1968 Bengal Charger Questions

[CornDogsCharger]

I've done some research on these Bengal Chargers but there really isn't much info out there on them. I know Tom Kneer Dodge placed the order for 50 cars to be produced, and only a small handful of these cars have surfaced since they were sold new. My biggest question is... of these 50 cars, how close were the sequence numbers? I read that they were all built at the Hamtramck plant, but I wondered if the cars were pretty much all grouped together or if the 50 cars were built in small groups. If all 50 cars were built pretty close to each other, does anyone know what the production date(s) were. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!!  

Justin
"CornDog"

[Nacho-RT74]

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,32703.0.html

[Troy]

I'm not sure if I ever looked at it that way. I suppose it would have made sense to run them down the line at the same time just because of the paint change. I don't think enough exist to get a solid idea of whether any numbers are consecutive. The SO numbers could very well be though since they were all ordered at the same time (from what I understand).

Troy

[CornDogsCharger]

Thanks for the link. I read that discussion but I guess I never read deep enough into it. From the sounds of it, all of the cars were built consecutive. I'm sure it is possible that a few other cars could have slipped in the line along the way, but as you mentioned, it seems like it would be more simple to build all of the special paint cars at one time. Based on the two VINs that were given in the Jan '02 Muscle Car Review article, it would make you believe that they were built together. One VIN has the last six digits as 407941 and the other is 407948.  If all 50 cars were built with no other cars mixed in, then all Bengal Chargers should have the last six digits between 407899 and 407990.  I would love to hear from more '68 Bengal owners to know what their VINs are.

Justin
"CornDog"

[CornDogsCharger]

P.S.  the article also mentions that all of the cars had a scheduled production date of April 10, 1968.

Justin
"CornDog"

[bull]

These things would no doubt be the most rare 68s produced, especially when broken down by engine size and individual features. They must have been ordered so it makes me wonder if they had to be ordered differently (some R/Ts, some base models with 383s or /6 engines). If they had different engine packages you'd have to assume they probably had different options too like maybe some had am/fm radios or column shifters as opposed to floor shifters, etc. Tom Kneer must have wanted them the way they were shipped. Or did Chrysler just assign 50 random Chargers to get the Bengal treatment?

We've talked a lot about the Bengal Charger but the the questions seem to outnumber the answers.

[CornDogsCharger]

It would be nice to know for sure.  Maybe when he placed the order for the 50 cars, he just asked for a good mix of cars with no Hemi models.  It seems like it would have been very long and drawn out to specifically special order every single car.

Justin
"CornDog"

[tan top]

  found this  , thought would be of interest  

http://boards.bengals.com/showthread.php?t=108238

[UFO]

P.S.  the article also mentions that all of the cars had a scheduled production date of April 10, 1968.

Justin
"CornDog"

According to the booklet that Jeff Warner did(in '93),there are two known prod dates.
     Apr 10 + June 5
I would not be surprised if the order numbers were not in sequence.

[472 R/T SE]

 found this  , thought would be of interest  

http://boards.bengals.com/showthread.php?t=108238

Interesting tidbit from that link:

"Tom contacted Chrysler with his request for orange cars. Chrysler told him that in order for them to build any cars with a special color, he would have to order a minimum of 50. He eventually agreed to special order 50 orange cars with an assortment of options. Most of the cars were equipped with a 318 or 383 engine. He had a few 6 cylinder cars built for marketing purposes and an estimated 10 - 12 R/Ts. Tom's dealership was having a hard time selling the Hemi option because of its high markup. For this reason, there are no Hemi Bengals.

Because Tom was purchasing so many cars, Chrysler agreed to throw in the black Sport Stripes for free. In 1968, Chrysler put Sport Stripes on the Charger R/T only. Since most of the Bengals were not R/Ts, obviously, an exception was made. For this reason and because they were free, the stripe does not appear on the broadcast sheet but instead was part of the special order processing along with the orange paint."



Makes a person wonder.  Back when I made my move over to Mopar everyone always used to make a big deal out of the fact you could order up a Mope anyway you wanted.  You don't hear that much today as it seems like it's always black & white, if there's no documentation or it's not on the broadcast sheet...


AFAIK, in '69 special ordered rigs' received a special VON.  How did they designate before that?

Definitely a good lookin' rig!  

[CornDogsCharger]

P.S.  the article also mentions that all of the cars had a scheduled production date of April 10, 1968.

Justin
"CornDog"

According to the booklet that Jeff Warner did(in '93),there are two known prod dates.
     Apr 10 + June 5
I would not be surprised if the order numbers were not in sequence.

Interesting!  Maybe two batches of 25 cars were built. If that was the case, that would throw off the group of VIN that I posted.  I wish I could get a copy of the booklet that Jeff Warner did. Anyone know where I could get a copy?  Even a photocopy would be great!! 

Justin
"CornDog"

[66FBCharger]

Is Tom Kneer still alive? Maybe he could answer some of these questions if he is still alive?

[bull]

Is Tom Kneer still alive? Maybe he could answer some of these questions if he is still alive?

That's a good question. Yelp says it's closed (no surprise) but there's a phone number. http://www.yelp.com/biz/kneer-tom-chrysler-plymouth-mason

Anyone have a subscription to peoplefinders.com? http://www.peoplefinders.com/d/thomas+kneer/1-130210632

[68X426]

Spokeo has a Tom Kneer in Loveland, outside Cincinnati. I don't have a subscription to get more info.

[472 R/T SE]

Pix from that link.  Looks like the 2nd pix rig was loaded up, I see cruise.  Another R/T though this pic shows a couple VINs.

[Troy]

I live in Cincinnati. There are several dealerships owned by the Kneer family. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any paperwork and no employees left from that time. I put some effort into learning more after that orange 72 with Bengal badges showed up and pretty much hit a wall.

Troy

[Ghoste]

That 72 was legit, right?

[hemi-hampton]

That 72 was legit, right?

From my Research it's real. Was found in Original owner's back yard living only a few blocks from the Tom Neer Dealership. Only 1 VIN# off from only other 72 known. See pic below. LEON.

[Ghoste]

I wonder how many total were done then and why 72?