Take a roaring ride through every year of Chrysler performance-car history led by stunning photography, lively commentary, and detailed specification tables for every model. Expanded and updated,
The Complete Book of Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars details all of the classic Mopar muscle cars from 1960 to today in one handsomely designed volume. Explore every aspect of the:
- Early 1960s factory lightweights
- Boulevard brawlers like the Road Runner, GTX, and Super Bee
- Super collector cars like Hemi-powered ’Cudas, Challengers, and Superbirds
- 21st century Charger and Challenger
Over the course of nearly 75 years, Chrysler’s (now Stellantis) Dodge and Plymouth brands have offered some of the most memorable and exciting muscle cars ever loosed on the motoring public. Arguably, it all began with the 1951 release of the vaunted V-8 Hemi engine. This legendary beast passed through a handful of displacements until finally morphing into the all-conquering 426. Chrysler’s V-8 prowess shone in early 1960s factory-lightweight drag cars then moved to muscle-era classics like the
Charger,
Roadrunner,
GTX,
Super Bee, and
Superbird.
But it wasn’t just about Hemis; Chrysler offered a variety of V-8 engines including 340, 383, and 440 displacements fitted to other top-flight cars like the
Barracuda,
Challenger,
’Cuda, and
Duster. No other Detroit automaker offered a wider variety of performance cars in the 1960 and early ’70s.
Emissions requirements and ever-increasing insurance tabs put the squeeze on performance cars beginning in the mid-1970s, and Mopar performance declined for decades. But it returned with a vengeance in the 21st century, first in the guise of a
new Charger (4-door!) and then the beloved
retro-design Challenger. Both of these iconic models were put to rest in 2023, but not before unleashing the wild 807-horsepower
Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the outrageous 1,025-horsepower
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. Power to the people, indeed!
The Complete Book of Dodge and Plymouth Muscle Cars is a must-have reference for all Mopar muscle fans.
• Superbirds remain extremely popular trading hands at more than $250,000
• The aero NASCAR cars are seen as the zenith of oval racing, with the winged Mopar entries being dominant
• A Plymouth Superbird won the 1970 Daytona 500
“Petty signs with Ford!” Those four words tore through the racing world like a hot knife through butter while loyalists threw their hands up in disbelief. King Richard’s defection was in part because Plymouth hadn’t built a Dodge Daytona counterpart for the NASCAR circuit, in addition to the fact that Petty Enterprises wanted to be the sole racing parts distributor for Plymouth at the time. Plymouth weathered the backlash publically while privately scurrying to create a car to lure Richard back to Plymouth. That car? The 1970 Plymouth Superbird.
Production models languished on salesroom floors due in part to NASCAR having increased the homologation requirement from 500 units to 2,000. These cars were highly specialized, seen as being in excess in proportion to the hottest street cars of the period. Fast-forward to today, Superbirds are highly collectible and are the star attractions at car shows and auctions, pulling top dollar and generating real excitement. What a difference a few decades makes!
Each volume in the In Detail Series provides an introduction and historical overview, an explanation of the design and concepts involved in creating the car, a look at marketing and promotion, an in-depth study of all hardware and available options, and an examination of where the car is on the market today. Also included are paint and option codes, VIN and build tag decoders, as well as production numbers.
