Sports Sedan
’70 Dodge Charger 440 Fastback Story and photos by John Gunnell
T
he Charger “Sports Sedan” was a mid-sized Dodge Coronet with a fastback roof and richer interior. It was designed so young dads could say they were buying a “station wagon.” The Charger looked long, low and wide with hidden headlights and wall-to-wall taillights. There was a small round emblem on the grille and a larger one on the deck. A big-block Charger could do 0-to-60 mph in 7.8-sec. or a quarter-mile in 16.2 sec. at 88 mph. Hemi Chargers had dual carbs, fat dual exhausts, badges, heavy-duty suspensions, big brakes, 7.75x14 Blue Streak racing tires and a four-speed or TorqueFlite transmission. The 12-month/12,000-mile warranty didn’t cover racing. Wood steering wheel and Hurst Pistol-Grip shifter are desirable muscle car extras.
The feature car left the factory as a Charger SE with a 383-cid V8. It now has a 440.
The original 1966-1967 Charger had a boxy look with a radical, ramp-like slanted roof line. Beautifully smoother new styling with many improvements characterized 1968 Chargers and boosted sales to 96,100. The ’68 Charger introduced “airplane fuselage” styling with a sleek, more rounded, Coke-bottle-shaped fastback body and wheel bulges. Hidden headlights were continued and a blacked-out grille was used to give a racing car taped-headlight look. A racing style gas filler was added. Scallops in the hood could be optioned with turn indicators. The doors were also scalloped. There was an integral rear spoiler, a blacked-out beauty panel and two round taillights on each side. Motor Trend magazine summed up the look of the new R/T model-option as a Charger with a set of mags, Wide Oval tires and a bumblebee stripe. The Charger R/T also
18 MUSCLE CAR PLUS MAGAZINE AUG/SEPT 2021
