1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi Vintage Road Test.
Watch this amazing vintage road test of 1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi. In this Video Bud Lindemann and his team put the Charger to the test.
Video posted on YouTube by: MaccaIsntDead
Quotes by Bud Lindemann in this video.
“How Hot is the Hemi?”
Is the 1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi different from the standard charger? How Hot is the Hemi? Will the suspension system handle all the power? Well, these are a few of the questions that our road test crew asked the day they wheeled the new cherry red Charger 500 on to our test track. This is obviously the car the Dodge boys designed for Daytona. Most of the supercars we test fall in the intermediate class. But, this full-size sedan tossed out some big surprises.
1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi Red
“Where does the docility of a street machine end and the fury of a full-blown racecar begins?”
This car would have to be placed somewhere at the top of the supercar ladder. During the time we had the Charger 500. I couldn’t help myself, where do you draw the line. Where does the docility of a street machine end and the fury of a full-blown racecar begins? That line seems to be getting narrower each year. And, this Hemi Charger is right at the border.
The exposed headlights mounted in the flush grille distinguish the 500 for the standard Charger. Hood lines remain the same, with the sculptured insert panels housing the directional indicators. To make this body a little slipperier for the superspeedways. The designers did away with the rear window tunneling affect in favor of the more aerodynamic correct fastback trend. Apparently, at high speeds a vacuum would form in the tunnel pocket. And, in the high banked tracks in rebel country this could mean two or three miles per hour extra.
1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi Silver
“With this four letter (Hemi) exciter hung on each side you won’t find too many takers at the traffic lights”
“If that doesn’t excite you. Better check your pulse”
This Charger like the standard model rides on a 117-inch wheelbase with a 59 and ½ inch front tracking width and 58 and ½ in the rear. With this four letter (Hemi) exciter hung on each side you won’t find too many takers at the traffic lights. This is one of the quickest ways I know of to do your thing. The 426 cubic inches topped by hemispherical combustion chambers, delivering 425 horsepower. That is about 1 horse per cubic inch. If that doesn’t excite you. Better check your pulse.
“How come they put the glove compartment in the rear.”
The accessibility to the trunk area leaves quite a bit to be desired on the standard charger. But, on this 500 the opening is even smaller. One of the crew members asked, “how come they put the glove compartment in the rear?” The bucket seats, as in the past are great. They give excellent support and they are very comfortable even on long trips. Leg room up front is plentiful. This however was not the case in the rear, the seating is all right. But, you’d have to find some other place for your legs. If you are uncomfortable in the rear all you have to do is look at this beautiful dashboard and you’ll forget all about it. No lights. All gages. It makes the driver feel kind of necessary. And, we still feel that this TorqueFlite transmission is the best in the business.
“What a getaway car.”
“Our driver accelerated a permanent smile on his face.”
“Fast enough to wipe the stripes off.”
“More wheelspin that a Las Vegas Roulette table.”
What a getaway car, 30 mph in 2.8 seconds. I think it was going 45 mph when we left the line. It clocks at 4 seconds flat. The third time out of the hole, our driver accelerated a permanent smile on his face. He had 60 in 6.9 seconds and that’s fast enough to wipe the stripes off. With the street rubber we had more wheelspin that a Las Vegas Roulette table. Our best quarter mile, go was 14.1.
1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi Acceleration Performance.
• 0 to 30 mph in 2.8 seconds.
• 0 to 45 mph in 4 seconds.
• 0 to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds.
• ¼ mile in 14.1 seconds.
For binders we had discs up front with drums in the rear. From 30 mph it took 40 feet to stop. Pedal fade was average. There was quite a bit of heat buildup. But, those 11-inch discs up front dissipated it rapidly. From 45 we shut down in 71 feet. We tried about 7 or 8, 65 mph panic stops. Our average stopping distance was 178 feet. After a workout like this the heat was intense. We had to stop and let them cool down.
1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi Stopping Performance.
• 30 mph to 0 in 40 feet.
• 45 mph to 0 in 71 feet.
• 65 mph to 0 in 178 feet.
1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi White
“This blow your mind special”
“You get a little tired of having your back teeth rattled loose every time you driver over to the corner drugstore”
When we decided to take this blow your mind special true the turns we had to keep reminding ourselves that this is a full-size sedan. In hard cornering I gained an all new respect for this Mopar’s suspension setup. In front they employed wishbones with big fat torsion bars. In the rear leaf springs with a live axle. Chrysler engineers have achieved a delicate balance of excellent handling and a good comfortable ride. We find that many of the supercars today have a strong beefy suspension system and the ride just that way. You get a little tired of having your back teeth rattled loose every time you driver over to the corner drugstore. Body roll is not excessive and recovery out of a drift was excellent.
“But, with the Hemi hummer in the forward compartment you can put your rear anywhere you want it”
“The parking lot attendants would move it every five minutes just to start it.”
“Feeling that is not defined in your Funk & Wagnalls”
We filmed this 70 mph turn in slow motion. You notice that coming into the turn at high speed the front end starts to wash. But, with the Hemi hummer in the forward compartment you can put the rear-end anywhere you want it. Believe me, firing this car through a corner in a 4-wheel drift with power on is a type of feeling that is not defined in your Funk & Wagnalls. Whenever we drive it to our downtown offices. The parking lot attendants would move it every five minutes just to start it.
“That’s what supercars are all about”
We only got 7 miles to the gallon and it was noise. But the charger 500 is the kind of car that quickens your pulse and puts a fire in your gut. And really, that’s what supercars are all about.
The 1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi
Dodge introduced the 1969 Dodge Charger 500 Hemi to fight with Ford Torino Talladega and the Mercury Cyclone in NASCAR. On the high banked oval track the Charger R/T was not competitive. After extensive wind tunnel tests, the Dodge boys found that the Charger’s rear window caused lift and the recessed front grille caused drag. To improve high speed stability, they moved the rear window out, creating a fastback configuration. And, to reduce drag they replaced the from grill with the one from the Coronet.
The 1969 Charger 500 came standard with the 440 magnum engine. The 426 Hemi was an option and less then 100 were produced.
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