed to the consumer on a base level and had a human connection that was undeniable. This concept – that great car design must create a connection – is shared with the owner of the Dodge Charger you see here, and it is exactly why he came to own one. The car belongs to La-based car designer Florian Flatau, a German native who spent many years of his childhood living in America. During these formative years Florian developed a fascination for American muscle.
I grew up in Boston and our neighbour was a race car driver and our other neighbour had a bunch of muscle cars. When we moved back to Germany I was always looking towards American cars, mainly muscle cars. When I had my first internship in 2007 at BMW Design Works in LA I bought a 1970 Buick Skylark, white with black vinyl roof and caramel brown interior. That car I brought back home to Munich and had it until I left in 2013. Florian had long set his heart on a secondgen Dodge Charger but they proved to be too rich for a young design intern. That all changed in 2013 as he packed up to move to London. Thanks to the ever-increasing desirability of good quality muscle cars in Germany he was able to sell the Buick for a tidy sum.
I sold the Buick for a lot more than I bought it for because muscle cars had gained so much popularity over the years in Germany. That money went directly into the purchase of the Charger which was always my ultimate muscle car.
From Nissan’s Infiniti Design studio in London, Florian’s next opportunity would take him back to the USA. With plans to move to Los Angeles, he decided that it was finally time to find his Dodge Charger. He found a matching-numbers 1967 example in Minneapolis; it looked super clean and very original, both important qualities to Florian, but the best part was the price! The price was so good and it looked so good. Even if there was something mechanically wrong, for that price I couldn’t go wrong. I was living in London when I found the car, within four days I flew to Minneapolis to buy it. It was snowy in Minneapolis so I just drove it back and forth where there was no snow on the pavement. I had the container come and the car was loaded, shipped to LA and put in storage. When I arrived in LA, almost a year later, I drove it for the first time, and I was like, we need to have the brakes done!
When Florian first arrived in LA the Charger was his only set of wheels, so it had to be reliable. He quickly set about refreshing the mechanicals whilst still trying to drive it to work daily. ‘I was driving it daily for a year. It was great. But then I bought a Porsche so I started daily-driving that instead, the complete opposite!’
He started with the Charger’s brakes, rebuilt the original discs in front and drums at the back, then installed a rebuilt Dana 60
RIGHT: Equal parts stunning and intimidating from any angle
axle and differential. Cosmetically the car is just as he bought it. Part of the appeal was the complete and original interior. Cosmetically I’ve done nothing to it. It has original buckets seats, original steering wheel, dashboard, headliner. I think it has new carpet but that’s all. It’s had a coat of paint but looks pretty original. We’ve only been through it mechanically.
Florian’s Charger left the factory with the 335-horsepower, 383 cubic-inch engine. But for any true muscle car aficionado the pursuit of more ponies cannot be resisted. In August 2017 he found an original factory 440 big block including the fabled ‘Six Pack’ carburettor arrangement. The factory claimed 390hp from this engine backed by an enormous 490 lb-ft of torque, but Florian sourced quality internals and a sufficient camshaft to generate closer to 500hp, more than enough to destroy any fine set of tires. The matching-numbers 383 was pulled out and put to one side and the 440 was duly installed. Mated to the new engine is the original A727 threespeed automatic – a strong transmission long popular with drag racers. I asked Florian if he ever considered swapping it for a four-speed manual.
I thought about putting in a four-speed but a friend of mine let me drive his manual Corvette Stingray and it was brutal. The clutch was so hard. I thought I’d stick with the automatic on the muscle car. For that kind of driving I prefer the Porsche. The Charger is more of a Sunday cruiser, and in LA traffic as well, I think the automatic is better.
With the second-gen Charger, Chrysler created something with universal appeal. The design was subtle yet communicated its intent directly. To look at it is to see power. As you might expect from a car designer, Florian’s desire for the Charger was dominated by its aesthetic. ‘The form language is just so pure and brutal, the proportions, how the volumes of the front and rear intersect, and just the simplicity of it.’
Forming an impressive two-car solution, Florian’s other set of wheels is a 1982 Porsche 911. Two iconic cars, each representing wildly opposing design values, but seeing them side by side you’re immediately struck by how well they complement each other. The Charger was built for American roads, but the 911 couldn’t feel more at home in the winding canyons to Malibu. When asked what it was like to drive the Charger, Florian responded, ‘Well, you can’t compare it to the Porsche! It’s a very powerful cruiser!’ So, what’s next for Florian? He has no plans to part with the Charger, for him it represents a pinnacle of great design and continues to inspire him to design better cars that have the capacity to emote and connect with their owners. The next project on the horizon is his girlfriend’s recently acquired ’68 Mustang Fastback… in dark Highland Green no less (cue Bullitt soundtrack).
RIGHT: Second-gen Charger design is clean and minimal, best suited to very dark colours.