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  Dodge Challenger Story - Page 4

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Read the German Version

 

 
 

The Challenger arrived at what seemed like an opportune time. Ford had only a lightly warmed-over Mustang, ditto Mercury with the Cougar and AMC with the Javelin, and Chevy and Pontiac made do initially with '69 leftovers.

  

With 3.23:1 gearing, MT’s Challenger did the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds at 90 mph, consistent with Sanders' prediction that you shouldn’t expect "ETs in the 13.0-second range." Later, the magazine ran a 340 model with four-speed and 3.55:1 axle but far fewer options, and recorded slightly better times than with the loaded R/T. Normally staid Road Test magazine ended up with a hemi-engine test car and, a surprise, were somewhat blinded by the brute’s charms. The editors notched a 14-second quarter-mile at a blistering 104 mph-and in-town average fuel consumption of just 6.5 mpg.

Sanders praised the Challenger’s styling as "right now," but was guarded about the car’s long-term prospects. He pointed out that the ponycar market was sagging badly in 1970. Muscle car buyers continued to favor big-inch intermediates, which packed the same potent engines and weighed about the same as the hottest ponies but had more room, while those interested in more balanced machinery tended to look toward the genuine sports and GT cars from Europe. Nevertheless, the Challenger arrived at what seemed like an opportune time. Ford was flogging a Mustang only lightly warmed over for 1970, ditto Mercury with the Cougar and AMC with the Javelin, and Chevy and Pontiac dealers had to make do with `69 leftovers until the all-new second-generation Camaro/Firebird was launched at mid-season.
     

In retrospect, however, it’s clear the Challenger was way too late out of the gate. Dodge released a steady stream of accessories to keep the new model faddishly current as the year progressed, and by January you could order flat-black rear window louvers, front and rear spoilers, a "shaker" hood with protruding air cleaner assembly, and other "image" items. But by that time the performance era was at an end. Newly imposed insurance surcharges on high-power cars all but killed the market almost overnight. Smaller engines with less horsepower (at least on paper) were suddenly fashionable – and far more affordable - and "performance" was now equated less with tire-burning acceleration and more with a balance between straightline go and superior handling.