1968-1970 Dodge Charger
As a kid who grew up engrossed in the exploits of Bo and Luke Duke and their seemingly indestructible General Lee, I was raised with an innate love of the late 1960s Dodge Charger. The General Lee was fast, stylish, sounded great, and, for some reason, had its doors welded shut. As a six-year-old, it filled all of my criteria for Car Lust. In fact, it's likely that the General Lee sparked my Car Lust in the first place.
To my admittedly biased eyes, The Dukes of Hazzard has aged surprisingly well. Its portrayal of the South as a place where the citizens and officials are all rubes and/or casual outlaws could be considered offensive by some, I suppose, and certainly the Confederate flag on the roof of the General Lee is a lightning rod for criticism.
And, no, the show wasn't particularly believable. The Charger, while obviously fast, was never truly able to shake the pursuing police Polaras and Gran Furys. And as an adult, I cringe every time one of those priceless Chargers takes a spectacular jump--most of the time when the car lands, you can see the suspension buckle and the fenders crease. As a car lover, I grieve for the countless classic Chargers ruined in making The Dukes of Hazzard.
But, really, the easy-going nature and good humor of the show overwhelms everything else. Sometimes it's nice to decompress from the stresses of the real world, and when that time comes, there's nothing more pleasant than watching the General Lee fly down those gravel roads, serenaded by a screaming 440, a steel guitar and a jaunty piano. Good times.
Anyway, I digress. Even outside the mischief-filled confines of Hazzard County, the 1968-1970 Charger was a classic. The smooth body, flaring "Coke bottle" shape, and tunneled rear window were revolutionary for the time. What's more, that sultry shape served as the perfect wrapper for Mopar's monster motors--the 440 Six Pack and the legendary 426 Hemi.
Car & Driver tested a 1968 Hemi Charger at 0-60 in roughly 4.8 seconds--a mind-boggling achievement that left it one of the fastest cars of a very fast era. Even today, a 4.8-second 0-60 time is reserved for genuine hero cars--all of which have the advantage of vastly superior traction from today's tires.
The Charger is a strong Car Lust regardless of whether it's painted bright orange with a Confederate flag on the roof, flat black as in the version used in the Steve McQueen movie Bullitt, or metallic green like this immaculate European-owned 1970 Charger 500. Thanks to the Alan Carrington.com site for the pictures of this Belgian Mopar Nationals award-winner.
--Chris H.
pops on January 27, 2008 at 04:29 PM
These cars were fantastic examples of 60's era muscle cars. They looked great, sounded terrific and were some of the quickest cars of their times. I would hate to even guess these car's value today. Great choice for addition to your archives.