Who likes '69 Charger 500s?

[375instroke]

Who do people like these, other than as a collector's item or novelty?  Who doesn't like the regular rear window and grill?

[A383Wing]

Uh oh....here we go....  

[tan top]

yep Charger 500 for me    

like the regular charger also     


   

[A383Wing]

yep Charger 500 for me    

like the regular charger also     


   

Notice the 2 drooling smiley's for the C500 in tan tops post, and only 1 drooling guy for the regular Charger...bet he needs a new keyboard now

[BigBlackDodge]

Not a big fan of the grill with exposed headlights...........looks so much better with them hidden on Gen II Chargers.


BBD

[69bronzeT5]

I like the '69 500s because they are different from other '69s. I quite like the grilles and the rear window is awesome. I love ALL '69 Chargers

[200MPH]

X2 !

[MoparManJim]

regular chargers for me 

[Akron_Charger]

wouldnt touch one! hideous, looks like a pile of dung!!! just messing with everyone.  no way I would ever turn one down C500s are very very nice cars! i dont know if ive ever seen one in person though they are extremely rare around here. i do like the regular Charger body style better from that year though but the C500s are something special

[DC_1]

C500 for me all the way. I guess maybe its the rarity that attracts me, but I like it. If I had a chance to get one I would get rid of my 68 in a heart beat.....and I love my 68!

[Back N Black]

Regular Charger for me. The 500 and the Daytona were modified so they could go fast on the track. They started out with the perfect look and style but not too aerodynamic at high speeds, so they comprised look and style for aerodynamics.

[maxwellwedge]

It's a Mopar - Ya gotta love them all (that philosophy has put me over my marital limit    ) !!

[TylerCharger69]

I prefer the regular Charger over the 500  because of the grille, of course....and I like the way the rear window sits inset.  .i like the 500 too...but not my personal preference

[69 OUR/TEA]

Since its a thread about like or dislike,here goes my opinion............had a 68 coronet.......thats where the grill belongs and should stay!!!!!I see the purpose behind making the back window flush for the aerodynamics for the actual race cars,but again,LOVE how the back window looks recessed in with sail panels on reg 69's!!!!And the 69 charger grill.............  awesome looking,center divider,badges,hideaway lights and all !!!!It pretty much is a focal point on the car for me.
I beleive that there are those who truely and actually love 500's and Daytonas,but just as well beleive that there are alot of bandwagoners out there for values and/or to be with the crowd.
Have a friend who's father worked for a dodge/plymouth dealer back at these times,stories of how these (Superbirds,don't know about the Daytonas)sat around for as far as a year or more before they were sold,and cut alot of $$$$$$ off to do so.Why the big craze now if people did'nt like them so much then??
If they were worth half of a regular 69 Charger R/T,I would love to see how big of a following there would be then!!!!!
Forget value,if there were two side by side ,a 500 and 69 Charger R/T........69 Charger R/T all the way!!!!!!!They basically wrecked two of the nicest styling points on the car,IMO.

[tan top]

Since its a thread about like or dislike,here goes my opinion............had a 68 coronet.......thats where the grill belongs and should stay!!!!!I see the purpose behind making the back window flush for the aerodynamics for the actual race cars,but again,LOVE how the back window looks recessed in with sail panels on reg 69's!!!!And the 69 charger grill.............  awesome looking,center divider,badges,hideaway lights and all !!!!It pretty much is a focal point on the car for me.
I beleive that there are those who truely and actually love 500's and Daytonas,but just as well beleive that there are alot of bandwagoners out there for values and/or to be with the crowd.
Have a friend who's father worked for a dodge/plymouth dealer back at these times,stories of how these (Superbirds,don't know about the Daytonas)sat around for as far as a year or more before they were sold,and cut alot of $$$$$$ off to do so.Why the big craze now if people did'nt like them so much then??
If they were worth half of a regular 69 Charger R/T,I would love to see how big of a following there would be then!!!!!
Forget value,if there were two side by side ,a 500 and 69 Charger R/T........69 Charger R/T all the way!!!!!!!They basically wrecked two of the nicest styling points on the car,IMO.

that would be great , if the charger 500 was half the price of a  69 charger R/T , i would buy up the ones needing resto & have a yard full of them , Y2 R6 EV2 R4 B5 ..... etc  would love mopars even if they were worthless
back when i bought my R/T SE i could of had a 69 C500 for a bout $1200 more , car in the same condition ! but i never really went much on the shape then ! & it was not Y2   knew all about the history & stuff , but i just had to buy this  R/T SE  

[grdprx]

Regular for me too.     But I own a 68.   

Not a big fan of the grill with exposed headlights...........looks so much better with them hidden on Gen II Chargers.

[Ghoste]

Why do you have to pick one over the other?  You want ambiguity, how about this?  I prefer the looks of the 69 regular Charger and the grille and tunnel back glass are a huge, huge part of that but my all time dream car by a giant margin is the 69 Charger 500 because of the grille and flush back glass. 

[moparstuart]

500 all the way

[maxwellwedge]

Regular Polara or Polara 500? 

[TruckDriver]

I like '69 500's more then the Daytona's.

[Ghoste]

I like '69 500's more then the Daytona's.

Me too.

[tan top]

I like '69 500's more then the Daytona's.

Me too.

  me three
as awesome as a Daytona is & would love to have one sitting in the garage !! got to go with a C500

[1969chargerrtse]

Since its a thread about like or dislike,here goes my opinion............had a 68 coronet.......thats where the grill belongs and should stay!!!!!I see the purpose behind making the back window flush for the aerodynamics for the actual race cars,but again,LOVE how the back window looks recessed in with sail panels on reg 69's!!!!And the 69 charger grill.............  awesome looking,center divider,badges,hideaway lights and all !!!!It pretty much is a focal point on the car for me.
I believe that there are those who truly and actually love 500's and Daytonas,but just as well believe that there are alot of bandwagoners out there for values and/or to be with the crowd.
Have a friend who's father worked for a dodge/plymouth dealer back at these times,stories of how these (Superbirds,don't know about the Daytonas)sat around for as far as a year or more before they were sold,and cut alot of $$$$$$ off to do so.Why the big craze now if people didn't like them so much then??
If they were worth half of a regular 69 Charger R/T,I would love to see how big of a following there would be then!!!!!
Forget value,if there were two side by side ,a 500 and 69 Charger R/T........69 Charger R/T all the way!!!!!!!They basically wrecked two of the nicest styling points on the car,IMO.

Agree, but I do like the wing on the back (Daytona).  I would take the smooth back with the wing over the standard roof and no wing.  Good point about how they couldn't sell them back in the day and why are they valuable now?  I guess because today we appreciate the racing history of the Muscle car area, and back in the day you had to spend all your hard working money for a car you couldn't really use in the same manner as your family 4 dr. Most cars were bought by men back then, so when the wife came along and the husband said " What's that?  He got a  .

[sittinonready43]

there might be better looking cars. but there not made yet. 68 all the way

[Blakcharger440]

I think from a design standpoint IMHO the standard charger body looks better including the grille. But I would certainly not turn down a good deal on a Charger 500 as they are still basically the same car and are awesome!!! 

[hemi68charger]

I love the C500's...... 

[PocketThunder]

 

[Brock Samson]

 welp,.. the way i feel about it is,.. 

The Charger was allready the best looking car out there, then or since,.. Smoothing the rear window and flushing out the grill could hardly harm such a masterpiece,.. even the extra bright work on the A pillars just added a little gleam to a Car that allready had little,..
So, to my way of thinking, the '69 was a Maureen O'hara while the '69 Charger 500 a Scarlett Johansson and there ya' have it!
I wouldn't kick either outta the garage for leakin' steering fluid!


                                        1969 Charger




                                       1969 Charger 500

[Dans 68]

Geez, Dave, have you ever answered a thread, or started one, that didn't have a photo or two? 

I like 'em both. And the Daytona. And the 'bird. And the ....

A honest answer from yet another '68 owner. 

Dan

[Brock Samson]

Hummm?..    what actress is the DAYTONA then?.. 

[Dans 68]

Hummm?..    what actress is the DAYTONA then?.. 

Catherine Zeta-Jones. 

Dan

[Back N Black]

Hummm?..    what actress is the DAYTONA then?.. 

Here is the actress for the Daytona! 

[Brock Samson]

 Oh, no you didn't!..    good thing the wing guys never come over here...   

[TylerCharger69]

Ewwww....that doesn't even look like a Mopar.....more like an old Ford Pinto with lots of bondo

[Back N Black]

Oh, no you didn't!..    good thing the wing guys never come over here...   

Here is a pic of the first Daytona prototype.

[WINGR]

Actually I think that might be one of them Monster Trucks.

Back to the topic, I love the regular 69 Charger but like the C500 more. I think it has alot to do with the Nascar racing heritage as well as it's race car look. As other members mentioned, I even like it's looks better than the Daytona, although I like them alot also.

WINGR

[moparstuart]

Hummm?..    what actress is the DAYTONA then?.. 

Here is the actress for the Daytona! 

NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


more like this  she's got a big nose but still a beauty

[Paul 500]

I've got a 68 R/T & a 69 500, i just love chargers

[Aero426]

Tell me this isn't an aggressive look...

[Mike DC]

Sue me, but I think Mopar took all the aero cars too far.  Particularly the Daytonas.  


If I had been running Dodge at the time, I would have looked at the Daytona rough sketch and said "Are you on drugs?!?  We could build it but NASCAR won't let us actually use that thing very long."  

They're badass cars for enthusiasts like us, but I think they were a dumb decision at the corporate level.  They incurred most of the conversion costs & appearance changes for just a small portion of the total aero gains.  IMHO the Ford versions were smarter executions of the concept when you take all the off-track factors into account.  

[hemi68charger]

Tell me this isn't an aggressive look...

That's one version I might entertain when I eventually repaint my future C500.....

[maxwellwedge]

Oh, no you didn't!..    good thing the wing guys never come over here...   

Yeah!

[69_500]

Personally I like the C500's but then again I might be biased. Granted I do have one, but I think everyone here knows that I'd drop it in a heartbeat for a Daytona. Hands down the 1969 Dodge Daytona is the greatest looking automobile ever assembled.

I do like going to local shows in the 500 though because out of the 500 people that walk around maybe 1-2 of them will actually notice that it isn't a 69 R/T.

[maxwellwedge]

I love all Mopars but my faves are the "Package Cars". Cars that were built to serve a purpose in some form of racing.

The Max Wedge
The 426 Hemi
The A990
The 68 Hemi A-Bodies
The M-Code A-Bodies
The A12's
The C500
The Daytona
The Superbird
The T/A and AAR

Mopar did what it needed to win and in doing so created some of the coolest, wildest street cars ever and that is one of the reasons I love Mopars over the others.

All Chargers are cool. What makes one better than the other is strictly personal taste.

[WINGMAN]

  I like my 69 500 because it is different and only about 231 people on this planet have one, the down side to owning one is almost no one knows what it is  , so almost every time i go to a car cruse with it you spend lotts of time explaining the different things about a 500 over a regular 69 Charger. O well  The price of having one.  Jay.

[C500]

I like the 500 car better as a whole because of the Nascar history and the rarity.

Now, IMO the 69 grill is cooler and more menacing looking than a 500 grill. If the regular 69 had the exposed headlights, and the 500 had the grill the regular 69 has, I reckon the value and desirability of the 500 would be way more than it is now.  Imagine only 392 cars with the hidden headlight grille. 

[Brock Samson]

 that's an interesting thought... 

I sure don't like the 500 grill as much they even look a lot like a Ford or Merc, but over the years I associate them now with efficiency and exclusivity, the rear window just looks slick there's no other word for it...
  The Daytona looks Sick - especially in stock form, they need to be lowered and raked with the front wheels tucked up and really fat tires... and wild paint combos. I pretty damn bored with all the stock ones nowadays...
  There I said it. 

[Aero426]

If I had been running Dodge at the time, I would have looked at the Daytona rough sketch and said "Are you on drugs?!?  

I am quite sure those words were uttered by more than one person within the company, including the styling people.   There were people within the company concerned over how the cars would affect Chrysler's image five years down the road as a beat up used car.   Thankfully, Bob McCurry was there to push the cars through.  

I don't think there was a lot of concern over how long the cars would run.    They got over a full season out of them, and the next step would have been to make the 1971 aero cars competitive.    We forget now, that at the time, styling and design was still year to year.

They're badass cars for enthusiasts like us, but I think they were a dumb decision at the corporate level.  They incurred most of the conversion costs & appearance changes for just a small portion of the total aero gains.  IMHO the Ford versions were smarter executions of the concept when you take all the off-track factors into account.  

How is producing a car that gave you measurable advertising and promotional value a dumb thing?   It got Dodge mentioned in every enthusiast publication and more, over and over.

Keep in mind that Ford had their own "Nuclear Option" on the table.  Had Bunkie Knudsen not been fired,  it probably would have happened.    Chrysler would then have had to up the ante with trying to make the '71 wing cars competitive.  

As to what Chrysler's true costs were?    I am sure they lost money on the cars themselves.    But they got a ton of free advertising and publicity.   It got people talking.  

[Mike DC]

I don't think there was a lot of concern over how long the cars would run.    They got over a full season out of them, and the next step would have been to make the 1971 aero cars competitive.    We forget now, that at the time, styling and design was still year to year.

Yes, but to be honest I'm surprised that Bill France ever allowed the first wing/nosecone car into a race.  NASCAR was/is a total dictatorship.  The Frances have made a family tradition out of rewriting the rules, completely on the fly, to just to shove one guy or one modification off the track.  

The series was selling the image of nearly "stock" cars.  Then Dodge wants to show up with a few hundred Chargers that literally looked like Navy jets next to almost 100,000 stockers selling every year?  

How is producing a car that gave you measurable advertising and promotional value a dumb thing?   It got Dodge mentioned in every enthusiast publication and more, over and over.

Keep in mind that Ford had their own "Nuclear Option" on the table.  Had Bunkie Knudsen not been fired,  it probably would have happened.    Chrysler would then have had to up the ante with trying to make the '71 wing cars competitive.  

I wasn't trying to argue against the whole concept of aero-mod cars, just the way that Mopar did some things on them.  


The rear window plug incurred most of the expense & inconvenience when they broke through the trunklid opening and had to redo the weatherseal, shorten the trunklid & recap the end of it, move the hinges, etc.  They could have just made the bottom few inches of the plug be a separate piece that went onto the top of the (stock) trunklid rather than reducing size of the lid so much.

The Mopar nosecone is more aerodynamic than the Talladega/Cyclone front ends, but the Ford/Merc solution was acres more practical.  It didn't look ridiculous & non-stock, it preserved a real bumper, the grille opening was large enough to keep the car cool, it didn't require a whole flip-up headlight assembly, etc.  

The rocker panel thing that Ford did was a stroke of genius too.  Another case of big on-track gains for very small appearance & cost compromises.  

I don't see why the Mopar rear wings weren't just fastened to the trunklids instead of being 2 feet off the deck for the trunklid to open under it.  The street cars didn't really need the wings mounted that strongly.  The racers could have easily just fabbed up some bracing inside the trunk to rest against the underside of the trunklid below the wing supports.

---------------------------------------------


It's not that I don't like the Mopar wing cars.  They were still very badass uncompromised vehicles.  

I just have grown to admire how much more practical the Ford stuff was.  They were thinking like a company that was planning to be working another aero-model under NASCAR's nose every year,and then having to build enough of them to satisfy NASCAR that they actually were stock vehicles.


                     

[Highbanked Hauler]

  I like my 69 500 because it is different and only about 231 people on this planet have one, the down side to owning one is almost no one knows what it is  , so almost every time i go to a car cruse with it you spend lotts of time explaining the different things about a 500 over a regular 69 Charger. O well  The price of having one.  Jay.

231, that's the number of 500S that exist??

[375instroke]

I thought the uprights aided directional stability.

[A383Wing]

I thought the uprights aided directional stability.

They did on the race tracks, but in order for the public to get into the trunk, they had to make the wing that high to open trunk lid. Early tests with different wing heights on the rear of the Daytona showed that lower wing about 1 foot or so above trunk lid showed best stability

(or so I heard)

[nakita7]

You asked...

Can't stand them. Never have, never will.

Oh, the history. So? Ford Talledegas are historic, but much uglier than regular Torinos, so does that mean they are cooler? Nope.

Oh, they're worth more. Wow, shows where you're at when it comes to collecting Mopars...

Oh, they're different. So are AMC Pacers.

I would venture an educated guess that some of the Armchair Stockbrokers who bought them as 'investments' when they were worth less and sold them later for big profit really love them. I apologize if I have offended any C500 owners who TRULY love them, regardless of price, rarity etc. Hey, I love 71-72 Chargers. Most Mopars guys don't. I'm 100% OK with that. Each to his own, but what I find really interesting is that every time C500's are discussed, the other factors (price, history, etc) are somehow more important than whether (or not) how stupid the grille looks. Be real for a second. Take the Charger nameplate off, forget the 'other' factors for a sec and look at the car, with the beautiful shape and look at the plain, boring grille. 71-74 Charger (non-hideaway) grilles are more intricate and exciting than that, and they aren't greatest, I'll admit that! To change a near perfect front-end, as on the 68-69 Chargers, to something 'better' like the flush mount, is exactly the same as putting a 68 Coronet grille on a 71 Cuda and saying it's better... Sorry, I don't see it.  

[richRTSE]

Personally, I love the 500's. I'm in the slow (okay, VERY SLOW) process of cloning my '70 Charger into a '69 500 440/4-speed clone and was lucky enough to find a real 500 project car (440/column shift auto) this last summer. I still plan on finishing the clone first, and then begin the resto on the '69. I'd like to keep them all, but if I ever need to sell one of my cars, it will probably be my '69 R/T SE.

There was a time when I thought they were kinda ugly, but they've really grown on me. It's hard to argue that a '69 Charger R/T isn't one of the best looking cars ever made. Its definately the best looking Charger ever made. But the 500 was a purpose-built car. Dodge wasn't trying to make the car prettier, they were trying to make it faster. You can argue the effectiveness of that, but to me thats the difference between a regular '69 and a '69 500: one was made to appeal to the masses and one was made to win races, and that appeals to me.

With the 500, Mopar was ready to be bold, to pull out all of the stops to be first, and I think thats a big part of the Mopar appeal to many people. Look at the A12 cars, the big block Darts (heavy, not much faster that a 340), the Hemi A-bodies, the high impact colors, all the wild stripe packages, Mod Tops, Wing cars, etc. To me, the 500 is another example of Mopar trying to out do everyone else, and the fact that they are rare and worth more is an added bonus.

I imagine there might be a few Ford guys out there that would argue that Shelby really screwed up the '68 Mustang by bolting on those '65 T-Bird taillights....well, maybe not.

[4forty]

Sorry but the 500 grill is butt ugly with the exposed headlights, along with the Talladega, (even though I wouldn't throw it out of bed) compared to the 68-70 front ends which are the epitome of the muscle car front end, mean & tough and generally awesome!

[tricky lugnuts]

I'd take one. While I'm at it, I'll take two!!!

Anybody seen this? It's an old review of the 1969 Charger 500, Dodge's new "Supercar." It's awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtbaQL8K9Y

[hemi68charger]

I'd take one. While I'm at it, I'll take two!!!

Anybody seen this? It's an old review of the 1969 Charger 500, Dodge's new "Supercar." It's awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtbaQL8K9Y

That was cool !!!!

[375instroke]

As to what Chrysler's true costs were?    I am sure they lost money on the cars themselves.    But they got a ton of free advertising and publicity.   It got people talking.  

How much are they spending now, with zero versions sold to the public?  Every car hand fabricated.

[375instroke]

The link to the Top Gear video sums it up for me--"Bill Bradley, the guy who designed it, was a big fan of aerodynamics, and he crafted this shape very carefully.  Unfortunately, he didn't actually know anything about aerodynamics...but who cares?"

[richRTSE]

I like this quote from that clip:

"That great gaping mouth at the front sucks up air like a whale sucks up plankton, and the rear screen makes the drag even worse..."

precisely why the needed to make the 500, to fix those engineering "flaws"...

[69charger2002]

well, here's my opinion on the 500. aside from history, value, blah blah blah. looking at a regular 69 and a 69 500.. the regular 69 is so much more appealing. i don't necessarily mind the back flush window on a 69 500, but the grill is something i just can't get over.. when you look at regular 68 69 70 chargers day in day out, a 69 500 front grill just looks so out of place, almost homemade on that car.  if i never knew about chargers before now, and a 69 500 had come up for sale, i would have gotten all excited, went to look at the car, glanced at the back end and still been excited.. then once i would have seen the front end  my reaction would be "oh damn what happened here".. if i ever bought one it would be simply because i got a screaming deal on it and knew it was worth more money than what i paid. just being honest.

[DC_1]

Like I said earlier, I would take a C500 over any other 2nd gen other than a Daytona, even with what some say is an ugly grille. That brings up my question. Did they use the Coronet grille because it was a quick off the shelf cheap solution? They could have made a more flush mount grille with flip up head lights to stay true to the Charger design. Even if they went back to something like the 67 design. It was more flush to the front panels and  in race form looks to be as aerodynamic as the Coronet grille

[richRTSE]

Like I said earlier, I would take a C500 over any other 2nd gen other than a Daytona, even with what some say is an ugly grille. That brings up my question. Did they use the Coronet grille because it was a quick off the shelf cheap solution? They could have made a more flush mount grille with flip up head lights to stay true to the Charger design. Even if they went back to something like the 67 design. It was more flush to the front panels and  in race form looks to be as aerodynamic as the Coronet grille

It was a quick off the shelf, cheap solution. I think they knew they only needed to build a few hundred of them and retaining the hideaway headlights wasn't a big concern. They were just looking for a few extra MPHs. And since all the 500s were built in the second half of 1968, they probably just used what they had laying around.

I'll admit the regular grill on a '69 is probably the best looking grille ever, but I still like the looks of the 500, and I'd argue that it looks pretty similar to '68 grille with the headlight doors open...

[375instroke]

It's not a horrible grill.  It's just boring.  I've always wanted to put a '68 Charger grill on a '68 Coronet.

[Mike DC]

 
I'm amazed that they found something so perfect to slap into there for a grille when they made the 500s.  It had to fit just like it was made for it, the headlights had to be included, it had to be flat enough across the front to be an aero gain, it had to be made within the couple recent years so the factory would have the spares and the styling would look current, etc.  


Imagine if Mopar today was trying to find a suitable other grille/headlight assy to slap into the Challenger front ends for an aero gain.  Somehow I don't think it would be that easy.  

   

[69_500]

  I like my 69 500 because it is different and only about 231 people on this planet have one, the down side to owning one is almost no one knows what it is  , so almost every time i go to a car cruse with it you spend lotts of time explaining the different things about a 500 over a regular 69 Charger. O well  The price of having one.  Jay.

231, that's the number of 500S that exist??

I'd venture to say that there are around 231 or so of the 500's still left. I have information on 261 of them and of those I only have about 20 that are listed as "gone". Either gone by the way of a crusher at a junk yard, or totaled, or burnt.

As far as why I like the 500's its purely because of their pedigree, history, and because of how rare they are. I love Chargers, but I don't want to be one who pulls into a show and parks in a row of 25 other cars that look the same as mine. Then again would it be cool to have 25 or more of the 69 Charger 500's all lined up in a row for a photo? Yes I think so. Will it ever happen? I think now. I can't think of any photo's I have ever seen with more than 10 Charger 500's in it. Even the panoramic photo of Talladega has less than 15 500's in it.

[Ryan]

Im sure some would hate me for this but if I ever had a 500 it would be a NASCAR or some kind of racecar clone / themed car. Since those cars were designed to be "racecars" I think they should be racecars.