1968-70 Dodge Charger

Looks Do Matter

The second generation Charger is generally considered to be among the most beautiful cars produced during the peak of the muscle car era. Many consider it the most beautiful. From the recessed front grill with hidden headlights, to the flowing sheet metal, past the flying buttress roof to the taut, crisp rear end, it reminds us of a refined, large, expensive European GT with a good dose of strong, brash American personality. It simply looks, just right.

What to Look For

The front grill changed each year. This is the full-width horizontal '68 with vertical ribs. .

The '69 got a vertical split and some detail work.

1970 saw a return to the full width style, with some horizontal trim thrown in for good measure.

The public loved the new styling, buying over 90,000 of them -- about double the initial sales projections from Dodge marketing.

1969 brought a new split grill and long, thin horizontal taillights. Two new limited edition models joined the lineup, the 500 and mid-year, the wild Daytona (covered in a seperate article). The biggest news was a new S.E. (Special Edition) Decor Group. It was available on both the Base and R/T models and included leather and vinyl front buckets, woodgrain inserts on the dash and doors, woodgrain steering wheel, special wheel covers (Base), turn signal indicators on the hood, light package and miscellaneous upgraded trim throughout. Mechanically, little changed.

The '68 featured Euro-look quad rear taillights.

While the '69 moved to large horizontal units which remained largely intact for 1970.

The dash remained largely the same through all three years and was exceptionally attractive. This one's a '70. Gotta love that stick!

The Charger "charged" into the 1970 model year with a freshened front grill trimmed all the way around by a thin, chrome bumper. Horizontal chrome trim strips were mounted on the grill, which was once again undivided. The interior got some minor attention as well, though the overall look was the same. A new electric sliding sunroof was added to the option list. It is rare and extremely desirable today, but most leaked and rotted out at some point during their life so pay close attention to the workmanship around the opening, the tracks, the electrics and the sliding panel itself.

The Charger came in many flavors. This SE ('69) and the R/T ('68, top) could be optioned up into an impressive large, luxury GT.

A mid-range model, the 500 (not to be confused with the previous year's aero 500), joined the lineup. In addition, the R/T got the 6-pack 440/390hp option that debuted in many Mopar models midway through the '69 model year. Finally, wild color options were offered this year on many Mopar models, and the Charger was no exception. Panther Pink, Hemi Orange, Sub Lime, Plum Crazy and Top Banana were the amusing descriptors.

But even with all this, production fell dramatically to less than 47,000.

The Market

Along with the rest of the muscle car market, values have jumped markedly over the last few years. Our data indicates that the Charger actually started their rise about a year before the bulk of the muscle car market, making it a category leader.

Moving to the option sheet, factory air, power convenience options, buckets with console, and front disc brakes are all a plus. Of course, the 383 in the Base model is a plus, though most were 318's. We'll mention the power sunroof one more time, too, as owning one of these will put you in a pretty elite Charger owner's group. The four-speed still brings a bit more money, but we think the automatic is more in line with the car's character. Hemi excepted, of course. Besides, we've seen a reduction in the premium of the 4-speed vis a vis automatics in muscle cars over the years. Buyers are older and less interested in constantly rowing a shifter, and much of the younger set seems to prefer the slush box.

Generally, the more options the better, but a strippo, performance-only version is desirable, too. Particularly the '69 aero 500 model. Overall, though, there aren't too many R/T's out there with no options as most buyers went pretty deep into the option sheet. Most Chargers have a vinyl roof. The reason for this is that Dodge shipped them that way for dealer inventory as they must've thought they looked better with one than without one. They don't appear to affect value either way. There were some specialty vinyl roof treatments such as "Gator Top" and "Floral Top" available in 1970 on many Mopar models, but other than a handful of Gators almost all appear to have been given the regular grain treatment.

What will one set you back today? (Updated 2020 pricing) A strong #3, 440 R/T with limited options will require at least $45,000, more with some of the desirable options. Even Base models with a 318 are $30,000, more with the 383. SE models will add at least $10,000 or so. The price goes nowhere but up from here ad options are added, horsepower rises and/or condition improves -- $100k is not unreasonable. A Hemi R/T goes even further.

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(C) Copyright 2006- VMR International, Inc. All rights reserved. This article first appeared in the February 2006 issue of Collector Car Market Review.