Dodge Charger Facts for Kids

1969 Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger is a famous American car made by the Dodge company, which is part of Chrysler. Over the years, many different cars have used the Charger name. They have been built on different car frames, called chassis.

History of the Dodge Charger
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History of the Dodge Charger

Let's look at some important times in the Charger's history:

Early Chargers: 1966 to 1968

The first Dodge Charger came out in 1966. It was based on another Dodge car, the Coronet, but it had a cool "fastback" roof that sloped down at the back. Inside, it had four bucket seats and a long console in the middle.

These early Chargers had powerful Engines, like the 318, 361, 383, and the famous 426 Hemi engine. The numbers like 318 or 426 tell you the size of the engine in cubic inches. Drivers could choose from different transmissions (the system that sends power to the wheels), including manual (where you shift gears yourself) or automatic.

In 1968, the Charger got a new look to help it sell better. It became a very popular muscle car, which means it was a powerful, high-performance car.

Luxury and Racing: 1975 to 1978

In 1975, Dodge introduced the Charger SE. This car was very similar to the Chrysler Cordoba and was designed to be a luxury car, focusing on comfort. It came with a 360 cubic inch engine, and you could also get a 318 or 400 cubic inch engine.

A new Charger Daytona model also came out with bigger tires. However, this car looked nothing like the special Daytona Chargers used in NASCAR races. Even though Dodge Chargers won many NASCAR races in 1975, those wins were with the older 1974 Charger models. The 1975 Chargers were too heavy for racing.

Around 1978, Chrysler, the company that owns Dodge, was having some money problems. But a leader named Lee Iacocca helped turn the company around, and by 1983, Chrysler was doing well again.

Modern Chargers: 2006 to 2014

The Dodge Charger made a big comeback in 2006. This new Charger was a four-door sedan, which means it had four doors and a separate trunk. It was built on a new platform (the basic structure of the car) that was similar to the Chrysler 300. This new Charger was a rear-wheel drive car, meaning the engine's power went to the back wheels.

In 2011, the next version of the Charger was released. Its design looked a lot like the classic muscle car Chargers from the late 1960s. The standard engine was a 3.6-liter V6, called the Pentastar. This V6 engine had 292 hp (horsepower is a way to measure how powerful an engine is).

This Charger was also very fuel-efficient for its size, getting about 21 mpg (miles per gallon) in the city and 31 mpg on the highway with an 8-speed automatic transmission. This combination allowed the Charger to go from 0 to 60 mph (miles per hour) in just 6.6 seconds! You could get it with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (where power goes to all four wheels for better grip).