1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Coupe (LHD)

An absolute icon of the muscle car era, the 1968-70 Dodge Chargers are one of the most attractively styled and brutally fast Mopar products and are fast gaining in popularity amongst collectors. The 1970 Charger R/T was the final year of the fastback 'Coke bottle' styling and featured only minor revisions, with a new grille and wraparound front bumper, hood scoops and bolt-on side scoops. The base model came with a 225-cid slant six, hardly capable of getting the pulse racing, but performance-oriented enthusiasts opted for the R/T high performance pack. Featuring a Magnum 440 V8 engine with four-barrel carburettor, delivering 375 hp and 480 lb/ft of torque through a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission (with the option of a rare four-speed manual).

 

The Charger is perhaps best known to car enthusiasts from the Steve McQueen film Bullitt, but the public at large will always associate the model with the 'General Lee' from the television series Dukes of Hazzard (ironically responsible for the destruction of many a good Charger). A Motor Trend road test of a 1970 Charger R/T 440 returned 0-100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and the quarter-mile at 14.9 seconds - impressive times for such a big car. Just over 17,000 R/T Chargers were built in 1968 of which a tiny number exist in Australia.