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Est. 2015 — Automotive Stories for Cars Enthusiasts
MOTORJUNKIE
Cars Page 10 of 20

Dodge Charger History: The Bad Boy of the Muscle Car Scene

  1. Dodge Shelby Charger

The L-Body Charger was a forgettable car that wasn’t especially popular or fast. But when Carroll Shelby, who was involved with Chrysler in those days, introduced the Shelby Charger, the car finally gained some respect.

Shelby’s recipe was simple: turbocharge the existing 2.2-liter four-cylinder to deliver 175 HP and equip it with a close ratio five-speed manual gearbox. He also wanted to stiffen the suspension and improve the braking. All those changes turned the boring Charger into a Shelby Charger which delivered a vivid performance.

It could even outrun most production muscle cars of the period. They sold the Shelby Charger alongside their regular models in Dodge dealerships. However, Shelby bought the last 1,000 of them and turned them into the Charger GHLS. They were similar to the Shelby Omni GHLS with the same engine and platform.

Written by
Vukasin Herbez
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