1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440: The Quintessential American Villain Car
Dan Kowalski
· 5 min read
When the redesigned 1968 Dodge Charger hit the streets, it revolutionized muscle car styling. Moving away from the fastback roofline of the 1966-67 generation, stylist Richard Sias introduced the famous 'coke-bottle' profile with sculpted scallops in the doors and hood, flying buttress rear pillars, and vacuum-operated hidden headlights.
Under the hood of the R/T (Road/Track) model sat the mighty 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Magnum V8, churning out 375 horsepower and a massive 480 lb-ft of torque.
Cinematic Immortality
In the 1968 film *Bullitt*, a black 1968 Charger 440 driven by stuntman Bill Hickman engaged in the most famous car chase in cinema history against Steve McQueen's Highland Green Mustang through the hilly streets of San Francisco.
With heavy-duty torsion bars, extra-leaf rear springs, and front anti-roll bars, the Charger R/T delivered genuine highway capability along with thunderous straight-line acceleration.