1969 Dodge Charger Hemi 426
The Dodge Charger is a mid-size automobile that was produced by Dodge from 1966 to 1978, and was based on the Chrysler B platform.
Chrysler racing engineers installed the 426ci Race Hemi motor and the Chrysler A-833 four-speed transmission into their new steed, with an 8 ¾” Posi rearend with 3.23:1 gears to put the power to the track. The stock suspension was heavily modified with reinforced control arms and air shocks in the rear to enable height adjustability.
Inside, the Charger had become decidedly less upscale than the prior model. The original’s four-bucket seat design was ditched, with a conventional bench seat occupying the rear. Up front, buckets could be ordered to replace the standard bench. The dash was noticeably downscaled, with the elaborate gauges of the outgoing model replaced with a more conventional layout.
The car was rechristened the Charger 500, and Dodge ramped up to produce 500 street-going versions to comply with the NASCAR homologation rules. All were to be fitted with either the 440 Magnum or its big-block stablemate, the 426 Hemi.
At some point though, someone noticed that NASCAR’s governing body wasn’t really keeping track of how many cars were being built, and so only 392 ever left the factory to be purchased by the public.
