WTF happend to the design after 70?

[jefferson]

The 66/67 chargers were ugly IMO the 68-70 looked sexy, then 71-74 just looked odd.

What was dodge thinking with there designs lol

[Homerr]

Different corporate platform generations and styling cues.  Different designers.  Trying to be the next big thing for sales.

Think how different the 69 and 70 Camaros are as another example.  The 70 Camaro would have made the 70 Charger look comparatively like a 67 Charger - i.e. the 'old' generation of car.

As much as we like them Chrysler couldn't build 2nd gens forever.

[Benji]

Maybe they should have done back then what they are doing today. The basic body style of the 2018 Charger is the same as the 2000!

The record for producing one basic car year after year with only minor changes is the VW Beetle which was produced from 1938 to 2003, which is 65 years (although production was halted during World War Two.) VW produced over 21,500,000 of them.  The Ford Model T was produced for 19 years and Ford made 15 million of them.

Benji

[E5 Charger]

The 66/67 chargers were ugly IMO the 68-70 looked sexy, then 71-74 just looked odd.

What was dodge thinking with there designs lol

Way to introduce yourself! I think you will find members that enjoy the design of the 66/67 and 71-74 Chargers or they wouldn't spend thousands restoring them. Last I checked this site wasn't called 68-70Charger.com

[Daytona R/T SE]

The 66/67 chargers were ugly IMO the 68-70 looked sexy, then 71-74 just looked odd.

What was dodge thinking with there designs lol

So...which year do you own?

[67440chrg]

I have a 67 and think it has allot of style. I like all b body chargers and have had a 72 SE big block car. Were you raised in a chevy family?

[CDN72SE]

Guess they have to keep trying new design and innovation, I have my preferences in the Mopar world but it seems a lot of folks like the 1970+ design as they sold so many. I kinda like my 72.

[E5 Charger]

I love your 72! You're doing a great job on it.

[Bad B-rad]

Well 69 is my favorite, but having said that,I owned a 66 for 14-15 years!!(had tons of fun with it)
a 74 for 8 years, I even like the 83ish Shelby style, and I bought my wife a 2016 R/T.
I love all Chargers, the 75-78 style would be my least favorite, but I can respect all gens of the Chargers, and they are a good representation of what was going on in the market at the time that each one was made.
66-67 was the fastback/futureistic craze, 80's front wheel drive fuel econo, hatchback era, even the 75-78, luxurey style Chargers!
Each gen has things-styling cues I love, and some not so much

The one thing I noticed about this site, is it is mostly for the 66-74 Chargers.
So if you have a 75-78 a 81-87, or 2006-current, this site isnt for you.
I do have love for all the Dodge Chargers, some more then others.
But I think what the Charger morphed into after 1970 was again what the market changed into, or what Chrysler THOUGHT the market wanted.
(like todays 4 DOOR Charger,dont get me started!)

[Mytur Binsdirti]

Well 69 is my favorite

Same here, but when it comes to Chargers, I do prefer a '68.

[Bad B-rad]

Well 69 is my favorite

Same here, but when it comes to Chargers, I do prefer a '68.

NICE!!!! But
Chargers 69 is the favorite , the other thing, 68, I will owe her one!

[brad mcintyre]

i love first gen but i think 68 is the best looking

[Kern Dog]

Regarding the 1971 styling...
Chrysler often seemed to follow others when it came to styling. The 66-67 B b body cars were squared off like the 65-67 GM A body Chevelle/Cutlass/LeMans and Skylark. In 1968 when the GM cars went more rounded, the 1971 Mopar B body styling followed that.
Look at the Challenger design...In some ways it is a copy of the 67-69 Camaro. The 66-67 Charger looks like an AMC Marlin. The Cordoba looked like a Monte Carlo.

[XH29N0G]

Reading this thread made me think.  I grew up with the 2nd generation, but I saw a movie with a first generation charger in it as a kid.  I didn't know what type of car it was, but I thought it was a fantastic looking car and spent a long time trying to figure that out.  That was just after stone tablets were replaced by vellum, but well before Al Gore invented the internet    More recently, I have found the third generation chargers to look nice.  The 68 was a classic design without a doubt, but the others are also good in my opinion.

[F8-4life]

The 66/67 chargers were ugly IMO the 68-70 looked sexy, then 71-74 just looked odd.

What was dodge thinking with there designs lol

Way to introduce yourself! I think you will find members that enjoy the design of the 66/67 and 71-74 Chargers or they wouldn't spend thousands restoring them. Last I checked this site wasn't called 68-70Charger.com

Too funny!

[ACUDANUT]

Here we go again....The 3rd gen chargers look like they are going 100 mph standing still.

[Kern Dog]

??   ??  ??   

[TPR]

Careful. This topic is like telling a mother that her child is ugly.
You can think it, but just don't say it out loud!
TPR

[Ghoste]

Aint that the truth.

[HPP]

The 3rd Gen Charger was the most successful Dodge that Petty ever drove. I personally think those look damn good in racing livery.

[400sforever]

I love all the chargers and have one from each generation but in my opinion the power bulge hoods were the meanest looking hoods ever made on the 71-74 mopars

[wingcar]

It's call personal taste.  Each to his own....  I have owned many First Generation Chargers (my first car was a first Gen.), plus 68, and 69s as well.  No doubt that the Second Generation Chargers have the biggest following, and for good reason...they look good.  I like the 71 Charger as well, but between the two, I would pick a Second Generation.    

[JB400]

What happened?


They improved it.

[Lennard]

What happened?


They improved it.

[smithenhiven]

What happened?


They improved it.

Says the guy with a string of 69's in his sig pic, lol.

[odcics2]

I remember when they had the 1971 Detroit Auto Show...
Saw the new 71 Charger and it made the 70 look like an old mans car.

Now, look around!  Old men ARE driving them!   

[ws23rt]

IMO--The name Charger was just another name until 1968.      In 69 -the car was refined a bit.  In 70 Dodge messed with it a little but it still had the look that was Charger.
In 71 dodge made another car and chose to use the name of a car they decided to stop making.  Since then the charger name keeps coming back without the car under it.
I always found it odd that they kept the name only.
Come on dodge--you made another new car why not give it its own new name?
BTW what was up with the name "Charger super bee" in 1971?  All I saw was confusion from dodge at the time.

[Fitz73Chrgr]

The 66/67 chargers were ugly IMO the 68-70 looked sexy, then 71-74 just looked odd.

What was dodge thinking with there designs lol

So...which year do you own?

Probably a 2006.

[Mytur Binsdirti]

What was dodge thinking with there designs lol

Way to introduce yourself!
[/quote]



Regardless, he does bring up a valid point.     

[Bad B-rad]

I remember when they had the 1971 Detroit Auto Show...
Saw the new 71 Charger and it made the 70 look like an old mans car.

Now, look around!  Old men ARE driving them!   

Having been born in 1980, I was not around to see or experience the cars as some of you, so to hear this perspective is really, cool.
I never knew the 71-74 Chargers looked so new, and "hip" as compaired to the previous gens, when they first came out.
Most of my life people only cared about 68-70.
So when i owned my 74(1997-2003) they didnt make any parts for it. Because most pepole didnt care for them.
Same as my 66(2002-2014ish) no respect and no parts.

I used to have a kick ass (Moog)poster that showed all the Winston cup winners,cars, and all the Chargers were there!!!

[Todd Wilson]

The way I understand the 71 Charger  it was designed with Nascar in mind.  After the Hemi was banned in winged cars they needed some new aero dynamic help. The 71 Charger even had some wind tunnel time in its design stages.........


Todd

[Nacho-RT74]

What happened?


They improved it.

This is THE answer... you can like it or not. But that's a fact.

If you drive every gen Charger one after the other, I can bet you will really feel like a part of the car when you are on a 3rd gen and not just sat behind the wheel of a car.

I do like the 2nd gen more, yes, but honor to the truth.

3rd gen Chargers ( like 71/74 Satties ) are a C body Fuselage design tendency

[DAY CLONA]

What happened?


They improved it.

This is THE answer... you can like it or not. But that's a fact.

If you drive every gen Charger one after the other, I can bet you will really feel like a part of the car when you are on a 3rd gen and not just sat behind the wheel of a car.

I do like the 2nd gen more, yes, but honor to the truth.

3rd gen Chargers ( like 71/74 Satties ) are a C body Fuselage design tendency

I've driven just about every Charger generation produced from 66 to present day production, I've worked on/modified/restored Chargers from 66 models thru to the 80's models, I never get the "but have you driven a __________" and it's supposed to automatically convert you to endearing that model/year/etc, etc I don't have to drive a Volvo or Prius to know I have ZERO interest in it...

Personally I look at automobiles like art, what pleases my eye, what I have a desire for, and that's what I purchase, I don't care how I may feel like "part of the car" or not, I don't care if the car rides like a cement mixer or a magic carpet...as far as horse power/handling/braking/etc, that can be all enhanced/modified,  ....but ugly, is just that, no modifying that, ... that being said the 66-7 is rather unique and can be made to look really Boss with the right stance/color/look, 68-70's are the finial word regarding Chargers with the 70 being the pinnacle, everything after that just dosen't exist for me...esp the 4dr variation of today

[Kern Dog]

If everyone preferred the 68-70 models, imagine how much more expensive they would be.

[Baldwinvette77]

if in some parallel universe the 2nd gen charger continued until 74 and what became the 3rd gen charger was the continuation of the 2 door coronet i don't think people would hate them so much, i mean it would have worked out since the coronet was only available as a 4 door after 71 

[Nacho-RT74]

Personally I look at automobiles like art, what pleases my eye, what I have a desire for, and that's what I purchase, I don't care how I may feel like "part of the car" or not, I don't care if the car rides like a cement mixer or a magic carpet

me too, but if you can get both ( handling an look ), better

if in some parallel universe the 2nd gen charger continued until 74 and what became the 3rd gen charger was the continuation of the 2 door coronet i don't think people would hate them so much, i mean it would have worked out since the coronet was only available as a 4 door after 71 

who knows... But who is hating 3rd gens ?... I meant, You can like better or not, but I don't think hate is being talked

On a side note, Coronet got back in two doors by 75, then called Charger Sport on 76

[XH29N0G]

2nd gen is what I remember my dad driving as the family car.  Petty's 3rd gen is what I remember seeing on TV when my dad would watch the races.   

[moparstuart]

68 was perfect they all went down hill from there   

[Ghoste]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, no.

[Bad B-rad]

68 was perfect they all went down hill from there   

Oh come on, if we are gonna hate on Chargers, lets hate on the Cordoba/Chargers, I think we can all agree we dislike them the most,(IMO)!!!!

Petty's STP Charger is freaking awsome, it was at the Nats one year, and looks like it would be a BLAST to drive!!

[XH29N0G]

                                                     NOOOOOO! 

Lets not hate on the Cordoba - 

Remember the: "I know my own needs, and what I need from an automobile, and I know what I get from this new Cordoba."  Ricardo Montalban. 

Even that brings back memories I don't want to tarnish.

Can't we choose something some other manufacturer made.

[RECHRGD]

The Córdoba came with Corinthian leather interiors, until they ran out of Corinthians.

[Benji]

Yeah, after first Corinthians and second Corinthians there were no third Corinthians. 

Benji

[Bad B-rad]

                                                     NOOOOOO! 

Lets not hate on the Cordoba - 

Remember the: "I know my own needs, and what I need from an automobile, and I know what I get from this new Cordoba."  Ricardo Montalban. 

Even that brings back memories I don't want to tarnish.

Can't we choose something some other manufacturer made.

OK, Ok, OK, I guess your are 100% right, No trashing 4th gen but in the same token, no trashing the  Shelby' s GLH/GLHS, or the modern Hemi's.
(even though one is NOT RWD, and the other has 4 DOORS)
Plus the Cordoba/Chargers, gave me the 11.75 rotors, and brackets, to put the BIG disc brakes on my 69 Charger.
I think it was also the first  to have a Daytona tribute model. That had nothing in common with the original Daytona Charger.

[ACUDANUT]

68 was perfect they all went down hill from there   

Is that why you cloned a 70 vert ?

[DanielRobert]

I love the 71-72 charger with the swept quarter window. The rake of the front window and slight curve to the A pillar looks awesome. And the R/T tail light bezels? Whats not to like?  It is a rather offensive way to introduce yourself to the site called Dodge Charger. Maybe he's a Ford guy

[Scaregrabber]

Truth is that back in 70 the 68-70 Chargers were starting to look pretty old and behind the times compared to other automakers offerings. The 71 looked right in style when they came out. VW might have kept making their POS and selling it but that didn't work for other automakers.

[ACUDANUT]

I love the 71-72 charger with the swept quarter window. The rake of the front window and slight curve to the A pillar looks awesome. And the R/T tail light bezels? Whats not to like?  It is a rather offensive way to introduce yourself to the site called Dodge Charger. Maybe he's a Ford guy

Amen. 

[moparstuart]

68 was perfect they all went down hill from there   

Is that why you cloned a 70 vert ?

we are talking dodge chargers   , if you wanna talk plymouths they perfected them in 70   

[maxwellwedge]

The Córdoba came with Corinthian leather interiors, until they ran out of Corinthians.

They were all the Rich Corinthians....poor Corinthians need not apply.

[Bad B-rad]

The Córdoba came with Corinthian leather interiors, until they ran out of Corinthians.

They were all the Rich Corinthians....poor Corinthians need not apply.

[Bad B-rad]

 Rich Corinthian leather, is made, right next door to where they make Venetian Blinds.


Do you know how they make a Venetian blind?

POKE HIM IN THE EYES!