Dodge Challenger Timeline
A Brief History of this Classic Muscle Car
| 1964 | The muscle car era is booming and Dodge decides to make its first entry to Challenge the competition. |
| 1965 | Work officially begins on the Dodge-badged pony car. It is to be based on its elder cousin, the Plymouth Baracuda, but with a stretched frame that increased interior room and improved stability. |
| 1968 | Prototypes of the then new Dodge Challenger are seen by public. |
| 1969 | The new 1970 Dodge Challenger initial model offering is introduced in Midwest Dodge Dealerships during August 1969. Challengers are first spotted on Antioch roads later that same month. |
| 1970 | The years of planning pay off big in the first full year of the Dodge Challenger. Built from the ground up to challenge the competition, the Challenger is an instant success literally blowing the field away. Its powerful engine options include the 426 HEMI (with a whopping 425bhp) made famous since finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd at its introductory Daytona 500 race, with Richard Petty's number 43 car finishing first. |
| 1970 | Dodge decides to enter the Challenger into Sports Car Club of America's Trans American Sedan Championship Racing and in order to do so had to build a street version - thus the Dodge Challenger T/A (TransAm). The three two-barreled carbureted 340 engines became known as the 340 six pack. Officially and mysteriously (some say the government played a roll as the as the Camaro Z/28 and Ford Boss 302 Mustang had the same numbers) topped out at 290 bhp, although actually performing better – aprroximately 350 bhp. |
| 1971 | This was the beginning of the end of the pony car era as new government regulations reduced performance and Dodge had to detune the 383 engine down to 300 bhp. Dodge withdrew the Challenger from Trans Am Racing and although the T/A version made it into sales literature, it was never actually built. Sales plunged more than 50%. While the Challenger's reputation for unmatched speed was growing, it received some bad press for its cornering capabilities. Some dealers tried to improve sales by pushing for an official Indianapolis 500 pace car edition, but as the pace car crashed into a press box, injuring several reporters this actually had the opposite affect. |
| 1972 | Amid government intervention the 426 HEMI is no longer offered, and the R/T (Road and Track) performance version is dropped altogether. It was replaced by the Ralleye model that had a smaller 318 engine that only reached 150 bhp. During that time some noted that the new front-end styling which had downturned ends on its new grille was showing it's sad face to it's emasculation. Sales dropped even further. |
| 1973 | While sales were still lower than the original Challnger models, sales actually increased this year amid an improved year for all muscle cars. To all it could to keep power up amid tightening emissions standards, the 340 240bhp engine was replaced during the year with a new 360 245 bhp. |
| 1974 | This was the short-lived Dodge Challenger's last year – and the beginning of the economy car era. At the time, many critics did not miss |
| 1978 | A rebadged Mitsubishi Galant appears with the Dodge Challenger name, but the name is all it shared with the original models. It's hardly worth mentioning its small four-banger. Originally built to compete in the new smaller luxury car market due to gas shortages, the appearance of the Dodge version was targeted towards the performance market – but without any mechanical enhancements. |
| 1983 | The rebadge Challenger is discontinued as was the Galant. While to many it was a reliable car with decent handling, it was never a muscle car and was not missed. |
| 1996 | The HEMI is back. Studies to build a new high-power engine conclude that a modern version of the HEMI engine will meet/exceed all objectives. |
| 1999 | The HEMI concept is approved and the first test vehicle with the 5.7L V8 HEMI is built. |
| 2002 | The 5.7L HEMI appears in production vehicles. Starting with Ram Trucks over the next several years new models appear with the engine. |
| 2004 | Dodge management entertains the idea of an all new Dodge Challenger |
| 2005 | Rumors start to surface of the rebirth of the High-Powered Dodge Challenger pony car, late in 2005 photos emerge that many suspect are Challenger prototypes. |
| 2005 | Anticipating the rebirth, many components of the 5.7 liter HEMI are either modified or upgraded to create a new higher performance 425 hp SRT 6.1 liter HEMI engine – soon to be seen on racetracks everywhere. |
| 2006 | Early in the year car magazines begin publishing articles covering the new Dodge Challenger, confirming the 2005 photos. The Dodge Challenger concept makes its debut at the January Detroit Auto Show. |
| 2007 | In December Antioch Dodge starts taking orders for the limited edition all new 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 |
| 2008 | In June Antioch Dodge begins delivery of Challengers to Chicago, Milwaukee and the entire Midwest area. |
| 2008 | Much praise is lavished on the new vehicle. While delivering on the power aspects of the original Challengers, the reincarnation sports much improved handling, great gas mileage (especially for a muscle car), and a host of new technology while immediately evoking the look and feel of the original vehicle. |
| Today | Your Dodge Challenger is waiting for you at Antioch Dodge's ChallengerWarehouse.com – serving Antioch IL, Milwaukee WI, Chicago IL and the entire Midwest. |