By Robert Emslie
We’ve previously asked about your candidates for the best from the bread and butter brands from Ford and GM, and today, we want to know your opinion of what’s the greatest car or truck that Chrysler’s blue collar make has ever offered.
An easy answer, of course, is the Viper- that V10 monster that’s rightfully named as driving one is almost as dangerous as handling its hypodermic-toothed namesake.
But that car is rough and uncompromising. And while it’s excellent at eating track like it was licorice, it’s almost, dare we say, a one-trick pony.
Dodge has offered many a car that does multi-task, and the spate of Challengers, Chargers, Police-grade Polaras, and their ilk have been known to drop a clutch at the local strip from time to time, as well as provide family men with a witness protection-level anonymity behind which is a potent Hemi ready to answer all challengers.
So which of the ram brand do you think is the pinnacle of perfection? Which Dodge would you Mopar maniacs offer as the best of the best?
Image sources: [CarWorld, Moby302]
Jeff Glucker
<img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/texan_idiot25/laser/DSCN1169.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
Did you guys ever get that on the LeMons track?
Since you limited this to Dodge only and not Mopar overall there can be only one. <img src="http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1960-1969/1969-Dodge-Charger-General-Lee-DOH-Jump-Swamp-1600×1200.jpg">
looking at the shadow in the driver's seat… i really wonder who is driving this thing…
Pretty sure they DON'T have a helmet on.
Looks like Mr. Magoo to me.
It looks like they are wearing a bicycle helmet
Al Bundy's?
<img src="http://www.allpar.com/photos/dodge/challenger/TA.jpg">
1972 Challenger.
<img src="http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Design/Gartman/D_Casestudy/1934-Chrysler-Airflow_lit_i.gif">
<img src="http://photocarsonline.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/chrysler_minivans.jpg">
I thought of those too, but they are Chryslers or DeSotos not Dodges.
Yeah, I chose to take broader perspective. The fact is, most of my favorite Mopars have not been Dodges.
Well if it can be ANY Chrysler product I'll pick this one: <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/M1A1_Abrams_Tank_in_Camp_Fallujah.JPEG">
Well, there was that time in 6th grade gym when that volleyball nearly hit me in the jimmie…..boy, did I jump out of it's way!
Wait….we're not talking about dodgeball, are we?
I'm going with Bill Buckner, back in '86….
<img src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2310/832803articleimglarge5.jpg">
*sigh*
I drive a Dodge Stratus!
I've always bee a fan of the Polara for its unassuming big-block badassery. I'm especially fond of the 3rd gen:
<img src="http://www.cargurus.com/images/2009/08/01/18/53/1964-dodge-polara-pic-22837.jpeg">
Superbee
hot mess
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/1969_Dodge_Superbee.jpg"width=300>
Excellent choice. I have a picture of one in my cube. Foxy cars, the Bees are.
This one:
http://www.dodgepedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2008…
<img src="http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/images/ad1964dart-compact.jpg">
Preferably, with a leaning tower of power.
This is the giant picture post. Then again an M1 tank and the General Lee, do get that respect.
The cars were cool but it was all about the Hemi and all its variations. It made anything it was in legendary.
So what is the HTML-fu to make the picture page width? Sorry for the giant pics.
I'll always be partial to this one:
<img src="http://www.goingincirclez.com/Kaleid/Albums/BON/Posey76.jpg">
Imagine the symphony coming out of those pipes, vintage Trans-Am cars are so excellent
Oh, that ground is gettin' smote!
Symphonic, indeed… Methinks I need to look for the vid I took of this car.
Brock Samson's Challenger!
I really enjoyed my '91 300HP twin-turbo AWD Stealth. It even had all-wheel steering! Granted, it was a Mitsubishi but still…
"The Dude"
I'm not exactly a Dodge fan, but their pick-ups seem to be really popular. Of the ones I saw, this one certainly the coolest.
<img src="http://canneysgarage.canney.net/reference/pictures/trucks/dodge/1957sweptside/1957-Dodge-Sweptside-Pickup-rvl.jpg">
A pickup that repurposes station wagon rear quarter panels gets high marks for creativity.
A pickup that repurposes station wagon rear quarter panels gets high marks for creativity.
…if not style. I'm not a big fan of this body style (but I'm biased towards my own '46 Dodge); however, they have market presence these days. They regularly turn $60-80k at auction.
You're absolutely right! I just checked out the station wagons. Very finny.
That's a gorgeous truck. The rocket taillights are so typical "Mopar WTF".
That depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is.
While that is one of the iconic Dodges of all time, I think it is also one of the most overrated leading to the destruction of several hundred classic Chargers
Yes, that's what makes me wish they'd quit reviving that franchise. Several classics get destroyed every time someone decides to make another crappy DOH movie. The end credits to the 2005 Johnny Knoxville version damn near brought tears to my eyes (and just not because I was mourning the two wasted hours of my life). And then there's the cottage industry of bespoiling decent Chargers by converting them into General Lee replicas, which is almost as bad.
A gray dodge ram 50 with a split window in the rear from the'80s. They were a piece of crap, but nostalgia rues the day.
There could be a whole bunch of answers to this, depending on what makes one "The Best". I struggled with this for Chevy, to the point of writing several posts and scrapping them all. Dodge is a little easier, I think. Then again, I might scrap this post, too. Just to be different, I thought of saying the Omni, because it started Dodge's path back to "righteousness", if you will, with the American buying public in the late '70s and '80s. I also thought of the Neon, because it more or less proved that an American compact car could be fun to drive, and then they screwed it all up with the second generation car. The one Dodge that was the greatest in my mind, however, was revolutionary. It changed family transportation for decades. It created a segment. It started from humble K-Car beginnings, and became a juggernaut. The greatest Dodge of all times may not be glorious, but it fueled Chryco for years with profits, and has always been a benchmark in its segment, always offering significant new amenities with each generation. That vehicle, my friends, is the Dodge Caravan. No other Dodge vehicle has ever made such an impact on the industry.
To the extent that any Dodge can be called "great", I'd be more inclined to identify a utilitarian, mainstream vehicle from the brand than I was for Ford or Chevy. Dodge has put its best foot forward providing affordable, basic transpo, often with fewer gewgaws but a few more cubic inches of displacement. Their pioneering achievements have changed the motoring landscape, but not in a way that generally appeals to motorheads.
Honestly, I believe their greatest contribution is the minivan. The category is widely mocked, even by me and yet they are the most common category of vehicle amongst my circle of friends. Even with my automotive proclivities, my wife and I chose to buy one as the type of people mover that best suited our family.
Yep. As much as I LOVE classic Mopar Iron and think that newer cars like the Viper and Neon ACR are the bee's knees, superbadd75 said it best: the Caravan (along with its Plymouth and Chrysler siblings) defined an entire new class of vehicle and saved the corporation's bacon.
The Jet powered Dodge Caravan.
<img src="http://www.markpascua.com/wp-content/jet-turbine-dodge-caravan-1.jpg"/>
discuss
Someone should tell him the term is "Soccer Mom" not "Soccer Bomb".
How many feet did it go before the transmission shattered into 138 pieces?
I sure there were many great Dodge products produced over the years. Although, I'm sure no one in my family has ever owned one or has even come close.
http://www.7extrememotorsports.com/lemans/cars/do…
<img src="http://www.7extrememotorsports.com/lemans/cars/dodge-viper-gtsr-22.jpg">
I'm not a Dodge fan. Hell, I'm not a Chrysler fan at all. So, my choice is less about cool and more about dollars.
The K Car.
<img width=500 src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Dodge-Aries-sedan.jpg">
Dodge's variant, the Aries, along with the other K cars helped save Chrysler. Actually, let me back up, the US government saved Chrysler, but the K car was pivotal in getting Chrysler out from under Uncle Sam's thumb.
Although, to a soldier in Korea, the M43 ambulance was probably the best Dodge around.
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2799/4105950799_c8768c893d.jpg">
History's greatest dodge:
<img src="http://www.sitemaps.com/Custom_Map_Design/Historical/Maginot_Line.jpg"/>
History's greatest Dodge:
<img src="http://www.cargurus.com/images/2008/06/06/01/47/pic-58808.jpeg"/>
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jeff Glucker, Hooniverse. Hooniverse said: From Hooniverse: Hooniverse Asks- What's History's Greatest Dodge? http://bit.ly/aqhQ4X […]
The original Power Wagon.
<img src="http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/1962_Dodge_Power_Wagon_WM300_Pick_Up_Front_1.jpg">
/thread
Seconded!
Great minds think alike. I was about to post this picture before I even scrolled down…
<img src="http://image.automotive.com/f/featuredvehicles/9619265+soriginal/129_0804_01_z+1954_dodge_power_wagon+passenger_side_view.jpg">
Thread done. Next question.
Not the original Power Wagon, but a nice reproduction:
[youtube 1XUEvkMZHno http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XUEvkMZHno youtube]
I finally get the HTML code right and nibbles eats my pic!
<img src="http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/1962_Dodge_Power_Wagon_WM300_Pick_Up_Front_1.jpg">
There's also this one from the movie Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry:
<img src="http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/dirty%20mary%20crazy%20larry%20train%20crash.jpg"/>
<img src="http://media.nextautos.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/1969-dodge-charger-daytona-hl.jpg" width="585" height="286" />
Loud and proud.
72 Dodge Dart Swinger. Slant Six power, racy name, and exterior design which looks like someone in second grade with a ruler created it.
shelby omni please.
This young fellow dodged quite artfully…
<img src="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/03/03/jackwild_narrowweb__300x384,2.jpg">
The greatest Dodge product: The Ford Model T. The Dodge Brothers were responsible for the manufacture of most of the components for years, including the bodies.
Slant six powered Dodge Dart. Not glamorous, but the closest thing Detroit has come to in terms of building an automotive cockroach that just wont die. Imagine if these things would have had galvanized bodies, or at least enough structural rigidity that they didn't leak like sieves past the windshield / rear window.