In its classic muscle car incarnation, the Dodge Charger built between the years 1966 and 1974. It was a mid-sized car, a two-door coupe based on the Chrysler B platform. It was conceived to take on the Ford Mustang and the Plymouth Belvedere, though with a bigger engine.

The Dodge Charger re-appeared in 1975 - 1978, based on the Chrysler Cordoba, from 1983 - 1987 as a 3-door hatchback, the 1999 Dodge Charger R/T concept car, and the Dodge Charger L/X, sold from 2005 to the present day.

In a speech given in 2004, Bert Bouwkamp, Dodge’s chief designer in the early 1960s, outlined the genesis of the idea for the Charger. It came into being due to pressure from Dodge dealers, who wanted a Dodge car to take on the Plymouth Barracuda. Bouwkamp’s first move was to make a concept car, that was displayed at auto shows in 1965. He had a strong inkling that the Charger would indeed be a production car, but the company still looked for feedback at the shows, and overall the feedback was positive. So the Dodge Charger was given a green light.

Like other Chrysler cars, the Charger was not a new car from the ground up, rather it was a fastback version of the Coronet 2-door hardtop. The engine was indeed muscle, the a choice of four V8 engines: 318 cu in (5.2 L) 2-barrel, the 361 cu in (5.9 L) 2-barrel, the 383 cu in (6.3 L) 4-barrel, and the new 426 Street Hemi. The high-performance nature of the Charger, along with features such as hidden headlamps, 4 bucket seats, center console and collection of electroluminescent gauges, captured the car buying public’s excitement. The 1966 Dodge Charger saw sales of 37,344, an excellent figure given its mid-year release.

In 1967 the Dodge Charger remained V8-powered, with the 44 Magnum and its 375 bhp engine added to the options, and the 361 cu in (5.9 L) V8 replaced by a 383 cu in (6.3 L) engine.

The continuing success of the Charger saw it get a redesign in 1968: new grille, a slight ‘spoiler’ kick-up added to the rear, dual circular tail lights, Sales of the 1968 Dodge Charger: 92,590. Of this total, Of these 17,665 were sold with the R/T package, 440 Magnum engine and 'Scat Pack' bumblebee stripes on the rear of the car. 475 were sold with the Hemi engine. As with other years, sales would have been higher, but Dodge was producing as many Charger as it could.

Stylewise there was little change in 1969, but sales remained strong at 89,199. It was the 1969 Dodge Charger that was made famous in the mid-70s TV show, “The Dukes of Hazzard”, so named The General Lee.

Chasing NASCAR racing success in 1969 saw Dodge add two high performance models to the range, the Charger 500 and the Charger Daytona. Both were more aerodynamic than previous models, and both had the benefit of engine size increase, and more highly specced transmission, amongst other mechanical refinements. The Charger 500 ran the 426 Hemi and the 440 Magnum, while the Daytona 500 ran the 440 Magnum Engine with 375 hp, and the 426 Hemi with 425 hp. The work was justified, as both cars were extremely successful on the racetrack.

From 1970 on, external influences began to cut into not only the power output of the Charger’s engine, but also it sales. The 1971 car mostly retained its muscle, but lost a few inches from its wheelbase. In 1972 tighter emission controls saw Dodge forced to reduce engine output. The V8 Hemi option was no longer, and the low-compression 440 Magnum (280-hp) engine was now the most powerful option.

The 1974 had the 275 bhp 440 engine as its top choice, and was the last Dodge Charger given the label muscle car. In 1975 it was marketed instead as a 'personal luxury car'.