Richard Sais’ Coke-bottle #1968 #Charger might be the most successful #Dodge design in the company’s history - not bad for something that grew from a sketch designed to help Sais during his job interview. The first Charger, a fastback version of the #Coronet that had been hastily created in the wake of the Mustang, GTO, and Barracuda debuts (Dodge dealers wanted a badder Barracuda) ended up straddling the market between big coupes and the new pony cars, but it was a stopgap car - a thorough redesign in ’68 was expected, and work was underway before the ’66 went on sale. A furious debate ensued about what the ’68 would look like. Sais had been hired away from GM by Dodge’s chief designer Chuck Mitchell in 1964, and had brought along a sketch with him to the interview of a sleek sporty hardtop inspired by fighter jets like the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger. After he was hired, Sais worked on A-body (Dodge Dart) platform cars, but made a clay of his sketch, which Mitchell loved enough to present as a proposal for the ’68 Charger. Dodge’s executive design chief Bill Brownlie wanted to go with another crack at the fastback theme for ’68, and hated the model and reportedly ordered it destroyed - but Chrysler’s design chief Elwood Engel loved it. Engel had Mitchell and Sais develop the car during Brownlie’s 1965 trip to Chrysler Europe, even adding the distinctive racing-style fuel filler himself. Much of this took place before or during the early months of Mk1 Charger sales. Whatever Brownlie’s feelings - he later warmed to the design - Engel’s decision was final. The ’68 was a huge success, with sales rising from a paltry 15,000 ‘67s to almost 100,000 ‘68s - nearly 80K more than they expected. The base Charger that year was a 318, joined mid-year by the rare 225-cid slant six Charger, but most were meant as #musclecars - the 383 and 440 V8s were the norm, with options up to the pricey 426 #Hemi. Visually #fast and a terror on the drag strip, the Coke Bottle car was not a handler, but it did okay for 60s muscle. You don’t see them on this context very often, however. #MoparMadness #ig_autoshow #DodgeCharger #ChargerRT #Mopar #1960s #speed #classiccars #retro_rides