1-of-468: 1966 Dodge Hemi Charger
When Dodge released the Charger in 1966, it wanted to produce a car that ticked all the boxes that potential buyers could want. They blessed the interior with lashings of luxury touches. At the same time, they made the exterior distinctive while still utilizing as many pieces from their existing parts bin as possible. However, the engine bay stole the show on a select few, including our feature car. It is 1-of-468 where the original owner ordered it equipped with the firebreathing Hemi V8. This car presents beautifully and is set to go under the hammer on Friday, April 8th. It is located in Palm Beach, Florida, and the owner has listed it for auction with No Reserve here at Barrett-Jackson.
If I said to you that this Charger has recently undergone a Concours restoration, I’m sure you won’t be surprised. Everywhere you look, there is evidence that its restorers had their focus set on immaculate presentation. Its Bright Red paint displays a beautiful depth of color and shine, and like the panels beneath, there are no faults to be found. The seller doesn’t indicate when the restoration was completed, but the car hasn’t clocked many miles since, judging by the condition. There are no underside shots, but the lack of visible corrosion across all aspects of this classic suggests that the vehicle is rust-free. The trim and chrome are immaculate, as is the tinted glass. Rounding out the stunning exterior presentation are the original steel wheels and factory hubcaps wrapped in redline tires.
If you walked into your Dodge dealership in 1966 to order a Charger, you knew you would be driving away in a car with a V8 under the hood. How much power you received depended on the size of your bank balance and your determination to be the king of the road. To that end, 468 buyers slapped down the cash to equip their new toy with the 426 Street Hemi. Sucking enormous amounts of air and fuel through a pair of Carter carburetors, this motor transformed that mixture into brute strength. While Dodge claimed a power output of 425hp, many enthusiasts believed that the figure was conservative. They felt that 460hp was closer to the mark, although the figure could be slightly higher. This car features its original Hemi, a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission, a Dana 60 Sure Grip rear end, power steering, and power brakes. If you ever doubted its performance credentials, the Charger’s ability to demolish the ¼ mile in 14.3 seconds proves that it isn’t a car to be taken lightly. The engine bay of this classic presents superbly and makes a positive impression. There isn’t a wire or clip out of place and no evidence of fluid leaks. The seller doesn’t indicate how well the Charger runs or drives, but the news should be good if appearance counts. Some welcome documentation is included, consisting of the Owner’s Manual. original Window Sticker, original Bill of Sale, and the Certicard.
While this Charger means business under the hood, its interior overflows with luxury touches. The First Generation Charger was the only model to receive a full-length console and bucket seats in the front and rear, making the car a genuine four-seater. My favorite interior future is the gauge cluster. While it looked impressive during the day, it features electroluminescent lighting that created one of the most striking displays in automotive history. I located this shot on the Just A Car Guy Blog, demonstrating how dramatic the visual impact is. As with the rest of the vehicle, the Charger’s interior presentation is difficult to fault. The Black vinyl upholstery, carpet, dash, pad, and console look flawless. There are no aftermarket additions, and the bright trim pieces glow winningly.
Even if you ignore the automotive work of art lurking under this 1966 Charger’s hood, it is a stunning classic guaranteed to turn heads. Its overall condition virtually guarantees that it will draw attention and spirited bidding when the moment arrives. The Hemi under the hood should seal the deal and make it fascinating to see where the action heads. The market has been relatively flat recently, but I won’t be surprised if this Charger heads into six-digit territory. The current sales record stands at $190,000 for a pristine Hemi that sold in 2012. Do you think this one has what it would take to threaten that figure?
Auctions Ending Soon
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now2 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now2 days$4,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now2 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now4 days$10,500
1974 Datsun 260ZBid Now6 days$460
Comments
Well the 426 Hemi only has 425 horsepower until you put a blower on it & feed it nitro then you get 8,000 horsepower but that’s a horse of a different color I suppose.
Aftermarket A/C
Horse of a diffrent color? Please make this car a diffrent color.
Well BJ is involved so I your average Joe won’t be owning this .
Yeah, BJ is sooo wonderful, but do they ever have cool stuff on, like steam trains? Choo Choo, I’m with you.
i was reading a car magazine years ago and an article in this mag was about the hemi engine. In the write up the engine builder said if the stock hemi was properly tuned it would make 425 hp with one plug wire removed. I know you can’t believe everything you read but i kinda believe that one
The 426 Hemi was a detuned race engine. 425hp with a good tune and one dead cylinder? More like 500 plus. We ran a injected Hemi and it was running around 700hp, stock compression ratio with headers and a good cam. 3500 lb car with the driver ran 9.90s all day long. We ran it on alcohol and it was a whole different beast. We always wanted to try nitro but we were afraid it would genade and we only had a couple of spare blocks we were able scrounge up. My dad’s buddy ran the West Virginia HemiCharger A990 cars in the sixties and he said they put out way over 600hp in race trim.
I always considered the ’66 and ’67 Chargers the best fastback interpretation of the standard car when compared to the Barracuda and Marlin.
Not many production cars carry over a concept’s basic interior & dash!
https://www.carstyling.ru/ru/car/1965_dodge_charger_ii/
Throw it back in the barn, a total waste of an otherwise good car. Buy it, plop in a nice LA 318 and call her good.
When I was a kid growing up in the late70’s and 80’s my best friends dad had a charger this color and body as his daily driver after his dad passed his older brother sold it I wish I was in a position to get it at the time.
“The seller doesn’t indicate how well the Charger runs or drives”. It really doesn’t matter. As long as it makes it across the block, into the transporter, then to its parking spot in the new owner’s collection, it won’t need to run again until it goes up for sale in the future.
$190,000 for a pristine Hemi that sold 10 years ago in 2012.
$300,000 this year,
OR WAIT 10 years and pay $2M in 2032…
Make it a charity case and it will get 2M to start
Hey Charger! Beautiful looking car! It’s a shame they changed the styling when they did. I’ve never found the 1968 and 70 Dodge Charger very attractive.
You either like this body style or hate it! I have always wanted one but in today’s market especially with B ,J involved this will be some rich guys collector car. I for one loved this body style and the drive line is just icing on the cake.might hit the lottery tonight you never know
Jim Gesswein of Gesswein Motors in Milbank, SD had a very low mileage ’66 Charger with a hemi. I remember when I was a teen in the early 90s, they pulled it out of the shed and were working on it. There were two batteries in it and the guys said it came factory that way. He had some amazing cars!
I was driving a 1965 Dodge Monaco 2dr Hardtop when I stopped @ our local Chrysler dealership and I couldn’t take my eyes off of a 1967 Dodge Charger deep Burgundy with black interior that was just traded in with 5000 miles. It had a 440 Magnum with a 4 speed. Needless to say I went home with the Charger and they had my Monaco.. That Charger was something else. It handled like a dream with power steering and brakes. Two years later I hit a deer taking out the front end. I sold the car to my next door neighbor who owned a body shop. Two months later the car looked like new again. However I turned around and bought a new 1969 Chrysler 300 2dr Hardtop. My neighbor still has the Charger and he told me that if he dies before I do, then his wife can sell it back to me. Unfortunately we are all getting up in years so I wonder who is going to end up with the Charger
My favorite version of the Charger.
I came across another ’66 426 back in 2018 in Iola WI.
One of my College buddies decided to buy a new car in 1966, he chose a bright red 1966 Charger. He wanted to order one with the 426 and factory A/C, but the dealer said the A/C was not an option, so he ordered one with the 440.
No power brakes? I don’t see a booster. My eyes deceive me all the time.
sold! $139,700.00