Dodge Ram Aftermarket Hoods

Dodge Ram Aftermarket Hoods

Dodge Ram Aftermarket Hoods

“Charger” was a familiar name in the early 1960s thanks to the Ramcharger and Hemi-Charger competition cars, so its use was a shrewd move by Dodge to provide instant recognition among performance enthusiasts. The car’s origins were slightly more complicated.

For Dodge, It Began with the Hemi

Dodges were fast before anyone had heard of muscle cars; the badge’s first V-8 was a 241-cubic-inch Hemi that appeared in 1953. Known as the Red Ram, it produced 140 horsepower and four years later, its descendant – the D-501 – generated 340 horsepower from 354 cubic inches.

Hemis then vanished for several years while the concept of small performance cars began to take shape. Dodge introduced the Dart in 1960, but its 118-inch wheelbase was just four inches less than that of the full-size models. The next year brought the 106.5-inch Lancer and while it offered a 195-horsepower 225-cubic-inch six, the Dart was available with a 330-horsepower 383-cubic-inch V-8.