Is A Dodge Charger Considered A Sports Car?

Last Updated on October 31, 2023 by Alex PT

Not really! Even if most people think Dodge Charger a sports car, the recent Chargers should not really be considered as sports cars, but rather as muscle cars. Since they are full-sized family sedans with mostly base 6 cylinder engines, which are capable of decent power at 300 BHP. 

A simple description of a sports car is “ a small low car with mostly a very high-powered engine, with two people’s seats”.  Most people might say that this definition is more or less a ‘textbook” one but it will only help to create the idea of what is perceived to be a sports car. 

What Is The Houston Mifflin Dictionary Definition Of A Sports Car?

A sports car is defined by the Houghton Mifflin dictionary as; “ an automobile designed for sports racing, or an aerodynamically built vehicle with two-passenger or one-passenger having steering, suspension and a low center of gravity, built for detailed control at high speeds.” However, the Houghton Mifflin dictionary does not cover the popular knowledge of what people see as a sports car. As a matter of fact, the “two-seat rule” of the Houghton Mifflin description is definitely out of date. As we all know that many sports cars today are designed with small back seats, popularly known as the 2+2 seating. Furthermore, most automotive experts have started a current movement to increase the back seating room in subsequent models of sports cars. 

Most insurance companies make use of their self-invented method for classifying automobile and usually automatically classifying any vehicle with two doors as a “sports car”. These insurance companies’ perspective outdated are equally outdated as the standard dictionary approach to describe a sports car. Every one of us can actually picture a wide range of cars with two doors that do not fit to be called a sports car. Larger two-door care and economy vehicles that are not designed with performance and power in mind should never be considered as true sports cars. 

Most car fanatics will usually refer to high performance larger vehicles and muscle cars as sports cars. While others, make a clear variation between these “true” sports cars and other vehicles. These individuals will insist that a vehicle can be sporty or simply “sporting car” but still doesn’t meet up with the power and performance of a true sports car. Therefore, most normal vehicles can be equipped with a sport package or accessories to make the vehicle look sportier, but will still not meet up with the standard of a true sports car. 

Dodger Charger Models That Are Considered SportscarsDodger Charger Models That Are Mere Muscle Cars
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However, not all automotive fanatics agree with this restrictive definition of sports cars. To many automotive enthusiasts, a sports car is any vehicle delivering greater power or performance than the regular cars. This perspective embraces and consider most muscle cars and other larger cars equipped with power on mind as sports cars. Other people will insist that the major disparity between regular care and sports cars lies in how the vehicle’s handling and suspension are addressed. So many times, there have been technical debates on whether different suspension packages qualify a vehicle to be a sports car. 

Many even argue that sports cars are defined by their intentions. They say a vehicle is a sports car if it is built for performance more important than the regular utility. This self-invented description of a sports car offers a small amount of tips in concluding whether a vehicle is a sports car or not. Now, in the modern era, the idea of producing a vehicle of any kind without a substantial reference of its utility and feasibility appears improbable. Regardless of the performance, all commercially viable automobiles must maintain considerable utility. 

A leading automotive publication called the Road and Track outlines the sports cars description debate with a simple point; “You’ll probably get five different answers if you ask five different people the precise description of a sports car.

That’s to say that there’s no clear-cut description of what actually is a sports car. The restrictive description of most people and organizations look ill-suited to classify recent diverse automotive and widespread usage of the term differs from the most long-held descriptions. 

However, there is a common perspective that runs through virtually all of the viewpoints of the definition of “sports car”. If a vehicle is designed and built with race-like powers and high performance in mind, it can possibly be termed as. A sports car. Most purists may play down that liberal perspective, but all other definitions seem outdated and fall far short of precisely differentiating regular cars from sports cars. 

What Is The Brief History Of The Dodger Chargers?

In the 1966 model year, the Dodger Charger was introduced, and if boasts of a four bucket seat interior and two-door body design. Just like the Coronet, the intermediate-sized Dodger Charger used the Chrysler B platform A 318 cu in (5.2 L) V8 was the base engine with a three-speed manual. Unfortunately, at first, the sales were very low, but there were bigger and more powerful engines available. 

In 1968, the Dodge Charger was redesigned, an initial 35, 000 units we’re scheduled for production.  Fortunately, the demand for 1968 Dodge Charger was high and over 96,100 Dodger Chargers were totally designed. Following the Chrysler B platform, the 1968 model obtained different cosmetic changes to the interior and exterior, including hidden headlights, undivided grill, and round tall lights. It was until the mid-1968 that the 225 cu in (3.7 L) slant was made available although the powertrains were held up from 1967. Unfortunately, stock car racing like NASCAR brought the Charger down the hill. The Charger 500 model was the basis for the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona having an aerodynamic shape. 

In the 1971 model year, the third-generation Dodge Charger was introduced.  However, it was the Chrysler B platform that was re-modified to meet new safety and emissions regulations. It began so popularly because it was available in 6 different packages with cosmetic changes that include: a cocktail spoiler, semi fastback rear window, and a split grill. The 1974 and 1973 models were identical to the 1971 Charger but with only little differences in the headlamps and grill. The 1974 and 1973 model of Dodge Chargers were also designed with new quarter windows, which were shaped differently and larger than the quarter windows equipped with the 1972 and 1971 models. Fortunately, there were increased sales with is because the Dodge Coronet was eliminated, meaning that Dodge now offer two-door medium-size body design as the Charger.  

Although the 1975 Charger continued as a B body vehicle, it was later redesigned. The new Charger was made in the attempt of Dodge to match the thriving personal luxury cars market section. In 1978, the Dodge released two vehicles “Dodge Magnum and the Charger”  in a similar class to enlarge their existence in the personal luxury car market. In the same year that these two cars were released, Dodge also released a Daytona model, which features stripes designed across the length of the vehicle. 

In the middle of 1981, the Charger returned into the car market with a is compact hatchback coupe with a five-speed manual and front-wheel drive. It was an economy-type model designed with a larger engine, although most people consider it similar to the Dodge Omni 024. It was equipped with a turbocharged 2.2l SOHC engine. Unlike the Dodge Daytona, this 1981 model Charger was designed only with the manual transmission. At the beginning of 1983, a new Shelby Charger was released by Dodge with a turbo producing 148 horsepower(110kW) at 5600 rpm and 160 pound-feet (220 N.m) of torque at 3200 rpm version available in 1984. In 1985 , the engine used a small t3 Garrett turbo and was not intercool. Interestingly, the electronics were upgraded in 1985 but the power output were not touched. Whereas in 1986, the electronics of the model was further upgraded. 

As we all expected, in 2005, Dodge reintroduced the Charger for the 2006 model year in another completely different form. This new generation of Charger was designed as a four-door sedan utilizing the Chrysler LX platform. The style was hoped to be the successor of the 1960s and 1970s Chargers and the new stamped hood and side panels hardened back to that era, as did the taillights.  This new Charger generation was designed with a V8 and V6 engine options fused to automatic transmissions, as well as the (AWD) known as all-wheel drive. 

In 2011, the Dodge Charger received a brand new exterior and enhanced interior design. This new design includes aggressive new grille styling, a more defined and aerodynamic shape, more angular headlights, as well as new side scoops along with rear and front doors. Furthermore, the Charger was designed with a new wraparound LED tail light spanning across almost the trunk’s entire length. What more? The driver vision was enhanced by up to 15% addressing criticisms from the earlier years. The rear and side design cues are evocative of the 1968-1970 models.

In 2012, a new modern 8-speed automatic transmission was brought to the V-6 model. Also, it was in 2012 that the SRT-8 returned to the model lineup. Dodge also added the all-wheel-drive to the V6, which makes AWD available on all the models except the SRT-8 model. 

There were new generation Chargers in the 2012-2018 years, the Super Bee platform, which was later named Scat Pack 15+ was released, designed with the same features OD the regular SRT-8 models with badges and accessories evocation of the 1960s and 1970s muscle car. This new design features a 6.4L engine with 470 horsepower, paddle shifters, custom seat embroidery, slotted rotors, four-piston Brembo calipers, SRT launch features (like Live G-force, 1/8 and ¼ mile drag timers, and 0-60 timing), and more. 

The Dodge released a modern 2014 Pursuit model without chrome exhaust tip extensions. The 2017 model was upgraded to the 8.4 nav/display system and was redesigned due to a problem with the earlier system. In 2020, the Dodge released the Charger Hellcat designed with a wide body to accommodate a suspension package/ improved tire. The 2020 Charger Pursuit is only available in the AWD V8 and RWD V6 models, with the RWD V8 model being terminated. 

Conclusion

We’ve reached the final session of this article. We hope you find it resourceful in your quest to know if a Dodge Charger should consider sports car or not. 

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