Most American pony cars and muscle cars of the 1960's owe their Coke bottle styling to an industrial designer named Raymond Loewy. Mr. Loewy originated the Coke bottle shape with his design of the 1962 Studebaker Avanti. The silhouette is characterized as having a narrow midsection where the doors are located and curvaceous bulges atop the front fender located where the front wheel is and the rear wheel atop the quarter panels.
Above: One can almost see a Coke bottle lying on its side in this view of the sporty 1963 Studebaker Avanti. Many automotive historians regard the first American muscle car as being the 1965 Pontiac GTO. Yet, the Studebaker Avanti design predates the GTO by three years. The black beauty Avanti above is Studebaker's top of the high-performance food chain, 289-cubic inch V8 powered, Paxton supercharged, fiberglass body clad, and four-speed manual transmission equipped road burner. At the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1962, a modified supercharged Avanti claimed the title of the Fastest Production Car of the World by achieving a 170-mph top speed! Photo courtesy of Mecum Auctions
Above: A 383-cubic inch V8 Magnum backed by a 727 automatic transmission currently powers the Charger. A K&N air filter and the installation of Hooker Headers with Flowmaster Super 40 mufflers enable the mill to breathe more freely and robustly. An Optima Yellow Top battery, MSD distributor, and ignition enhance the car's electrical system.
The late 1960's Dodge Chargers certainly have Coke bottle styling. However, that fact isn't why Nicholas Chiranian, of Los Angeles, CA, and his father first became interested in the Coke bottle shaped 1968-70 Dodge Chargers. They fell for these American muscle machines by watching The Dukes of Hazzard TV series and The Fast and the Furious movies.
Above: A RetroSound stereo head unit fit into the factory dash panel perfectly, while the other components that comprise the aftermarket system sound far better than the AM/FM radios available in 1970.
Above: According to the owner, the exterior of the Charger was originally painted Dark Green Poly (code F8). Perhaps the green vinyl interior is original, maybe?
During Covid 19, father and son Chiranian saw an advertisement for a 1970 Charger on Craigslist that was for sale in Arizona. After a lengthy phone call with the Charger's owner, the Chiranians decided to fly to Arizona.
Above: The Charger's former owner must have installed a new headliner, since it definitely didn't appear that it was over 50 years old.
As soon as Nick's dad saw the Charger backing out of the previous owner's garage, the elder Chiranian decided that he'd be buying the car. He loved that mellow yellow paint scheme with the black Bumble Bee stripes that wrap around the trunk lid and quarter panels.
Above: The 15-inch Magnum 500 wheels are shod with BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires - 245/60 in the front and 295/60 in the rear.
So, father Garabed Chiranian and son Nicholas negotiated a fair price with the former Dodge owner and arranged transport of the stunning machine to the Golden State. The father and son team purchased the Charger on July 9, 2020, which looking back was right in the midst of Covid 19. Though Covid was a terrible time for the world to endure, many families used these challenging times to work on old car projects, or home improvement schemes, or entrepreneurial efforts, or physical and mental self-help strategies, or what have you.
Above: That factory fuel cap and trim ring assembly is way cool.
Seeing this Charger in person and looking at these well shot photos (thanks Vicente), these two astute Classic Industries' customers purchased a super nice, super solid 1970 Dodge Charger for a very reasonable price.
Above: CI offers several different Charger emblems/badges.
These days, Nicholas and his dad drive the Charger to car shows and occasionally cruise her around to give her some exercise. Nicholas does plan on modifying the Charger to make her a reliable daily driver, and to make her more fun to motor around in than she is now. She looks pretty fun at present, but could be spectacular with a 440 six pack mill backed by a Tremec TKX five-speed manual transmission. Hmmm? One wonders what plans Nicholas and Garabed have down the road for the Charger. We shall see.
As you may be aware, Classic Industries offers a veritable cornucopia, read a ton of Mopar components for Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler automotive hobbyists. Especially if you're building a 1960-1976 A-, B-, or E-body Dodge or Plymouth, the availability of items for your Mopar machine(s) is increasing. Mopar enthusiasts can search online and can augment their component securing experiences by also obtaining a free Mopar Parts and Accessories Catalog. Make your Mopar even more fun to drive than it is now, like Nicholas and Garabed Chiranian.