Thursday 2nd September 2010

Video: Hemi Charger 500 Road Test

Another slice of vintage Americana courtesy of YouTube and Car & Track

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We all loved that old 1970s Oldsmobile Cutlass movie review by Car & Track, so for those of you who couldn't be ar*ed to find any more by yourselves (you'll be the PHers with proper jobs!), here's another one that tickled us all at PH Towers.

It's the 1969 Dodge Charger in Hemi 500 guise 'doing its thing' and like the man says: "If this car doesn't excite you, you'd better check your pulse..."

Roll 'em!

[davepoth]

7mpg...Classic.

[Luca Brasi]

Brilliant. I really was born 40 or so years too late

Love the body roll btw

Edited by Luca Brasi on Thursday 2nd September 10:32

[Fire99]

Epic stuff. A mass of screeching corners and wheelspin. I'd like to see how those braking distances compare with modern cars.

I have to admit the 7mpg did make me laugh.

[Ninjaboy]

It looks good but to drive it looks bloody awful.

[Oddball RS]

Absolutely love it, i was born just too late.................

Love his skid lid too, have to say its looks better without the exposed front lamps though.

[Beefmeister]

Epic stuff, love these old road tests!

There goes my lunchtime (okay, who am i kidding, the next 2hrs) searching Youtube for more clips!

[bencollins]

tad undertyred me thinks.
the presenter was more nasally than the tunes advert man "second class ticket to dottingham please"
god cars were shyte back then, good story tho, ta.

[smele]

"it was noisy....."

[dinkel]

Proper R&R!

Can't wait to see them Galaxies, Fairlanes and Cobras perform at the upcoming Spa 6 Hrs weekend.

[Jasper Gilder]

davepoth said:

7mpg...Classic.

That's a US Gallon remember - in the UK that would be 8.4!!!!!

[HAB]

WTF is going on with the indicators in the bonnet??

[marksx]

Excellent!

[dvance]

Handling ...

[Oddball RS]

dvance said:

Handling ...

They were braver in the old days.......

[anonymous-user]

That was worth watching just as a gentle reminder how much tyre technology has moved forwards in the last 40 years! It's hilarious to watch that car be completely crossed up, drifting, and then you look at how slow it's going on the apex and just laugh, no doubt about it, no way would that thing see which way a 2010 1.4 fiesta would have gone around that track!! I just love the way the cars is soo massive, but apparently if you have legs, you can't sit in the back??? guess packaging wasn't quite so well optimised back then??

[Greenwich Ross]

What would have been the closest thing we'd have been producing that year?

[Crow555]

Am I the only one who thinks the headlights make it look like a Ford Granada?

[davepoth]

Jasper Gilder said:

davepoth said:

7mpg...Classic.

That's a US Gallon remember - in the UK that would be 8.4!!!!!

Well that's much better - I'll buy one for going to the shops.

The method of measuring acceleration looked fun. Floor the accelerator in neutral and then slam the shifter into low and smoke the tyres past 60mph. Bet Dodge were happy with them when they sent it back.

[motorizer]

I have to say, having driven one (not a hemi 500, but a big block 69 charger) that they massively outperform anything british from that era that I've ever been in, including around corners...I'll admit I havent been in any 60s british sports cars though just saloons and stuff

[davepoth]

True enough - I got a ride in a '70 Barracuda with a 440 Six Pack and the acceleration was unreal.