The Story of the E-body
In the sixties, when the pony cars made their appearance, the Chrysler Corporation made some bad choices.
They wher
e first in the pony car era, but they bet on the wrong horse, going forward with models bigger and heavier than the other pony cars at that time.
They had the Dodge Dart and the Plymouth Barracuda, and although these where good cars, they didn’t have the same success as the other pony cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird.
In 1965 The Chrysler Corporation started the development of a new E-body, and that project took a turn for the better when they, in 1967, realized that the where missing a real competitor to the more luxurious Mercury Cougar, which surfaced that year. This was the seed in which Dodge Challenger and the new Plymouth Barracuda was grown from.
Technically, the e-body was in large a copy of their bigger B-body family members, Charger and Coronet.
The design of these cars included a long hood and a short rear end, rear seats that only small kids could fit in, not the best family cars, but that really didn’t matter. The design was worthy of a muscle car, so who cares about the practicality.
The Options
The standard 1970 Dodge Challenger, with a six cylinder engine, had a price tag of 2.851 dollars.
If you paid 102 dollars more, you got an engine with eight cylinders (a V8 of course).
For another 415 dollars you got an R/T, which included an 383 engine with 335 stallions, better brakes, better suspension and bigger wheels. The R/T package contained a long list of extras, like the free option of having a “Bumble Bee” stripe around the rear end, or perhaps a side-stripe.
You could also get “high impact” colors on the car, in which this stripes had a fluorescent color. These choices was entirely up to the buyer.
If you wanted more luxury, the SE model where the choice for you. It had leather seats, a roof console. The exterior had a vinyl roof and a small rear window.
If you wanted the HEMI option, which included the 426 HEMI engine with 425 hp, two four barreled carburetors and a three speed automatic transmission, you had to depart with 1.227.50 dollars. This also had the option of a 4-speed manual transmission with the ever popular Hurst shifter.
If you opted for the manual transmission, which was not uncommon, the car had to be equipped with the “Track Package” or “Super Track Pak”. This included amongst other things the Dana 60 rear axle.
You had the options of different hoods to, the standard flat hood, the R/T hood with two air inlets. On the Hemi and 440 sixpack you had the option of the Shaker Hood, which later also became available for all models with a four barreled carburetor. There was also a fiberglass hood with a T/A scoop, which also was available to the cars with a 340 or larger engine.
To buy one of these in good shape today is beyond the grasp for most people. These cars sells for insane prices at the actions. But if you are in the position to get one, you will have a real collectors item and a piece of important car history at your disposal.