moreha tekor akhe: Dodge Charger Rt 1968

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In the early sixties many automobile manufacturers were exploring new ideas in the personal luxury and specialty car segments. Chrysler, slow to enter the specialty car market, selected their Dodge Division to enter an untapped market for a bigger model to fit between the "pony car" Ford Mustang and the "personal luxury" Ford Thunderbird. The intention was to use the B-body for a sporty car with fastback look while sharing as much of their existing hardware as possible.

1968 dodge charger

File:Dodge Charger RT 1968.
Burt Bouwkamp, Chief Engineer for Dodge during the 1960s and one of the men behind the Dodge Charger, related his experience during a speech in July 2004.

1968 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi

The 1966 and 1967 Dodge Chargers were all fastback vehicles. They shared a chassis and front-end sheet-metal with their mid-sized Dodge Coronet brethren. These first two years of the Dodge Charger are also the only two models which displayed the Fratzog Emblem on the grill as well as the trunk hatch.

File:Dodge Charger RT 1968.

On January 1, 1966, viewers of the Rose Bowl were first introduced to the new "Leader of the Dodge Rebellion", the 1966 Charger. The Charger's debut also followed by a half model year the introduction of a new street version of the 426 cu in (7.0 L) Chrysler Hemi engine. With the Charger, Dodge had a new model to build a performance image to go along with this engine.

1968 Dodge Charger R/T

1968 Dodge Charger RT Rear

Designed by Carl "CAM" Cameron, the Dodge Charger introduced a fastback roofline and a pot-metal "electric shaver" grille. The grille used fully rotating headlights (180 degree) that when opened or closed made the grille look like one-piece unit. Hidden headlamps were a feature not seen on a Chrysler product since the 1942 DeSoto. In the rear of the new Dodge, the fastback design ended over a full-width six-lamp taillight that featured chromed "CHARGER" lettering.

1-18 scale custom diecast 1968

Black 1968 Dodge Charger R/T.

1968 Dodge Charger Rt
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. 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.

1968 Dodge Charger 383 V8

dodge charger r t 1968

Engine selections consisted of only V8s, though a straight-six engine engine became standard by 1968. 1966 transmissions included a three-speed steering-wheel mounted manual with only the base engine, a console mounted four-speed manual or three-speed automatic. In 1966, four engines were offered: the base-model 318 cu in (5.2 L) 2-barrel, the 361 cu in (5.9 L) 2-barrel, the 383 cu in (6.3 L) 4-barrel, and the new 426 Street Hemi. Only 468 Chargers were built with the 426.