by What’s your favorite Dodge Charger from the golden muscle car era? Are you into the luxurious first-generation fastback, or are you more of a second-gen Coke bottle-style design? Or perhaps you fancy the fuselage-type version that Dodge introduced in 1971? I’m asking because I can’t pick just one.
While I love the 1966 version with its low-slung yet sporty appearance, I also think that the 1968-to-1970 version looks the part with its more aggressive styling. I’m not very fond of the third-generation model, on the other hand, but I wouldn’t say no to a 1971 Super Bee.But I do like every 1966-to-1974 Charger out there as long as it’s a restored gem. Just like this 1969 R/T in F3 Light Green.
Spotted at an All Mopar car show in Florida, this R/T looks like it just rolled off the assembly line. And not because it’s some sort of time capsule that spent over 50 years in a bubble. Nope, this Mopar got a rotisserie restoration that likely cost more than a 2023 Charger R/T (priced from $42,940, by the way).
And it’s not just the attention to detail that makes it stand out. Whoever ordered this Charger back in the 1960s also picked one of the greatest color combinations out there, pairing the light metallic green with a white vinyl top.
Inside the cabin, the seats, the dash, and the door panels are also draped in dark green vinyl, a welcomed departure from the usual (and boring) black.
Moreover, it’s one of those R/Ts optioned up with a stripe delete. Granted, second-gen Chargers look hotter with wrap-around stripes around their tails, but I could definitely get used to large and red “R/T” badges instead. Not to mention that cars with the stripe-delete option are pretty rare, especially in this condition.
The Charger is just as spectacular under the hood. Sure, it’s not one of those incredibly scarce and expensive HEMI cars, but the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Magnum V8 is no slouch either.
Rated at 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet (651 Nm) of torque, it enables the 1969 R/T to hit 60 mph (97 kph) in about seven seconds and cover the quarter-mile in about 14.5 clicks. That’s entertaining enough for Sundays at the drag strip.
Dodge also offered a “Six-Pack” version of the 440 in the R/T, but the 390-horsepower mill didn’t make it on the options list until 1970. The 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI was the R/T’s range-topping mill at 426 horsepower.
All told this 1969 Charger is what all barn finds hope to become. I’m a bit disgruntled that we don’t get to hear the 440 purr, but hey, this thing looks stunning when sitting. Check it out in the video below.
