1970 Dodge Challenger-Most Powerful Engine Created
In terms of muscle cars the 1970 dodge challenger is one of the best it was a challenge to ford’s mustang and chevrolet’s camaro dodge nailed it with this mid-sized muscle vehicle this tough-looking automobile commands attention with its sculpted exterior in addition this formidable challenger can be had with the famed hemi v8s the 1970 dodge challenger was not
Very popular when it was first released but now it’s a sought after collector’s item in today’s video we’re going to be looking at a vehicle that gave mustang and camaro a run for their money the 1970 dodge challenger 426 hemi although the dodge challenger was the last of detroit’s big three pony cars to arrive it came with something its rivals lack the industry’s
Widest range of powertrain options from the modest but dependable 225 cubic inch slant 6 to the frightening elephant motor the 426 hemi despite the fact that it only lasted five model years the dodge challenger has become one of the most renowned muscled cars named in automotive history with expertly restored and rare versions fetching six figure sums today the
Dodge challenger made its debut as a 1970 model in the fall of 1969 while the third generation plymouth barracuda shared chrysler’s e-body short deck long hood architecture the dodge challenger wheelbase was two inches longer allowing for more internal room the 1970 challenger rt was featured in the film vanishing point a high-speed chase film that has become a
Cult classic among muscle car lovers in 1997 the film was remade for television other 1970 dodge challengers have appeared in movies such as used cars natural born killers and phantasm 1 and 2 as well as in television shows such as mod squad the challenger also had some racing success in the transamerica championship despite the positive publicity the first dodge
Challenger arrived late in the pony car party and did not sell as well as dodge had intended furthermore future pollution rules would limit the first generation challenger’s lifespan to only four years the total number of early challengers produced was only 165 437. when ford launched the mustang americans couldn’t get enough of the powerful nimble and affordable
Car in 1965 ford had produced over 500 000 mustangs and the pony car market was exploding general motors invested all of its resources in a mustang revival with its quickly developed and launched camaro gm was second to enter the market chevrolet launched its new car in a pr blitz in september 1966 and was so successful that it had to produce over 220 000 1967
Camaros to keep up with demand with all these dodge’s mopar parent firm was obviously eager to get a piece of this new market however they had a huge problem the dodge v8 with its hemispherical combustion chambers was the engine of choice for drag racers and hot rod builders this engine was too huge and heavy to fit into a pony car the revolutionary barracuda
Based on the tiny mopar a-body platform was introduced by mopar’s plymouth subsidiary and the nibble and elegant plymouth was doing well in pony car sales but the engineers at plymouth were frustrated because they couldn’t get the car to perform effectively with the mopar big block v8 dodge intended to build the pony car but they were advised not to compete
With the barracuda the dodge charger b body was mopar’s initial attempt to respond to the cheap muscle trend the pioneering midsize car’s exterior was designed by dodge designer carl cam cameron the first generation charger was a large two-door sedan with plenty of luxury features and plenty of straight-line power it was also more expensive than its supposedly
Pony car competitors the charger blew it when it came to pony cars only 53 000 units were constructed before the significant 1968 model year makeover which saw sales decline drastically then dodge and plymouth began working together on a new mid-sized chassis in the late 1960s their goal was to build the tiniest car possible that could handle a big block me v8
The collaboration resulted in the iconic 1970 third generation plymouth barracuda and a brand new 1970 dodge they incorporated elements from the a-body design of the second generation barracuda and the b-body design of the charger the engineers decided to employ the firewall and dash from a 1970 b body which determined the height of the windshield and door seams
Then they decreased the wheelbase dodge went with 110 inches while plymouth went with 108 inches cameron produced an aggressive iconic appearance for the 1970 challenger after deciding on the primary design principles dodge offered an extraordinary variety of customization options for the 1970 challenger when it first launched the challenger was available in two
Versions a base model or a high performance road track model the hardtop coupe two-door convertible and special edition se coupe were among the body variants available the slant 6 engine was standard on base model chargers the 318 v8 with a two barrel carburetor was the base engine for either rt or sc versions the 340 v8 383 v8 famous 440 magnum v8 and iconic 426
Hemi engines were also available as options the 440 hemi featured a massive engine with wedge-shaped combustion chambers but only 335 horsepower and poor compression the 426 hemi was originally designed as a homologation engine for dodge’s nascar teams with high compression and hemispherical combustion chambers the 426 was capable of producing 425 horsepower dodge’s
Three-speed manual powertrain was standard while the torque fleet automatic transmission was available as an option a four-speed manual transmission was also available with the bigger v8s a rally instrument cluster was included with the road track or rt option which included an oil pressure gauge 8 000 rpm tack and a speedometer that could reach 150 miles per hour
Carburetor systems like the six-pack and air intakes like the shaker hood were available for rt challengers the challenger se was designed to compete with mercury’s cougar which was marketed as a luxury mustang the sc model included a vinyl roof leather and vinyl bucket seats and a smaller rear window it was decorated with sc medallions and an overhead console with
Door jar seat belt and low fuel indicators dodge had to offer its race-ready drivetrain in a trans-am homologation car in order to compete with the transamerica championship the challenger ta was the street version of the racer with a 340 v8 engine fed by an aluminum manifold and three two barrel carburetors all housed beneath a massive snorkel style air scoop hurst
Pistol grip shifters were standard on ta challengers different front and rear tire sizes were also included on the ta which was unusual at the time all performance challengers had front disc brakes as an option but the ta had them as standard at auctions several one-of-a-kind challengers have fetched record prices muscle cars were regarded as good project cars in
The early 2000s but terrible choices for collectors then a four-speed plymouth hemi cuda convertible went up for auction one of just two made and the only one with its original engine it was also the first muscle vehicle to sell for more than a million dollars that vehicle was sold for 3.5 million again in 2014. following the sale of the headline grabbing cuda the
Value of its rare challenger cousins began to rise as well a unique challenger was even introduced into the national historic vehicle register finally dodge introduced a new retro style challenger in 2008 the new cars marketing and popularity drove up the price of the few surviving first generation challengers many individuals now want an eye-catching challenger
After these high-profile collectible e-body sales immaculate 1970 challengers and high trim levels continue to show up at exotic car dealerships and attract six-figure prices nobody can disagree that the 1970 dodge challenger is a classic car today unfortunately because there are so few of them most car costs are rising to meet the growing demand classic.com keeps
Track of the auction prices for models the most expensive 1970 dodge challenger to sell at auction in the last five years was 1.4 million dollars while the cheapest was nine 15 fifty dollars the average cost of a nineteen seventy challenger is eighty six thousand eight hundred five dollars the 1970 dodge challenger is the ideal midsize automobile for displaying
The hemi engine it’s encouraging to see the challenger gain more acclaim each year however it’s not so good that the remaining first generation cars are so costly what do you think about this vintage car let us know down in the comment section
Transcribed from video
1970 Dodge Challenger-Most Powerful Engine Created By Classic Chassis