Dodge cars had always enjoyed a reputation for reliability and rugged construction, as evidenced by the company's 1940 slogan 'Dodge engineering costs nothing extra' but, along with every other US auto maker, the marque's image was transformed during the '50s. Practicality gave way to styling and new V8 engines replaced the old six-cylinder units. When, in 1964, the emphasis swung onto performance, Dodge was right there with the best of them, churning out muscle cars that have since become part of American automotive folklore. Charger, Challenger and Super Bee were some of the most feared names on the street and at the drag strip in the late Sixties and with very good reason. Horsepower came from the Chrysler family of Hemi and Magnum V8 engines, while Dodge designers produced a collection of beautiful bodies to wrap around them, thereby creating some of the finest muscle cars ever to come out of Detroit.
Surely no classic auto enthusiast could possibly resist the temptation of a brutally curvaceous 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T? And what about the quirky appeal of a Super Bee? Or the angular fastback menace of a '66 Dodge Charger with a big Hemi V8?
Few of us will ever be lucky enough to experience, first-hand, the sensation of driving one of these classic muscle machines, but this book gives everyone an opportunity to appreciate the staggering performance levels they achieved. No wonder the company's sales pitch in the '60s was 'Join the fun....catch Dodge fever'.
Full of contemporary road & comparison tests & technical data & racing. Models covered: Charger, R/T, Hemi, SE, Polara 500, Dart GT V8, GTS, 880, Coronet, Monaco, 440, Super Bee, Challenger, Magnum & Demon. 136 pages, 375 illus. 15 color pages
