Here’s how the Dodge Challenger went from great, to awful, and finally to great again

[@bk_goatkim679]

The fact you find these old ads and stuff is amazing.

[@dkmorris713]

The amount of effort that goes into these videos is incredible. This channel deserves way more recognition.

[@Foxonian]

It was the 1971 film "Vanishing Point" that really got the Challengers out the door in the early 70's.

[@averyparticularsetofskills]

Awesome Video! My Dad bought a 70 Challenger from the PX in Vietnam while in the Army, all they had to look at there was a die cast model of one, he picked a few options out of a brochure and it was waiting for him once he came back to the states it was yellow with black interior V8 automatic. _And THAT is how he met my Mother😂_

[@JoePez]

Had a buddy who saved up and bought a 2014 Challenger with the larger V8 in it, and when he would floor it you could literally watch the fuel gauge go down.

[@Thumper68]

No you couldn’t you saw fuel move in the tank.

[@Noah_E]

I had a buddy with a Yukon XL. It was the same way. You could watch the gauge drop as he floored it on an on ramp to the interstate.

[@everythingautomotiveeta5839]

​@Noah_E like above buddy said. No you didn't you watched the gas shift in the tank and made the float/sensor *think* for a moment the fuel was reduced

[@Dougie1969]

Ok ok Let's settle it I had a Ford F-350 V10 that when towing you could LITERALLY WATCH the gas gauge slowly go down. No gravity No side slosh No trickery Just pure unadulterated piss poor fuel mileage. The little computer showed roughly 6.1 - 6.6 mpg when towing. Lmfao

[@cantsneedgaming4591]

​@@Dougie1969 this is the only one i actually believe was just bad fuel mileage

[@johnstapler5956]

The beaver scene was from Naked Gun, not Airplane.

[@erics8192]

just gonna say that

[@Dougie1969]

And it was hilarious as ever Anything Leslie Nielsen ever did still makes me laugh like a MF

[@sergioromero9932]

I love Leslie Nielson

[@LPVPisFr33]

12:18 It's from ''The Naked Gun'' not Airplane, I know it's to late but just for reference.

[@CJColvin]

What I love about the Challenger is that you have the retro looks combined with some modern performance.

[@michaelbuzzee1964]

I’m glad somebody else noticed Johnny’s car changing from an 09 to a 15!!

[@markt4605]

Loved the neighbor’s 1970 Challenger as an 9 year old. As we slogged around in our Ford LTD wagon.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

I'll take that LTD wagon! 😊

[@davidp2888]

I used to have a friend in high school who had a 1982 Challenger.

[@thelastnotary]

Used....lol

[@christopherweise438]

Love that you included Death Cab For Cutie.

[@ericluhtanen]

I've had 3 modern Challengers...2013 Rallye Redline (v6) 2013 SRT 8 and my favorite 2015 Scat Pack.............love the car and will never get rid of it...great video.

[@GeeEm1313]

I used to actually hate these cars until I rented one. God, what a thrillmobile. And I've always liked how they never gave in to the bland door handles that 98% of cars have now.

[@davidp2888]

Having an Englishman saying "sorry" at the end was a brilliant move.

[@rangerman9241]

That'd be Richard Hammond

[@jaybeematthewbacarro9001]

I definitely prefer the Challenger over the Charger. Definitely loved its evolution over the years.

[@Choralone422]

Back when I was young my father told stories of when he was in the Air Force in the early 70s he really wanted a late model Challenger and instead settled on a late 60s Dodge Dart. Not sure exactly which model but I do know it had a 4 barrel V8. He always mentioned that along with the speeding tickets he managed to get while driving the Dart between San Francisco where he was stationed and the Midwest US where his family lived. These days I still see a number of modern Chargers and the occasional Challenger on the road but not a many as in the late 2010s. One place I still see them all the time is on On Patrol: Live where it seems like one or more is involved in a police pursuit almost every weekend. Often times those pursuits end up the car wrecked. Just last Friday 8-2 in Richland Co, SC there was a black Challenger that tried to run, shortly after the chase started the perp wrecked out into another vehicle so bad the vehicle they hit caught fire. Thankfully no-one was seriously injured!

[@carexpertandy]

Some rental car companies still have them in their fleets! I’m on vacation with my family right now, and surprisingly, my brother has a bright red Challenger as a rental.

[@HWolfeIII]

Ralph Gilles the designer of the Charger and Challenger, told me the Charger was not offered with 2 doors because they had the Challenger for that, He told me that in 2005.

[@kleverich]

I've seen the Dodge Sheriff commercials before, and I can't believe they predated Smokey and The Bandit by several years.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for the video and the excellent effort. This video was needed now because of what is going on at the momernt with Stellantis and the Chrysler brands.

[@ValleyProud916]

My dad had a 78' with a 2.2l 4 cylinder with a 5 speed manual transmission. It hauled ass! I loved it! In my defense I had a 78 Plymouth Horizon

[@teecee1980]

My very first car I owned was a 1978 Plymouth Horizon. It had the factory VW engine, 4 speed manual, no power anything... But it did have a luggage rack on the roof!

[@MrJayrock620]

They dropped the AWD V8’s in the Charger and 300 because of poor sales in 2014. Most people I sold them to wanted the ability to do a burnout or donuts and AWD kinda hinders that

[@matthewcaughey8898]

A 4 season muscle car is badass. Plus I know the right rust proofing to apply to keep one alive

[@MrJayrock620]

@@matthewcaughey8898 as someone in the snow/rust belt I don’t disagree, but it was also about a 10% price increase from the RWD models so that played a factor too.

[@GeraldBradshaw-j2t]

In 1976, My senior year of high school, I bought a 73 Challenger. It had a 340, 4bbl three-speed and cost me $1200. I loved that car.

[@budweiserbundy1525]

Thank you for your content and time Mr. MOC.

[@kennethswain6313]

I’m always glad when you post a video, thanks. I guess It shows that power still has a market.

[@johndornoff]

When my son turned 18 in October 2020, we went to Texas for the week to see the NASCAR race and do other things (since our original trip plans were canceled...thanks COVID). When we arrived at Budget, the lady goes I can give you a V6 Mustang or upgrade you to a Challenger with a Hemi. Of course, my son's eyes lit up with the thought of riding around in the Challenger, so we took the upgrade. The only problem was it had the three-season tires on it, and despite the weather report, the day we left saying sunny weather for the whole trip, it poured rain for two days, snowed one day, and then two days of an ice storm. That car was a handful, but it was fun to drive around in when the weather was good.

[@blue_lancer_es]

5:34 hey hey. The 2.6 was a hemi.

[@matthewcaughey8898]

You want a better car from the malaise era? Find a dodge conquest or Mitsubishi Starion. Then get your mits on a new Chrysler Hurricrate 550 HP I6. Combine the 2 and let the Q-boat sleeping commence

[@negativeindustrial]

Just want to give you props for properly citing your sources at the end of the video. More content creators should be doing this.

[@DougKundtz]

These are truly awesome cars!! They’ll be missed big time. Whoever has these iconic cars, enjoy them!!

[@teds7379]

Out of the reborn muscle cars, I had liked the Challenger the least since it looked too much like the original to my eyes. Yet now, after a 15 year run, I find myself liking them a lot more and am even considering buying a used one. I started to appreciate Dodge's commitment to old-school performance and power in an increasingly bland car market revolving around SUV's.

[@blue_lancer_es]

12:15 naked gun* but hey this is a car channel. 😁

[@MisterMikeTexas]

105 horses was quite good for a late 70s 4 cylinder.

[@samuelskinner8132]

Fun fact: the Challenger in the walking dead & breaking bad, is the EXACT same car

[@johncornell3665]

Awesome cars and review. You do a great job on these videos!

[@MyOldCar]

Thank you! 👍

[@owenauto]

Love your videos!!

[@nolarobert]

I had a 1979 Plymouth Sapporo (twin to the Challenger) with the 2.6 Hemi (okay, it was a 4-cylinder) coupled to a 5-speed manual. 105 HP doesn't sound like much now but it was pretty decent in the 80s. It didn't weigh much and was a sporty car that hung with the competition of its day. It was a good car for me during my college days.

[@anthonyfrench3169]

I got the 09 SE when it first came out, but was super disappointed that it only came with a 4 speed and not the auto stick and I immediately traded it for 10 SE and it was a fun car! Put some drag radials on that and ran a hellcat embarrassing 15.1 1/4 mile 😂

[@Gudi102]

Great video, as usual!!

[@genuinelylost3005]

You should do the 1991-1993 series of the Cadillac DeVille, I keep seeing people talk about these saying they're the last of the classic Cadillac and I think that topic fits your channel, and keep up the good videos

[@HollywoodHornet]

We need a video on the Hyundai Tiburon.

[@catjudo1]

I'm one of those who will defend the Mitsubishi Challenger. Think about this: Chrysler was almost bankrupt by the end of the decade. The Aspen and Volare turned out to be complete garbage, and the Charger was a bloated personal luxury car with anemic V8's. They needed a car and they had to get one from Mitsubishi. The Japanese Challenger did 0-60 in about 11 seconds in 1978. The '78 Charger, with a much larger and thirstier engine, achieved about the same time. That the Challenger handled better was obvious. And it was considerably more reliable than some of Chrysler's offerings. And why wouldn't Chrysler use the Challenger name, connecting this little car with a past that was by then gone but fondly remembered? They later used the Charger name on the Omni 024, which was even less like the old Charger than the Japanese Challenger was to its predecessors. Say what you want, but I don't think this car deserves the hate it gets. It was a good option for bad times.

[@TimeisReel]

"Excellent Channel, one of my favorites. And that Challenger is going to be a tough Act to Follow..."

[@stevelakits1990]

Buying my second one, a 2021 with V6. Great motor, good gas mileage

[@dalesumney8806]

Come on guys, subscribe to this channel and push it over 100,000 viewers. Thanks Pat for another great video.

[@chrisglenn2096]

Yes! And stop holding the old theme music hostage! You know who you are!

[@jammerDNA]

12:20. I’m sure others have told you but you have the wrong movie reference here. This scene is from The Naked Gun 1988

[@MisterMikeTexas]

Whoopps! Uh oh! 😅

[@davinp]

Mistubishi made the Dodge/Plymouth Colt for Chrysler. It was a rebadged Mitsubishi Galant

[@patsfan8057]

Thanks for a wonderful history of a much loved legend. Dodge really F'd up discontinuing these. That commercial featuring Washington said it all, it's about FREEDOM!! Vote accordingly.

[@speedieone2435]

Just because they put the wrong name on it does not mean the 78-83 Challenger (and Sapporo) were bad cars. My brother owned a Sapporo, it handled well, had a nice interior, got decent mileage (when that was a strong selling point) and was quick enough for its time. It helped keep Chrysler afloat while it tried to figure out what to do with its aging platforms.

[@biffwellington1782]

I'd love to see a video on the Pontiac Astre

[@pyrogundam117]

It was great that Dodge had at least the Challenger when the manufacturers were bringing back classic named models. The Charger took many years to get used to since Dodge was never going to have a 2 door model and was a missed opportunity (only until the E/V model comes out); also Dodge Dart short revival got my dad looking at it for a second since he owned a 68 back in his college days, but got disinterested since it was a compact 4 door, which to me looked like a revival of the Dodge Neon for the size, but definitely a boost in hp compared to the original Neon.

[@mikemc330]

Great video.

[@adamtrombino106]

Love my 09 r/t 6 speed in Deep Water Blue with the track pack, and rare 2 toned interior. It's fast 'enough' and gets great mileage on long trips. It's just enough power to get 1 in trouble unless you pay attention to it. '11s and up had revised front suspension geometry, making them a whole lot easier to drive. And of course all the cameras and what not, which were NA when mine was built. And this is/was a big heavy car. Take that for granted and you'll end up a world star on KZbin with your Challenger wrapped around something.

[@davinp]

Stellantis which owns Chrysler/Dodge is making cost cuts. They might kill the Chrysler or Dodge brands

[@EffequalsMA]

I'm a Mustang guy but, like your work on the competition, too. Not like Mustang didn't have a "sad middle chapter" too.

[@matthewcaughey8898]

The fight is not over. They make a reproduction 1970 challenger body, and I got ahold of a 440 magnum and 727 Torqueflite automatic. I need the money to get the body which I’m working on. But when I’m done I’m painting is straight white and I got ahold of a Colorado plate OA-5599. Kudos to you if you know what I’m building. I build my muscle car as a declaration that gearheads and gasoline will never go away. Even if you mandate we have to buy battery powered glorified golf carts some of us will refuse to comply. Who knows if I win the lottery I might even get someone to build me my Mad Max black on black interceptor. My plate will read LST-V8FE ( Last V8 Forever)

[@SRQmoviemaker]

During covid I got a hellcat for well below MSRP at 1% financing had my fun for a little more than a year and then sold it to carmax for exactly $500 more than I paid. Basically had a year of fun for a few hundred dollars.

[@jadenamoako5731]

The challenger is one of my favorite cars

[@SimonTekConley]

Historically, I have been a person who likes practical vehicles. I don't get high horsepower cars, I drive trucks with a baseline engine, or small cars with the same. That said, the lines of a challenger has always appealed to me.

[@TheRealUnderCap]

Like in the classic quote in life: good things come to the end. Thanks for my childhood and getting me into car enthusiasm, and the challenger lives on in their Wikipedia articles.

[@BrandonHanson]

When mentioning the 1978 to 1983 models. Most never realize this existed and always have to have them pull off the phones to see if it existed.

[@MEYERMOTORS]

Can you please do a video on the Buick Park Avenue.

[@geographicaloddity2]

Thanks for another great video. EVs are horrible. If that's the future, I don't want to go. I had a friend with 72 Challenger when we were in high school in the late 70s. That was a fun car.

[@moparpower0788]

That nice beaver scene was from the naked gun and not air plane but great video overall.

[@grunkohlaktionar7474]

The second gen Challenger was and is a cool car. It just shouldn't have had the Challenger nameplate

[@terryuland6502]

Absolutely! I have been making videos on the one I have and I call it the “Mitsubishi Challenger” just to avoid the confusion lol.

[@Lilboncamino]

I love the Dodge Challenger since I was younger I remember on the Dodge USA website I built a yellow Dodge Challenger srt on my grandma tablet and I use to have diecast version of it I still love the Dodge Challenger, and still show love to it too along with the Dodge charger celebrities and some rappers got dodge challengers in show love to the Dodge Challenger since I’m 19 now I’m thinking about getting one but I heard dodge challengers and chargers are getting stolen I’ll probably get one idk yet I missed a Dodge Challenger so much

[@Rippypoo]

Thanks for the video. I bet there were a lot of scale models of Challengers for kids.

[@timfordfalconxf7714]

We got the Aussie Charger chrysler charger ( i know this is not a charger video ) THEN WE got the Mitsubishi sigma and the coupe as seen here witch was called the scprioan

[@clamchowder_0616]

Broooo first person love your vids man

[@PatCurrie]

No mention of SRT392, the loaded one with 6 pistons and 6.4 engine. The sweet spot 2015-2018.

[@Thesaurcery4U2C]

6 piston 6.4L engine? I'm fairly sure that it takes 8 pistons to reach 6.4 liters. A H Y E S ! 6 piston brake calipers. I missed the word "and"

[@J.W.W.]

Mine was an ‘09 SRT8 with the manual 👊🏻

[@dave3657]

Had a 1974 and a 2012 Challenger, both were great cars, but not the same. Have a 2010 Charger and it’s a great daily driver, even with the two extra doors. Looking at the way Dodge is going due to Stelantis, it might be another stretch till we get another great Challenger or Charger.

[@cormacbeats]

do a video on the volkswagen fox please i'm begging you

[@CJColvin]

The thing that Mopar did right on the Challenger (as far as styling goes) is what GM got extremely wrong on the 04-06 Pontiac GTO (aka the rebadged Holden Monaro from Australia).

[@johnedwards6208]

The use of Michael for this video was so fitting!🤣

[@Bum_Hip]

At work, call the modern Challenger repo specials. Amazing how many of these end up repossessed, and picked up on our auction block. They seem to be a popular model for those with a low ability, or desire to repay their loans on it. 😆

[@TheCriminalViolin]

In my opinion, of all the muscle cars from the 70s forward, the Challenger is the best looking one by far, with the Camaro coming in second. If we went further back, then it'd be the Corvette Stingrays taking the cake. I wouldn't consider a Viper a muscle car myself, but if it was to be, then it would actually take the top spot for me personally when it comes to their second gen.

[@PaintSolutions]

You forgot one model available for 1970. Deputy was an available model. It was a stripped down version of the challenger design to sell the police departments

[@JoeR203]

The Barracuda from '70-'74 looked better. Can you do a video on the Mazda MX-6?

[@jergervasi3331]

Those Mitsubishis shouldn't have been called Challengers, but they were great cars. Couldn't kill them. Slow, but well-built.

[@davinp]

The Japanese automakers keep redesigning and improving their cars, where as the American automakers (GM, Ford & Chrysler) cancel the car and replace it with a new model. They haven't made a model for over 40 continuous years as Toyota and Honda have

[@frizzvictor1535]

Suburban? Corvette? Mustang?

[@0047sssss]

Toyota made a car named Celica Supra and then decided to split the two names between two different cars and the current Supra is based on a BMW Z4 Nissan split Skyline & GT-R into two different cars, but the Skyline gets rebranded in the west as an "Infinity"

[@althunder4269]

@@0047sssss "Infiniti"

[@Noah_E]

F-Series and Mustang

[@chrisxa1222]

japanese cars hit their peak about 25 years ago. It's all downhill since then

[@carycummings4305]

Please Bring it back.Great cars.New one sucks

[@onepingonlyvasily]

" No God, please no" about sums it up for the "2nd"generation Challenger.

[@BammerD]

12:23 - NOT "Airplane!", it's "The Naked Gun".

[@charlie_nolan]

There were all wheel drive versions of the Charger but only for police models, so AWD with a V8 was certainly possible.

[@MisterMikeTexas]

YT host RacerX had to replace his Demon 170's engine.

[@jeffshadow2407]

My Dodge dealership took a Mitsubishi "Challenger" in trade for a real one in 2010.

[@tone_bones56]

I used to do shots of Bacardi 151 I think I can handle another 10% alcohol 😂😂😂

[@johnjones393]

I appreciate that they were able to keep an aging platform relevant but this has to be the one of the most played out cars ever.

[@jergervasi3331]

Soooo... Is THIS the origin of the Buford T. Justice character?

[@ericortega1745]

If the Dodge Colt had a turbo charged V6 look out. They bricked 😂

[@CountryballstudiosYT]

I think I saw challenger convertible once at a dealership

[@floydbyrd9358]

It would only be proper to do the dodge Charger next. A 4 door muscle car does it for me.😊

[@arieljones4595]

Why in the world is the new 2 door Charger not simply called the Challenger????

[@ajaloy4010]

Why did you remove the background music from the videos? It feels so much more bland now.....

[@chrisglenn2096]

Somebody put a copywrite claim against the music and he’s been barred from using it ever since. Not sure if he has experimented with other music yet but the original music was so perfect for this channel

[@NatalieThress]

I recommend you don't use music with vocals as background music. it has a tendency to conflict with your speech and it ends up drowning you out a little

[@Carvania]

Id love to own a late 70s challenger. Do a 4g63t swap.

[@3.0TMKreaZ]

The v8 awd option was at least available on the charger

[@tristanconnolly5675]

Nice.

[@beanandcornbreadman5134]

I’ve got a 2004 Monte Carlo, they were first made in 1970 I’m pretty sure. Could you do an episode on them?