Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, on three different platforms, bearing the Charger nameplate. The name is generally associated with a performance model in the Dodge range; however, it has also adorned a hatchback, a sedan, and a personal luxury coupe.
The three main iterations of the Dodge Charger produced were a mid-sized (B-body) car from 1966 to 1978, a subcompact (L-body) car from 1983 to 1987 and the (LX and LY) full-sized sedan built since 2006.

The name was also carried by a 1999 concept car that differed substantially from the Charger eventually placed into production for the 2006 model year. A similar name, the Ramcharger, was used for the truck-based vehicle.
The name Charger was also used in Brazil as sport car based on the Dart, between 1970 and 1980.

Charger models
1964 Dodge Charger (1964 concept): a roadster-style show car based on the Dodge Polara
1965 Dodge Charger 273: a limited production option package for the Dart GT
1966–1978 Dodge Charger (B-body): a rear wheel drive coupe and muscle car
1970–1980 Dodge Charger: Brazilian version based on the Dodge Dart,with a higher-compression 318 V8 engine
1983–1987 Dodge Charger (L-body): a front wheel drive subcompact hatchback
1999 Dodge Charger (1999 concept): a rear wheel drive concept car
2006–present Dodge Charger (LX): a rear wheel drive sports sedan.

With the failure of the 1969 Dodge Charger 500, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona was a high performance, limited edition version of the Dodge Charger produced in the summer of 1969 for the sole purpose of winning NASCAR races. And win it did: it won its first race out, the inaugural Talladega 500 in the fall, and helped Bobby Isaac capture the 1970 Grand National championship, although he didn't win any races in the Daytona in 1970. Buddy Baker in the #88 Chrysler Engineering Dodge Charger Daytona was the first driver in NASCAR history to break the 200 mph mark on March 24. 1970 at Talladega.

The Dodge Charger was reintroduced for 2006 with a limited production Dodge Charger Daytona package that included a sportier interior, classic high impact exterior colors, a rear spoiler, a front chin spoiler, a blacked out grille surround, rear quarter panel striping reading "DAYTONA" on either side, a blackout decal between the taillights on the decklid, and a blackout on the hood with the word "HEMI" cut out twice. Heritage R/T badges replaced the Stock R/T's chrome badges. A performance suspension with load-leveling rear shocks was also standard, as well as unique wheels.

In 1968, Dodge watched their NASCAR inspired Charger R/T fail to beat the Ford cars on the high-banks oval-tracks. The Dodge engineers went back to the wind tunnel and found the tunneled rear window caused lift and the gaping mouth induced drag. Dodge engineers made the rear window flush with the rest of the roof and put a 1968 Coronet Grille up front. The original Charger 500 prototype was a 1968 Charger R/T with a 426 Hemi. The prototype was painted in B5 Blue with a white stripe.

Inside, the standard Charger featured a simulated wood-grain steering wheel, four individual bucket seats with a full length console from front to rear. The rear seats and rear center armrest pad also folded forward while the trunk divider dropped back, which allowed for generous cargo room.[3] Numerous interior features were exclusive to the Charger including door panels, courtesy lights, as well as premium trim and vinyl upholstery. The instrument panel did not use regular bulbs to light the gauges, but rather electroluminescence lit the four chrome-ringed circular dash pods, needles, radio, shifter-position indicator in the console, as well as clock and Air Conditioning controls if equipped. The dash housed a 0 to 6000 rpm tachometer, a 0 to 150 mph (240 km/h) speedometer, as well as alternator, fuel, and temperature gauges as standard equipment.

Dodge

Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide.

After the founding of the Dodge Brothers Company by Horace and John Dodge in 1900, the Detroit-based company quickly found work producing precision engine and chassis components for the city’s burgeoning number of automobile firms. Chief among these customers were the established Olds Motor Vehicle Company and the then-new Ford Motor Company. Dodge Brothers enjoyed much success in this field, but the brothers' growing wish to build complete vehicles was exemplified by John Dodge's 1913 exclamation that he was "tired of being carried around in Henry Ford's vest pocket."

Ever since the beginning of its history in 1914, Dodge has offered light truck models. For the first few years, these were based largely on the existing passenger cars, but eventually gained their own chassis and body designs as the market matured. Light- and medium-duty models were offered first, then a heavy-duty range was added during the 1930s and 1940s.

Everything changed at Dodge (and Chrysler as a whole) when the 1973 oil crisis hit the United States. Save for the Colt and certain models of the Dart, Dodge's lineup was quickly seen as extremely inefficient. In fairness, this was true of most American automakers at the time, but Chrysler was also not in the best financial shape to do anything about it. Consequently, while General Motors and Ford were quick to begin downsizing their largest cars, Chrysler (and Dodge) moved more slowly out of necessity.