Is this even remotely accurate?

[lloyd3]

I just read an article that identified a Mecum Auction advertisement that stated that "only 211 '68 R/T 4-speeds were made for that model year".  I've always known that 4-gear cars were rare, like only 10% of production,  but only 211 of 'em? Really?

[armor64]

somehow i remember that from graveyard cars years ago, i think it was 211 hemi 4 speeds, and there were like 260ish hemi-autos or something like that? its crazy to think so few.

[lloyd3]

https://www.hotcars.com/fastest-small-block-v8-muscle-car/

"Sourcing a 1968 Charger R/T with the engaging four-speed manual is quite difficult these days, especially as only 211 were built to this specification as per Mecum Auctions. As a result, aside from being very rare, these classic Chargers are also expensive."

I get it now, they're only talking hemis here. The number that continues to elude me is the total of R/T 440s made with a stick.

[lloyd3]

Is there a way to search the 1968 Charger registry for that information?

[hemi-hampton]

2,743 4 speeds in the 440 in 68 R/T.

[lloyd3]

Thank you for that!  Out of 17,665 R/Ts in '68 makes for...15%. Dial-in attrition and you are likely close to half of that still in existence.

[VegasCharger]

Crazy low considering that approximately 96,000 '68 Chargers were produced.

[Mike DC]

     
The manual R/Ts were so few because automatics were still considered a glitzy option on high-horsepower models in the 1960s.  And the Torqueflite was the best hi-po automatic trans in the business at that point. 

The Charger was originally a luxury-hot-rod model.  It was not aimed at buyers of Torinos & Chevelles & Monte Carlos.  (That was the Plymouths, and Dodge's Coronet R/T & Super Bee.)  The Charger was aimed at buyers of Mercury Cyclones, Pontiac Gran Prixes, Olds Cutlasses, etc.  It only became identified with stripped-down hot-rods in later years when it was a used car.  It wasn't expensive anymore but the styling had aged really well.     

The Charger's NASCAR record also contributed to its purer hot-rod image.  But that was about aero.  Dodge's race teams would have been running Coronets if those had tested better in the wind tunnel.  (In fact the 1968 Plymouth RR body was so bad at 200 mph that it made Richard Petty switch to Fords the next year.  Plymouth had to build the Superbird to get him back.)   

[b5blue]

Charger was the Dodge Flagship model. Premium top of the line not street fighter so yea I agree 100% with Mike. 

[lloyd3]

Makes sense to me, thank you folks!  How did the numbers compare in '69 and '70?  Similar, I would suspect.

[tcs69rt]

I will look at my red book this weekend. Seems like there was a low number 68 383 4-speed cars with 2bbl carbs that were produced.

[lloyd3]

For perspective, out of the 96,100 1968 Chargers produced, 18.4 % (17,665) were R/T cars. Of those R/T cars, 2,743 were four speeds, which is 15% of R/T production.

For the bigger picture, however, out of that grand total of 96,100 1968 Charger produced, only 2.8 % were R/T 4-speeds.