Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Automotive News & Views Daimler's abuse of the Dodge Charger legacy.
659 messages, Last post on Jun 21, 2006 at 2:03 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
|
I do like the '70-74 Challenger better than any Charger after 1970. I even like the little Mitsu Challenger/Sapporo, even if it was kind of a slur on that name! But to be fair, there were slant six Challengers, and I'm sure a 2.6 '79 Charger would give one a run for its money! My favorite though, is the '68-70 Charger. Yet, as muscular as those are, even some of those were offered with a slant six! It was rare, though. Of the roughly 90,000 Chargers built in 1969, I think only around 5,000 had the slant six. Back in '93, I was actually thinking about looking at one. I had hit a crater in the road with my Dart, and thought I had done irreparable damage to it, so I started looking for another car. One other candidate I was thinking of was a gorgeous '65 Buick Electra hardtop sedan for $2500. In retrospect, I shoulda bought it! I never did get a chance to look at that slant six Charger though, because my mechanic gave me some pointers on what to do to fix my Dart myself, and I did it, for around $75 total. I know a '69 Charger slant six wouldn't have been much to brag about (I had a '69 Dart slant six, and that was enough car for that engine!), but it least it would have looked good while it was going slow! 
|
|
|
that was an interesting post...I have to confess I wouldn't have expected it from you. I don't think the gentleman who created this topic is looking for a replica of a 73 Charger (which, as any Mopar freak knows, is not really a Charger anyway). Rather, they hope for a modern interpretation of the original concept -- a stunningly beautiful, relatively inexpensive, extremely fast coupe. Something with enough oats to burn the skins, and enough attitude to intimdate the competition, all the while looking for all the world lilke it's wearing a tuxedo. The Charger was probably the most elegant expression of the muscle car idiom ever devised (with the Grand Prix of the same era a close second). The Road Runner was the original Belvedere cum big-block, and it was truly lovely (I had one, an orange 69; I also had a 68 Grand Prix SJ); but it had nowhere near the cache and presence of the Charger. The Crossfire probably comes closest to what the Charger was, but it's small, and it's certainly not inexpensive. Maybe it's too much to ask, but dreams die hard. I'd suggest acquiring a 68-70 Charger (if you can find one), and upgrading the suspension and brakes. You'll impress everybody, and find it impossible to wipe the grin off your face every time you drive it. |
|
|
|
|
Charger will live on forever, considering it's a cool car and with the cars like the Daytona and Superbird leading the charge, and an endless supply of Dukes of Hazzard reruns, everyone will always know what the car is. As cool as it was, though, either in 440 or Hemi form, it was still an enormous car with bias tires and poor handling, even compared to the other bias ply tired poor handling cars of the time. Being a purist is cool - I'm a purist about several things automotive. Trashing DaimlerChrysler for resurrecting the Charger name in a better performing, more efficient, and all around greater vehicle is beyond being a purist... Times have changed - it's good to remember and reminisce - it's also good to realize that more power, faster acceleration, and better handling, combined with better fuel economy and cleaner emissions...isn't a bad thing. Besides, the Dukes of Hazzard reruns will be around FOREVER..... |
|
|
If Dodge wants to reach into the past for a nameplate, and purists howl at the thought of a nameplate associated with sporty coupes being stuck on a 21st century sedan, then how about...Polara? Monaco? Coronet? Don't be too hard on the 1971-74 Dodge Chargers. They may be overshadowed by their fire-breathing forebears, but taken in the context of their time, they weren't bad vehicles. Our neighbor had a 1973 Charger SE (medium blue metallic with a white vinyl top), and it was a handsome car for the time. At least Dodge didn't ruin the Charger for 1973-74. Plymouth, on the other hand, facelifted the Satellite Sebring for 1973, and completely ruined the car by adding an upright front with an awkward grille. Speaking of Plymouth, maybe Dodge can raid the nameplate bin of its deceased sibling. Dodge could use Fury, Satellite or Belvedere. |
|
|
is that for the most part, their past names just don't have that much equity. I could see Charger, Challenger, and Magnum having some name equity, but for the most part, names like "Coronet", "Polara", "Monaco", etc pale in comparison to "Malibu", "Impala", "Monte Carlo", "Thunderbird", etc. And I'm sure it's a safe bet that there will never be another Dodge named "Aspen"! The Dart was probably the most famous Dodge of all, but that's a name I think should be retired forever, out of respect. Unless Mopar had a danged good small car to put it on. And, knowing the domestics, I don't think they can put out a small car that good! Plus, the name "Dart" just sounds too 60's or 70's IMO. I dunno if it would go well on a modern car. Now "Demon" was a cool name. But good luck getting people in the Bible belt to buy one. They're not gonna want to drive it to church on Sundays! |
|
|
Always thought "Fury" was a great Mopar name that deserves to be brought back, esp. "Gran Fury." There was a brief, early '90s Dodge Monaco wasn't there? I recall it was a Euro-looking sedan of intermediate proportions... |
|
|
|
| was around and had a Renault twin....the car had a 75% first year depreciation hit... | |
|
the Monaco was brought back for a few years, as a clone to the Eagle Premier. It was one of those cars that, had the reliability been there, it would've been a great car. Unfortunately, it was kind of an odd combination of Renault and Chrysler, and I have a feeling they took the least reliable bits of each one! I dunno if this is true or not, but I've heard that the Premier/Monaco actually served as the basis for the original Intrepid. I know they had a longitudinal engine layout, just like the Intrepid. "Fury" is probably one of the few time-honored names that never did get dragged through the muck. The original Fury was V-8 and RWD, as was the final 1989 model. Okay, so by 1989 it was down to 140 hp for civvy models and 175 for police interceptors, but still, at least there was never a K-car Fury!
|
|
|
... the 1958 Plymouth is probably the world's most famous Fury thanks to Stephen King and John Carpenter. In reality, Christine was a Belvedere because real 1958 Furies were cream & gold with gold anodized trim. I always wished Chrysler had built an LH version of the Plymouth Fury. I bet it would've been beautiful. If DCX had any guts, it would bring back Plymouth with a Fury. |
|
|
would have been nice looking, but I don't think it would have been enough to save the division. I imagine it would've looked about like a Dodge Intrepid, but maybe with an eggcrate grille similar to the Plymouth Breeze? IMO, current Chrysler-badged cars like the Sebring, PT Cruiser, and the V-6 versions of the 300 are really about where a Plymouth should be, in terms of price and prestige. Heck, Sebring is even an old Plymouth name! What I think they should do is offer the 300 as a V-8 only model. Just either de-tune it or reduce its displacement for the cheaper models. Then for a Plymouth version, offer a base 2.7 Fury, a mid-range 3.5 Gran Fury or Fury VIP, and then a Hemi-only Fury GT model. The key would be to differentiate the style between a Chrysler and a Plymouth, and that's something that Mopar has had trouble doing ever since the downsizing era of the late 70's. While, say, a 1977 New Yorker actually shares very little sheetmetal with a 1977 Gran Fury, from 1980 onward (when the Gran Fury was re-introduced) it was all but identical to a Chrysler Newport, except the taillights, which were borrowed from a Dodge St. Regis! But then having a Plymouth lineup would cut into Dodge territory as well, since over the years Dodge has moved down into that range. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Automotive News & Views Daimler's abuse of the Dodge Charger legacy.
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
