Wicked Wednesday:1964 Dodge Charger Roadster Concept Is Charger No. 1
Wild 1964 Dodge Charger Roadster concept car was the first ever Charger and it took nearly 40 years to complete.
You love the Dodge Charger. We love the Dodge Charger. Everyone loves the Dodge Charger. The modern Charger is a 4-door sedan that puts out near supercar performance numbers in its most powerful iterations. And that is what the Charger has always been about. Big power. This 1964 Dodge Charger Roadster is the very first Charger and it too has impressive power thanks to the big 426 Hemi. But that 426 Hemi took nearly 40 years to find its way under the hood of this stunning concept.
This week’s “Wicked Wednesday” is all about this 1964 Dodge Charger Roadster concept. It is the car the spawned seven generations of Charger that is still going strong even today. A video was recently posted on the Marspeed YouTube channel. This video provides us with a detailed look into the history of this fascinating concept. It has a bit of an unusual story in that it was built in 1963 but not fully complete until 2003. Let’s take a closer look.
Milwaukee Auto Show
In 1963 at the Milwaukee Auto Show the 1964 Dodge Charger Roadster concept broke cover. The concept was built in order to debut the 426 Hemi. Except it didn’t. But more on that in a bit. The concept was based on the 1963 Dodge Polara hardtop coupe. If you squint really hard you can still see the Polara in the concept but obviously almost everything was changed. The front and rear bumper was replaced with four little rubber bars. The grille was changed. And the top of the hood had a ram air scoop. Stock taillights were used but they are spread further apart. On the side of the car are chrome exhaust ports for the dual exhaust. The most standout features are the 6-inch-high windshield and side windows, along with the rollbar with integrated headrests.
On the Inside
The interior of the concept car was entirely custom. The car was transformed into a two-seater that was divided into distinct driver and passenger compartments. Walnut wood trim was used on the three-spoke steering wheel, passenger grab rail and shifter. There is also plenty of brightwork inside the cabin. The concept car looks sharp inside and out. But this was not a styling exercise. This car was meant to show off that new 426 Hemi.
426 Hemi
The 426 Hemi was right out of the Dodge NASCAR racing program. The engine was now going to make the leap into a streetcar. The big 7.0L V8 made 425 horsepower. This was a hand-built engine. And unfortunately for Dodge there were not enough of them to go around. One of the racing teams blew up their motor and needed a replacement.
The only one available was from the Dodge Charger Roadster concept. The race team got the 426 and the concept had to make do with a 383. Although all of the car badging still promised a 426 under the hood. To keep things on the down low Dodge never opened the hood of the car while it was on the show circuit.
Redemption
Unlike most concept cars this one managed to escape the crusher and eventually found its way into the hands of a private owner. In 1999 Joe Bortz bought the car after a dozen years’ worth of negotiation. His vision was to finish the car as Dodge intended. Thant meant finding a 426 Hemi. And not just any 426 Hemi, but one of the original hand-built engines.
Amazingly, he found just the tenth hand-built engine ever made and had it installed in the concept car. It was now nearly 40 years since the car was first constructed but now it was finally complete. The Charger got its groove back.
Current Status
The car was sold twice since it was completed. In 2007 it sold in auction for $1.1 million. In 2011 the car was sold again, and this time brought only $715,000. The current whereabouts of the car are unknown. Checkout the video below for the full rundown on this historical landmark of a vehicle.
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