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Car Of The Day: September 14, 2009; Matchbox Premiere '74 Dodge Challenger
Topic Started: Sep 14 2009, 02:21 AM (722 Views)
Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Today's car of the day is Matchbox's 1974 Dodge Challenger.

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Wikipedia
 
The Challenger is described in a book about 1960s American cars as Dodge’s "answer to the Mustang and Camaro." It was one of two Chrysler E-body cars, the other being the slightly smaller Plymouth Barracuda. "Both the Challenger and Barracuda were available in a staggering number of trim and option levels" and were intended "to compete against cars like the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, and to do it while offering virtually every engine in Chrysler's inventory." However they were "a rather late response to the ponycar wave the Ford Mustang had started." The author of a book about "Hemi"-powered muscle cars says that the Challenger was conceived in the late 1960s as Dodge’s equivalent of the Plymouth Barracuda, and that the Barracuda was designed to compete against the Mustang and Camaro. He adds that Chrysler intended the new Dodge as "the most potent ponycar ever," and positioned it "to compete against the Mercury Cougar and Pontiac Firebird." Similarly, the author of a book about the Chrysler pony-cars notes that "[t]he Barracuda was intended to compete in the marketplace with the Mustang and Camaro/Firebird, while the Dodge was to be positioned against the Cougar" and other more luxury-type musclecars.

The Challenger's longer wheelbase, larger dimensions and more luxurious interior were prompted by the launch of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, likewise a bigger, more luxurious and more expensive pony car aimed at affluent young American buyers. The wheelbase, at 110 inches (2,794 mm), was two inches longer than the Barracuda, and the Dodge differed substantially from the Plymouth in its outer sheetmetal, much as the Cougar differed from the shorter-wheelbase Ford Mustang.

Exterior design was done by Carl Cameron, who also did the exterior for the 1966 Dodge Charger. Cameron based the 1970 Challenger grille off an older sketch of his 1966 Charger prototype that was to have a turbine engine. The Charger never got the turbine, but the Challenger got that car's grille. Although the Challenger was well-received by the public (with 76,935 produced for the 1970 model year), it was criticized by the press, and the pony car segment was already declining by the time the Challenger arrived. Sales fell dramatically after 1970, and Challenger production ceased midway through the 1974 model year. About 165,500 Challengers were sold over this model's lifespan.


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For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Challenger

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While it may not be the best Challenger casting in existance, it was the first, and only one for many years. Oddly enough, Matchbox chose to model this car right around the time the real car was discontinued. As such, the car stayed in the Matchbox lineup for two decades. The original issue featured two hood scoops made of plastic poking through the hood. In the early '80s, after Lesney was purchased by Universal the Challenger tool was modified into a dragster with fat rear tires and the current blower configuration sticking through the hood. Sometime in the Tyco era (yes, Matchbox has gone through a lot of owners over the years!) the base recast so the car could once again have similar size wheels on all four corners, but these were larger than the original wheels in the Lesney era. This is a Premiere issue and it makes it hard to believe this casting was twenty years old at the time this version was released. And in the Mattel era this tooling disappeared, probably sometime around the time the Matchbox team transitioned from New Jersey to California. My favorite part is the PLM CRZY license plate. Maybe I'm just overly sentimental about this casting since I had many different versions as a kid, but it remains a favorite to this day. GreenLight should have a version of the Challenger out in the near future, and it's supposed to include all model years of the original Challenger. Until then this is the only 1974 Challenger casting out there.

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Wikipedia
 
Four hardtop models were offered: Challenger Six, Challenger V8, T/A Challenger, and Challenger R/T with a convertible version available only in 1970 and 1971. The standard engine on the base model was the 225 cu in (3.7 L) six-cylinder. Standard engine on the V8 was the 230 bhp (171.5 kW) 318 cu in (5.2 L) V8 with a 2-barrel carburetor. Optional engines were the 340 cu in (5.6 L) and 383 cu in (6.3 L) V8s, all with a standard 3-speed manual transmission, except for the 290 bhp (216.3 kW) 383 CID engine, which was available only with the TorqueFlite automatic transmission. A 4-speed manual was optional on all engines except the 225 CID I6 and the 383 CID V8.

The performance model was the R/T (Road/Track), with a 383 CID Magnum V8, rated at 335 bhp (249.8 kW). Standard transmission was a 3-speed manual. Optional R/T engines were the 375 bhp (279.6 kW) 440 cu in (7.2 L) Magnum, the 390 bhp (290.8 kW) 440 CID Six-Pack and the 425 bhp (316.9 kW) 426 cu in (7 L) Hemi. The R/T was available in either the hardtop or convertible. Base hardtop models and R/T hardtops could be ordered with the more luxurious SE specification, which included leather seats, a vinyl roof, a smaller 'formal' rear window, and an overhead interior console that contained three warning lights (door ajar, low fuel, and seatbelts). The Challenger R/T came with a Rallye instrument cluster that included a 150 mph (240 km/h) speedometer, an 8,000 rpm tachometer, and an oil pressure gauge. In 1973, the R/T badging was dropped and these models were called "Rallye", although they was never badged as such. The shaker hood scoop was not available after 1971.

A 1970-only model was the Dodge Challenger T/A (Trans Am) racing homologation car. In order to race in the Sports Car Club of America's Trans American Sedan Championship, it built a street version of its race car (just like Plymouth with its Plymouth 'Cuda AAR) which it called the Dodge Challenger T/A (Trans Am). Although the race cars ran a destroked version of the 340, street versions took the 340 and added a trio of two-barrel carburetors atop an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold, creating the 340 Six Pack. Dodge rated the 340 Six Pack at 290 bhp (216.3 kW), only 15 bhp (11 kW) more than the original 340 engine (and mysteriously the same rating as the Camaro Z/28 and Ford Boss 302 Mustang), it actually made about 320 bhp (238.6 kW). It breathed air through a suitcase sized air scoop molded into the pinned down, hinged matte-black fiberglass hood. Low-restriction dual exhausts ran to the stock muffler location under the trunk, then reversed direction to exit in chrome tipped "megaphone" outlets in front of the rear wheels. Options included a TorqueFlite automatic or pistol-grip Hurst-shifted four-speed transmission, 3.55:1 or 3.90:1 gears, as well as manual or power steering. Front disc brakes were standard. The special Rallye suspension used heavy duty parts and increased the camber of the rear springs. The T/A was among the first production vehicles to use different size tires front and rear: E60x15 fronts, and G60x15 in back. The modified camber elevated the tail enough to clear the rear rubber and its side exhaust outlets, thick side stripes, bold ID graphics, a fiberglass ducktail rear spoiler, as well as a fiberglass front spoiler added to the image. The interior was strictly stock Challenger. Unfortunately, the race Challenger T/A was not competitive, due to the fact that they had to be large enough to accommodate engines as large as the 426 Hemi, and 440, the street version suffered from severe understeer in fast corners. It could turn mid 14s in the quarter mile, which would do any small block muscle car proud. The T/A would only be available for 1970 as Dodge pulled out of Trans Am racing. Only 2,142 T/As were made. A 1971 model using the 340 engine with a 4-barrel carburetor was planned and appeared in period advertising, but was not produced.

The "Western Special" was a version available only to west coast dealers. It came with a rear-exit exhaust system and Western Special identification on the rear decklid. Some examples came with a vacuum-operated trunk release. Another late production version was the low-priced "Deputy", stripped of some of the base car's trim and with fixed rear side glass.

By 1972, the convertible version and all the big-block engine options were gone. Maximum power was also downgraded to 240 horsepower (180 kW) to reflect the more accurate Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) net hp calculations. The 1972 models also received a new grille that extended beneath the front bumper.

The 1973 models were no longer available with a six-cylinder engine. For 1974, the 340 cu in (5.6 L) engine was replaced by a 360 cu in (5.9 L) version, but the pony car market had deteriorated and production of Challengers ceased in mid-1974.


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be77bt
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be77bt
*In Memory Of*
it is nice ,but not for me.
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Celica Baby
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Can you see what I'm saying?
I like the color, but the body style isn't my favorite.
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diecastdingo
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Minivan
Obviously MB was still competing against HWs then...
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
Yep. Not many Challengers in the small scale yet, at that time. And now, we're inundated. Ho hum.
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

The paint detail for the time period is quite good. Can't say the same for the casting or the wheels.

At least everyone should now figure out this week's theme. B)
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