The centerpiece of Dodge's 1966 efforts was the Charger, based on the Coronet's body shell, but with a fastback roofline. The grille resembled the Coronet , but had retractable headlights, giving the car a sporty look.
There were 37,344 1966 Chargers sold, only 468 with the 426 street Hemi engine. The Charger came standard with a sturdy 318 V-8, then still new. The 2bbl 361 and 4bbl 383 were also options; the Hemi came in mid-year. The 318 Charger came standard with a 3 speed manual, and the bigger engines came with either a 4 speed manual or the Torqueflite automatic.
The Charger did very well on the NASCAR circuit, winning the manufacturer's championship.
The 1967 version was essentialy the same exept for minor trim changes. The 361 was replaced with the 2bbl version of the 383 and the 375 hp 440 Magnum joined the option list. The Hemi was still available, but only 118 were produced With sales down to less than 15,000 units, the fastback wasn't a big hit in the marketplace.
The base Charger came standard with a 225 slant 6 or a 318 V-8 with a 2 or 4bbl optional.
The Charger was a huge sucess on the street with 90,000 sales, but did not do as well on the NASCAR circuit. Ford had been working on aerodynamics, and the Charger's top speed was not good enough. They addressed that a year later with the 500.
The Charger 500, with a Coronet grille and a flush rear window, was built by Creative Industries; 500 were sold in accordance with NASCAR rules. It was a match for Ford's new aerodynamic racing model, but was not overwhelming. Chrysler had an ace up their sleave, though: the product of extensive wind tunnel testing, the Charger Daytona included a massive rear spoiler and an aero nose. No other car could match it on the track (in top speed), with its standard 440 and optional Hemi. However, its looks, notable today, were not appreciated in 1969.
The 500 was now a dressed up base model with the 318 as standard equipment. The SE package was still available, but only with the redesigned (optional) bucket seats. Unlike other Chrysler intermediates, the Charger did not have 15" wheels.
The Charger Super Bee became Dodge's street racer. It replaced the Dodge Coronet Super Bee with a standard 300HP 383 and floor mounted 3 speed manual. Optional engines were the 440 six pack and the 426 hemi.
Top of the line was the Charger R/T with its standard 440 Magnum V8 rated at 370 HP. Optional was the 440 six pack and 426 hemi. The R/T used the same hood and tape side treatment as the Super Bee, but two additional stripes on each door simulated vents.
1971 proved to be the last high performance Charger. From 1972 to 1974 the performance model was the Rallye, with a detuned 440 engine available.
