Dodge has made a lot of money by digging into the past for the design of its modern cars. The Challenger introduced in 2008 did such a good job of aping the 1970 Challenger that Dodge was able to sell it for 15 years without a design refresh.
Now, the next car in the stable, the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona due this summer, is reaching back to the 1968 Charger for its design influence. One retro modern muscle car will replace another, this time offering both gas and electric powertrains.
Why the 1968 Charger in particular? Look no further than Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles’ favorite 1960s muscle car and the personal car he built based on that love.
“When you talk to Mopar aficionados, Challenger is beloved, but the ’68 Charger was kind of the quintessential Mopar,” Gilles told Motor Authority.
SpeedKore Hellucination 1968 Dodge Charger
SpeedKore Hellucination 1968 Dodge Charger
SpeedKore Hellucination 1968 Dodge Charger
Gilles began working with Wisconsin resto-mod shop SpeedKore in 2019 to build a personal Pro Touring-style, carbon-fiber-bodied, Hellephant-powered 1968 Dodge Charger called “Hellucination.” Around the same time, Dodge was working on the Banshee Concept, which would become the Charger Daytona.
“When we started the project for the EV, the Banshee Concept, I literally had a ’68 in the studio. We pulled one out of our historical collection, parked it in the studio,” Gilles said.
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept SEMA 2022 update
“I had a bunch of Millennials in the studio working, so when I brought in the ’68, it kinda stopped them in their tracks. I kept my project very private, so nobody knew I was working on Hellucination at the time,” he continued.
Did we get that right? Did Gilles’ personal car affect future product? We pointedly asked Gilles if working on Hellucination got him into the mindset to make the next-gen car a ’68 throwback.
“Yes. Yeah, and there’s no qualms about it. And I love it,” he replied.
However, Gilles didn’t draw the car himself as his interpretation of a ’68 Charger.
“I didn’t let that (Hellucination) influence the young designers other than bringing in a ’68 and parking it in the studio,” he explained.
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona
Gilles feels the Charger Daytona is the right car for the electric era.
“The ones that don’t know Mopars just think it’s a really cool modern, very different unique electric car, which is what I wanted,” he said. “And the ones who love Mopars, are like, ‘Oh my god.’ They get it. If you’re a Mopar fan, it’s meant to tug on your heartstrings. It’s like comfort food. If you’re going to go electric, this makes you happy.”
The design chief also describes the Charger Daytona as practical.
“I think the secret sauce is that there’s no penalty. It checks a lot of boxes. It’s functional. It’s efficient. Hopefully it’s attractive. It has presence. It has character. And then it has space,” Gilles said. “It’s a hatchback, the seats fold down, you have CUV type functionality. Incredible efficiency, great range, great performance, great handling.”
We'll know just how practical and functional the Charger Daytona is, as well as how well it performs, when we drive it later this year. Until then, the '68 Charger design influences are undeniable. If you're going to let personal preference and legendary muscle cars affect company design, it helps to have good taste.
