1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car Hits the Auction Block, Again

You are looking at the first Dodge ever to use the Charger nameplate, the 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car. Developed in late 1963 on Polara underpinnings, it was used by Chrysler to showcase its newest engine at the time, the now iconic 426-cubic inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8.

Owned by several collectors over its 47-year existence, this rare piece of automotive heritage is going to be auctioned off at this year’s Automobiles of Arizona event held at Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, on January 20. RM Auctions hasn’t released an official estimate yet, but last time it changed hands in 2007, it fetched US $1.1 million.

Currently found on the late John M. O’Quinn’s estate, the 1964 concept car has been completely restored by multiple award-winner Fran Roxas and it has one of the original 15 race Hemi engines, rated at 600+ horsepower.

According to the spec sheet, the first Charger also comes with a 3-speed automatic transmission, independent torsion bar front and rear semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension, 4.56:1 “Sure Grip” rear axle and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

Looking at the photos it’s clear that the car is in pristine condition – it has been kept in climate-controlled storage – and I, for one, would definitely prefer to buy this gem over a modern vehicle costing the same amount of money.

By Csaba Daradics

Source / Photos: RM Auctions

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1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car Hits the Auction Block, Again

You are looking at the first Dodge ever to use the Charger nameplate, the 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car. Developed in late 1963 on Polara underpinnings, it was used by Chrysler to showcase its newest engine at the time, the now iconic 426-cubic inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8.

Owned by several collectors over its 47-year existence, this rare piece of automotive heritage is going to be auctioned off at this year’s Automobiles of Arizona event held at Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, on January 20. RM Auctions hasn’t released an official estimate yet, but last time it changed hands in 2007, it fetched US $1.1 million.

Currently found on the late John M. O’Quinn’s estate, the 1964 concept car has been completely restored by multiple award-winner Fran Roxas and it has one of the original 15 race Hemi engines, rated at 600+ horsepower.

According to the spec sheet, the first Charger also comes with a 3-speed automatic transmission, independent torsion bar front and rear semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension, 4.56:1 “Sure Grip” rear axle and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

Looking at the photos it’s clear that the car is in pristine condition – it has been kept in climate-controlled storage – and I, for one, would definitely prefer to buy this gem over a modern vehicle costing the same amount of money.

By Csaba Daradics

Source / Photos: RM Auctions

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car Hits the Auction Block, Again

You are looking at the first Dodge ever to use the Charger nameplate, the 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger Concept Car. Developed in late 1963 on Polara underpinnings, it was used by Chrysler to showcase its newest engine at the time, the now iconic 426-cubic inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8.

Owned by several collectors over its 47-year existence, this rare piece of automotive heritage is going to be auctioned off at this year’s Automobiles of Arizona event held at Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, on January 20. RM Auctions hasn’t released an official estimate yet, but last time it changed hands in 2007, it fetched US $1.1 million.

Currently found on the late John M. O’Quinn’s estate, the 1964 concept car has been completely restored by multiple award-winner Fran Roxas and it has one of the original 15 race Hemi engines, rated at 600+ horsepower.

According to the spec sheet, the first Charger also comes with a 3-speed automatic transmission, independent torsion bar front and rear semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension, 4.56:1 “Sure Grip” rear axle and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

Looking at the photos it’s clear that the car is in pristine condition – it has been kept in climate-controlled storage – and I, for one, would definitely prefer to buy this gem over a modern vehicle costing the same amount of money.

By Csaba Daradics

Source / Photos: RM Auctions

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SEMA Preshow: 2011 RedLine Dodge Charger Loves Carbon Fiber

Not to be outdone by Ford and General Motors, the Chrysler Group is readying a parade of specially tuned vehicles for this year's edition of the SEMA Show, which takes place in Las Vegas from November 2 to 5. One of the firm's star attractions will be the RedLine Dodge Charger based on the redesigned 2011 model year version of the saloon.

"We let the designers of the production car and their friends at Mopar rip," said Ralph Gilles, CEO of Dodge Car Brand and Senior Vice President of Product Design. "I wanted them to show us what they would do with this vehicle if it were their own dream car."

Hiding under the RedLine Charger's unique aluminum hood is a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 enhanced with a variety of Mopar parts including new headers, an exhaust system and a cold-air intake. Dodge said these upgrades provide horsepower and torque gains, but did not release any numbers.

The Charger concept also gets a retuned suspension that brings the car one inch [25 mm] closer to the ground, a Mopar strut tower brace, and 22-inch alloy wheels wrapped around in chunky tires size 265/35/22 at the front, and 295/30/22 at the rear.

On the outside, the designers dipped the Charger into carbon fiber as the material is found on most parts of the new bodykit, the rooftop, hood, exterior mirrors and the new side scoops that are said to recall the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.

We don't have any images of the cabin, but Dodge said the sported-up sedan gets a red-and-black interior with Mopar Katzkin performance seats trimmed in Radar Red Nappa leather with bright red stitching, all-aluminum driver and console bezels and a unique SRT steering wheel featuring prototype paddle shift controls.

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Pentastar V6 to Find its Way Into 13 Models Across the Chrysler Group Range, Including 2011 Challenger

The Chrysler Group's new Pentastar V6 gasoline engine will either replace current six-cylinder units or be introduced for the first time on a total of 13 vehicles across the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep range by 2013, the company announced this week.

The 3.6-liter V6 unit will be offered with different levels of output, the most powerful [for now] iteration being the one fitted on the upcoming 2011 Dodge Challenger, which will be rated at 305 bhp at 6,350 rpm and 268 lb.ft. at 4,800 rpm, representing a 55 horsepower increase over the previous 3.5-liter V6.

On the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Pentastar V6 produces 290HP, while on the forthcoming 2011 Dodge Avenger, and Chrysler 200 sedan and Town & Country minivan, it will deliver 283HP. The soon-to-be-launched 2011 Dodge Charger will feature a 292-horsepower variant of the 3.6-liter V6. Other models to get the Pentastar V6 include the new Dodge Durango and Journey.

According to Chrysler, the new Pentastar V6 is not only more and fuel efficient than the six-cylinder engines it replaces, but is also significantly lighter. For example, the new 3.6L V6 is 94 lbs. lighter than the 3.7-liter engine it replaced in Jeep Grand Cherokee and 42 lbs. less than the 3.5-liter it replaces on the Chrysler 300.

"The Pentastar engine is suited to meet the requirements for a full range of vehicle applications in terms of power and fuel efficiency (average savings up to 7 percent across the model range) including passenger cars, mini-vans and sport utilities," said Bob Lee, vice president of engine engineering for Chrysler Group LLC.

"It has been designed for today and many years to come. Already, we are looking forward to adapting future technologies as they become available to the Pentastar V-6 for even more fuel efficiency and performance."

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