1968 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi Muscle Car Of The Week Episode 296
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi Muscle Car Of The Week Episode 296
Dodge called the new for 1968 Charger design “The Clean Machine”, and they weren’t kidding. This was perhaps one of the smoothest designs from any American car maker, with bold shapes, crisp lines, and a timeless aggressive look that still wow’s ‘em today. Speedy looking aircraft inspired contours in the hood and doors and a buttressed rear window design stood out. “A Mach 2 jet on wheels” as Dodge called it. Superbad is what we call it.
But is a bad looking ride truly a bad ride without the stones to back it up? Thankfully, the Charger R/T didn’t have that problem, as even the base version rocked a 440 Magnum rated at 375 HP. But of course, there were options, and the first buyer of our feature car wisely checked the box marked “426 Hemi” on the sheet, and this one came with the 425 HP, dual-quad legend under the hood.
We tend to think of Hemi cars in terms of the engine. 2-4 barrels, high flow hemispherical heads, solid lifter cam, 10.25:1 compression, 490 lb. ft. of torque, and all that jazz. This one is backed with a 4-speed manual transmission. Dodge compared the precise shifting action to a “sharp ax striking soft pine.” This But there is far more to the R/T than the engine alone.
The R/T name stood for Road / Track, and Dodge upgraded the suspension with stiffer torsion bars, an oversized front sway bar, and matched shocks for better handling. These items were all standard on R/Ts, and Dodge noted in a magazine ad that they “hoped they didn’t take the fun away from the do-it-yourself crew” for installing these items at the factory. R/Ts got heavy duty brakes with front discs as an option. Ours rolls on black steel wheels with hubcaps wrapped in redline tires… the look is spot-on.
426 Hemi equipped Dodge Chargers received an extra leaf spring on the passenger side to help keep body roll and the rear axle under control during hard launches, and while this feature is the stuff of legends, I’ve often wondered about the overall effect on handling. Dodge claimed this car was good in the twisties, but I can’t imagine a rear suspension with two different spring rates was consistent and predictable in the turns. BUT, the heavy Hemi didn’t help with balance up front, either.
The wide dash is well equipped with gauges with actual numbers, starting with an 8000 RPM tach redlining at 5k, surrounding an analog clock. The 150 mph speedometer is inspiring, and we’re glad to see the 76,000 plus miles on the odometer… that means this car has had plenty of fun playing on the streets. Other gauges include fuel, temperature, oil pressure, and amps, and they all have numbers, too. An AM Radio and a heater fill the other holes, and we like the matte black dash trim face. This car sports the optional full-length console between the flat bucket seats, with a round shift ball on the end of the long chrome shifter. and the map pockets in the doors were a convenient place to stash your stuff.
In nature, bee stripes are a sign of danger, and the bumble bee stripes tell the competition that this Charger is part of the scat pack, and it’s not afraid to show you it’s taillights. From The Brothers Collection.
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1968 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi Muscle Car Of The Week Episode 296 - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
In my humble 67 year old gear head opinion, the ‘68 Hemi Charger is the greatest muscle car of all time.
Like the 70 myself
Absolutely. I agree 100 percent. Followed by a 69 A12 440+6 Roadrunner/Super Bee, and a 70 or 71 Hemi Cuda. I'm a Ford guy but Mopar ruled the muscle car era in my opinion
I agree my G
69 here
@@zackvanderhoff1095 I love the A12 cars. They are definitely in my top 3 favorite muscle cars ever made along with a 67 Coronet R/T or Belvedere GTX and a 68 Charger R/T. My dad bought an orange/black Roadrunner brand new in 1969. It had the 383 and the 727 automatic transmission. I loved that car. My grandmother would smoke the tires whenever she took off because she wasn't used to a car with that kind of power lol Not a big fan of the wing cars but I sure would love to own one still
As a huge mopar fan, this Charger gets a 11/10
No man, you're under scoring it. Got to be a solid 12.
42, man...the answer for the Universe itself.
I was thinking the exact same thing. It's above 10 all day long sir.
100/10
As the owner of a B5 blue '68 hemi charger, I have to agree, these cars spin more heads than a tornado.
Subtle they are not.
The 68 Charger is the finest, most complete car ever designed.
Love 68.charger
Best year of Charger, best engine, best transmission
@Buster Cherry If they mass produced a charger with the looks of the "Super Charger", it would sell so fast.
@Buster Cherry You do know that the 1968 charger had a slant six engine base model, don't you? So ignorant...
@Blizzard XXL -Less powerful than a 5.7 litre???...Gonna call bullshit on that,pal...3rd gen Hemi(5.7) doesn't make anywhere near the power of the 426 Hemi BB.
5.7 is rated at 375 hp....426 -425hp @ 5,000 rpm...Problem with that rating...the 426 could rev to 6,000rpm...making it more like 470hp.
YOURS doesn't have anywhere near the class of a 68 Charger.
Nope the transmission limits the top speed of the charger, it's gearing also isn't very good for accelerating corners.
As a diehard GM guy, the 68-70 Chargers are one of the best looking cars from that era...and thats the bottom line!
I Agree with you Bob. But they were "land yachts". Impossible to steer (even in a straight line). And the shift was horrible (nowhere near an m22 fine spline rock crusher with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter).GM also had looks & power.
@@angeloparis7963 -Gonna have to disagree with you there,regarding steering...I owned a 68 Charger for 4 years(in that very same colour combo),and it's handling was every bit as good as an 86 Nissan Navara I owned previously.
As for the gearboxes...Nothing GM came out could compete with a Torqueflight Auto or an A-833 four speed
@@68bobba2 Dont forget Fords 4 Sp Top Loader and C6 FMX Auto. And the 9' diff just rounded it out nicely. Either box with that diff, and you pretty much had an unbreakable combo.
@@angeloparis7963 None of those big block cars had very good handling back then. The small block cars like the Z28 and BOSS 302 handled way better than the big block cars but weren't quite as fast in a straight line. In some cases the small block cars we're actually quicker though but not typically
I was always a Chevy guy, but still loved the Mopars. Now that I'm older, I appreciate all of the cars from that era and it would be impossible for me to pick a favorite but here are a few in no particular order: 1970 Chevelle SS LS6 454 (I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it), 1970 AAR 'Cuda (perhaps the nicest looking muscle car of all time), 1967 Ford Mustang GT Fastback 390 S-Code, 1969 AMC AMX 390 with Go Package.
I’m a Born & Raised a GM guy (Pontiac Chevrolet Buick Oldsmobile) but these MOPARS were the KINGS of the Racetracks! 🇺🇸🏁🇺🇸🏁🇺🇸
one of my favorite muscle car ever.
68’ Charger is my favorite muscle car. Would love to own one some day.
What we dreamed to own 50 years ago, and today, some things never change !
It doesn't get any better than extremely well preserved '68 Charger with Big Elephant under the hood. For sure one of the most Remarkable members of the Brothers Collection.
Yup, and this Red and Black combo all over the car just screams "Muscle"
I’m a GM man all the way but have always thought there was something seriously sexy about the 68-69 charger design. Beautiful car.
Arguably the best looking muscle car of the era.
One of the finest Chargers I've ever seen! I'm not a fan of vinyl tops, but that aside, I seriously can't find anything wrong with it. It's pretty much perfect.
That is one of the nicest 68 Hemi Chargers I've ever seen. I'm not a big fan of vinyl tops either but it does look great on this car
My new favorite car in the brothers collection. Love that red and black combo
Jeremy Thompson the red black combo on mopars is an awesome look. Still holds up today. My 2018 Challenger Shaker R/T is red and black and is a head turner.
some may say it's a boat BUT it's was more like a Starship !
I’m a Chevy man but that car will change even me . What a beauty
A real,, Dodge Charger, Hemi, and manual transmission ,,,,,and no 4 doors
Incredible car. Piece of history
That's a beautiful piece of our American muscle history . Love the Hemi sound !
Grew up from birth with several old Vettes that my family still owns over 50 years later. This Charger is one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
What timeless legendary looking vehicle
The 68 charger is one of my favorite mopars of all time, and that’s an excellent example of a super clean four speed, the dog dishes are a topper for sure!! Thank you for the vid, man, have a good holiday season
Vinyl roof adds a touch of elegance 😊
The 4-speed "A sharp axe hitting soft pine." Excellent.
Cinematography of this episode is excellent. Some great shots of the car, fades, transitions, and as always, Kevin's oratory is both entertaining and informative.
Keep up the great work, and thanks for sharing!
Talking about suspensions, who can forgive the chasing that "exercised" it in the "Bullit" film ( which made me Fall In Love for the Charger since), even that it was not a Hemi ?
What’s not to like with this car, looks great in all respects👍
One of the best looking cars of that era.
Been my exact dream car since I knew what a car was.
Best looking muscle car, ever! 😍😎
Possibly the best muscle car channel on TH-cam, and definitely the best host.
There's no need in me mentioning that this car is legend - but I will anyway.
That is a nice car for sure, iconic muscle and a blast to drive.
"It's not afraid to show you it's taillights" that was so badass haha loved that
Bad ass ride
The only thing i'm jealous of my father is that he was around when these cars were dirt cheap, i love cars like these but won't ever be able to able to afford one.
I owned a '68 Charger. Loved that car. Had the 383 magnum engine with the automatic. Wish I still had that car, it'd be worth some big money now!
My Mom had the 440 charger R/T back in 68 but had a black vinyl top white interior and a white bumble bee stripe in the back.
Being 16 at the time it was a blast to fry the tires every chance I got.
I love seeing all these Hemi and 440 muscle cars but what about a 340-powered A-body? Barracuda, Duster, Dart, any of the smaller Mopars would be awesome and put a whooping on the big-block cars back in the day.
I had a 73 340/4 speed Duster. A guy in a 70 396 Chevelle hit me head on and totalled both cars. I was so pissed off. I loved that car
I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have one, probably not aware of how fast they actually were. 340 4-speed 1969 Cuda is one of my dream cars.
Surely they could trade off one of their 15+ Hemi cars for a few A-bodies... seen one Hemi car you've seen them all, IMO
The 1958 Plymouth fury and the 1968 charger for me are the most beautiful cars ever made. I was lucky enough to grow up with a dad that was a huge mopar fan and these were our cars we always had. I miss those days, not just the experience of riding and eventually learning to drive in them but working on them all the time with me dad. A lot of great memories. I'm current looking for a 68 charger to put a very special engine in that my dad owned and passed on to me. It was a one year Plymouth engine from his favorite car, almost 10k in the rebuild and ready to go in. My goal is a 68 charger (my favorite) with dads 58 fury golden commando engine (out of his favorite) to enjoy the rest of my life with my own children. I've been looking, reasonably priced ones are really hard to find, my daughter and I are keeping our hopes up and can't wait to find the car we will enjoy together for the rest of my life. Great video, thanks for sharing!
Amazing video with the magnificent car! I love Charger's coke bottle styling. Just a Mopar legend! In my opinion, this video is the best of all time!
Extremely nice. No mini burnout for us, Kevin?
Mark Wegner People with 2 million dollar irreplaceable cars are funny that way.
Who would pay 2 million dollars for a $250000 car thou?!? 😅
Really great footage on this video,nice camera angles, fine car too!
This baby has just the right look plus that elephant under the hood makes it about as perfect as a muscle car can get. I'm green with envy!
With all due respect,This Charger is amazing like most if not all in this collection but i am surprised at the amount of small details that are missed or are not corrected by the "handler" that takes care of these car. the two that jump out at me are the upside down hood pad.the insulation should face down to the engine.you might think its molded this was but it not right. and the black wheels. 1972 was the factory change to black rims this car should have red painted rims on it.. having restored a handful of these 68/69 chargers i have spent 40 years deep into researching these and other models. i have just retired from my day job and am available to bring this and all his mopars up to the next level..the brothers have an amazing collection of car. i guess the guys that handles all the cars are gm guys..
The body looks Lazer straight, paint perfect, I know I am their lost brother 🙄
Metal...perfected. If it was equipped with dog dish hubcaps, I think the steel wheels were painted body color.
I believe you are correct about the body colored wheels except on the A12 cars. And, is it just me or are those rims bigger than 14-15"?
I bought a new 1968 Charger RT with the 426 HEMI and 4 speed. Mine had a metal to metal sound at 2200 rpm and a vibration at 2200 rpm. I got too many tickets with it and traded it in for a VW beetle. I lived Saugus, Ca. The VW Dealer couldn't find a buyer, so they whole saled it to a Hot Rod Dealership in Pasadena. Two guys took it for a spin. The motor scattered all over the street! I found out 30 years later that a lot of1968 HEMI Motors had bad cranks. The factory 3 finger pressure plates were junk too! The "fingers" were too brittle from heat treating! I snapped one of the "fingers" about every 3 months. It was a gread looking car, but it had too many problems.
Another great post thank you for all the videos through out the years!!!
Great car. Best episode I've seen for awhile.
The late 60s Dodges are awesome. I like this one a lot and the challenger. I want one of these!
This is the best looking car and I mean best with the drive line ordered I have seen personally. I just wonder if this one had the front disc brake option you mentioned?
It does.
Many thanks for sharing with us all this amazing video Absolutely gorgeous isn't it!
The 68 Charger is by far my favorite car ever, especially when it has a 426 hemi engine. To me the best car ever!😊
best looking car ever, best feature , tail lights . only on 68.
My dad had a black 68 charger I loved that car,it had the big wide crager wheels on the back,just the smell inside is so different to other cars,probably the best times my life me and my dad riding in that car,I would love to own one today
Absolute best muscle car ever produced. Owned one as a teen. Sold it. Regretted it ever since.
Very sweet,one of the finest muscle cars for sure,and the looks of this one is spot on! Thanks!!
Great and accurate commentary! Thank You.
I like just about every muscle car from that era, but the 68 to 70 Charger, especially Hemi equipped, is a work of art and holds a special place in American automotive history and with me as well. Only a select number of cars can hold that title and this one is at the top of the list. There's not one bad line on that beautiful Charger and I can only imagine the fun that owner had with it when he purchased it new!
Suuuhweeet ride, I'm a Ford guy (mustang really) but man do I love these old Mopars
Great Job, Kevin, great presentation
Que máquina mais linda cara, meus parabéns pelo carro, e pelo canal!
Damn the best stock speck I’ve seen that would door lowered a tad and those same rim style but made bigger and wider
I wonder if the have any resorted 440 police cars? That charger is beautiful.
The car of my dreams! Mount some Cragar classic 5 Spokes on those tires, and you've achieved perfection.
Best looking charger ever.
The king of all muscle cars!
This is the best-looking automobile that Chrysler Corporation has EVER produced, bar NONE!
I can't think of a suitable word to sum this car up. Perfection doesn't quite cut it. Awesome doesn't get close either. Nor does heaven.
Iconic.
If Ron Swanson reviewed Muscle cars ❤️👌
Had one, except mine was white with the bee stripes on the tail. Also had a red interior. Mine was a resto rod in the mid 70s. Purchased for $400 it took me and 5 friends to restore it. Was showing, if memory serves, around 20K miles on the odometer.
One of the best looking cars of all time.
A car of my childhood dreams.
Beautiful, handsome fifty years ago, today and a hundred years from now.
Nothing will ever look as mean or aggressive as the 68/70s chargers
Greatest Muscle Car??? Can be argued...The Baddest??? HEEELL YEEEAAAAH!!!
The BEST Charger of all! GAWD I wish I had one!
Just imagine if you saw this in your rear mirror I would switch lanes quick.
A work of art. Thanks for the vid.
It is and has always been my most favorite car....
This '68 Charhger is a beast ! How sweet it is. Its not afrade to show its tail lights and it will sting you.
Damn thats a sexy car!! Restoration on it is flawless!
Never gets old
Favorite year charger and favorite engine as well.
I wish you'd let us hear it idle (68 hemi cams were SUPER lumpy), but wow, what a beautiful car! Painted wheels and dog dishes have always been the 'no nonsense' wardrobe of the really fast muscle cars, particularly Mopars. If I liked red, this would be my favorite Charger iteration.
To me, it was one of the high-water marks for performance cars in that era.
I'm a die-hard Chevrolet/GMC girl, but I'll more than happily give a '68-'70 Charger R/T a home in my driveway.
Low miles or full restored on this car? Beautiful!
Best. Charger. Ever. Hail Kev!
I love this car I had a two of them 383 auto. a 318 auto. and 1973. 400 4 speed.
Awesome... I had a duplicate of this Charger... 1968, 4-speed, blue, with 373 Posi... only with the 383-4 barrel ... and that thing would burn them off in 3 gears! I cannot imagine the speed off the line on this Hemi Version! wow! nice...
440 base motor 68 Charger was totally out running Bullet's 68 mustang. They had to ease up on the gas for that poor little 390. Lol
I recall that they did suspension and performance work on the Mustang, but the Charger didn't need anything!
Gary Bond
What an idiot.
@@wysetech2000 why, may I ask?
@@wysetech2000 www.ponysite.de/bullitf.htm
That 390 Mustang GT would have no chance against that 68 440 Charger R/T. And I'm a Ford guy
Just beautiful!!!
One fine charger !
A sexier car there has never been. Performance muscle and excitement guaranteed...
beautiful car art
Time slips were in the 13.2- 13.5 sec. range depending on gears and around 102 -105 mph. Cars would get around 11-14 mpg. My friends 70 RR Hemi 4 spd w/4:10 got around 12-13 mpg.
Work of art on wheels
A fully restored '68 Charger R/T with a Hemi sold in Kansas in October of 2020 for just $79k. It wasn't numbers matching but did have a correct year Hemi and it was a real J code car. Maybe the prices are finally starting to come down? Or maybe that car was just a steal! I hope the prices are coming down so I might be able to afford one someday.