When 1968 dawned, Dodge did not offer a six-cylinder option in its Charger range. They chose to introduce the 225ci slant-six around the middle of the year as a no-cost option for those buyers who didn’t want the base 318ci V8, and it ranks as one of the rarest engine configurations to be found in a Charger today. This is one of those cars, and as you read on, you may find it to be even rarer than you might first think. The Charger is located in Irvington, Alabama, and it has generated plenty of interest since it was listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has been extraordinary, with 82 bids pushing the price to $23,200. Even at that, the reserve hasn’t been met. In addition, there are currently 132 people who are watching the listing.
The Charger started life finished in Bright Blue with a White vinyl top. At some point, the car received a repaint in its current black, which pre-dates the current owner’s purchasing of the car back in 2008. The paint has survived quite well, suggesting that the repaint was completed to a high standard. The owner also believes that all of the steel in the car is original and that it has never suffered any accident damage. Obviously, the wheels that are currently fitted to the Charger aren’t original, but it appears as though the original hubcaps are sitting in the trunk. Overall, the car presents well, and it doesn’t look as though the next owner will have any rust issues to address.
The original Blue interior trim of the Charger actually presents quite well, and with a clean, it would be quite presentable for a daily driver. The seats, dash, and dash pad all look good, with no rips, tears, or cracks. There are no aftermarket additions that are visible, but there are a few things to consider if the next owner is seeking perfection in their car. The door trims are scuffed, and also exhibit some stretching in spots. This might be able to be fixed, but I suspect that replacement trims might be on the agenda. Similarly, the carpet is looking tired and dirty, and I think that it is beyond being revived with a simple clean. Still, a new carpet set is not a major investment, and this would make a world of difference to the Charger’s presentation.
It’s when you lift the hood that things become really interesting with the Charger. At the start of 1968, the base engine for the Charger was the 318ci 2-BBL V8. Around mid-year, Dodge decided to change this, and the 225ci slant-six was available as a no-cost engine option in place of the 318. Dodge obviously thought that this would be a good move, and maybe they believed that it would draw more potential buyers to the range. So, did it work? In a word, no. In the 1968 model year, 96,100 Chargers rolled out of the showrooms. Of these, a mere 906 buyers chose to equip their cars with the 225. The 225 is still a good engine, and it pumps out a reasonable 145hp. In the case of this car, those ponies are fed to the rear wheels via a 3-speed manual transmission with a column shifter. This is where the rarity claims for this car take a big turn. I have spent quite some time researching the 1968 Charger equipped with the 225, and one interesting piece of information has surfaced from a variety of sources. The total build numbers (906) can easily be confirmed, but there is a question over the transmissions. Various sources state that only two cars out of the 906 featured a 3-speed column shift. If this is true, then that would make this Charger 1-of-2. The owner says that the car really is a blast to drive. He claims that the engine runs really well and that the transmission shifts smoothly.
This 1968 Charger is something different, and it would certainly surprise more than a few people if they lifted the hood to find a slant-six occupying the engine bay. The information that I have found about the potential rarity of this car is interesting, but to be honest, I really don’t know if it’s accurate. If I’m wrong, I will happily admit it. I hope that some of our incredibly Mopar-savvy readers will be able to shed some light on the claim. If it is accurate, then it makes this one of the rarest of the 1968 Chargers. Even if it is wrong, that makes this 1-of-906, which is still a fairly rare vehicle. Over to you, Mopar experts.
Ok put another 6 on the other side for a V 12 than it might be double rare. I’ll take a V 8 over this no matter how rare.
A sheep in wolf’s clothing.
A howitzer rifled to fire bb’s.
Well, that slant-6 will run forever. Slowly….but forever. Bulletproof even.
Actually, “BULLITT” proof might be appropriate. :)
For you guys that know more than me, did Chrysler add synchros to the transmission by this year?
back in 1984 my first car was a 69 Charger 3 on tree slant. the original transmission did not have a synchro for first gear. i disagree with the article’s current owner that it was a blast to drive – mine was a dog even when it was running strong. this 68 car looks clean, is a quite an eye popper when opening the hood, but having owned one during my formative years i always wished it had a least a 318 in it.
I had asked a few weeks ago if you could get a ’69 mustang black on outside & blue on inside. Someone said no!
& I hope the same applied to the other car manufacturers. lol
Regarding the motor here, just as bizzare is not only the ’69-70 mustang fastback with a 6, but the ’71 radical mustang fastback with a straight 6! Never seen 1, tho.
Why would someone say no? Any color interior available on a black Mustang.
Also a poor comparison for a 6 in a pony car with a 6 in a car that’s a heavy midsize car.
On a ’65 Mustang, you could get a six cylinder in both body styles, and most had either a 3-speed manual or automatic. But a few also came with 4 on the floor too!
I don’t get these bids for a slant six/three on the tree that’s had its vinyl top stripped. Sure it’s rare, but this has to be like moving a battleship with an Evinrude. Maybe if it was all original, but it isn’t.
Agreed. The original color combination is great, so they screwed up entirely when they took off the roof and painted it black. The sad interior is a disappointment too. Three on the tree with the slant six sounds absolutely miserable in this car.
This is one of those cases that really illustrates that rarety means nothing without desireability. It’s rare because of the slant six and three speed? Who cares? It’s desireable because it’s a Charger. Nice car though…be a shame to swap out the slant plant….but somebody probably will.
Then it wouldn’t be original and numbers won’t match. I personally wouldn’t pay the asking price but if I did, I’d leave it the way it is.
A slant 6 come on get real. No collector value here. Had a dart with a slant 6 want a turd. Did run forever.
The colour combo doesn’t work for me but i do like the look of it that aside.
Would look incredible with tan interior but really this should go back to stock.
You know what collectors are like, enough of them will want it for its rarity even if its underpowered?
There are people out there collecting classics specifically with basic specs.
Just because it’s rare doesn’t mean it’s well done.
If that spare tire is original and never moved, where did all the mud on the spare come from?
I came to say the same thing: That’s the dirtiest not ever used spare that I’ve ever seen, LOL!! :-)
The slant 6 is the reason it’s not beat to hell like its V8 brethren. I wonder if they built these for the same reason as the 66 Charger with a Slant 6 I saw parked in a dealer’s showroom in Columbus Ohio in 1975.
I agree. I love the over all look of the car. So sixties!
No GO SHOW GO
Just like the Beach Boys song, “No Go Showboat”.
Some years ago, during a discussion of car values with some friends, one fellow made the comment about how surprised he was that his Crosley station wagon wasn’t worth more money. “After all, he proclaimed, they didn’t build very many.” Another guy in the group quickly spoke up and said, “Yeah, nobody wanted them when they were new either.” Yes, this is a pretty rare set-up, but, desirable?…No.
I can’t really understand there’s any wrong with it – seems like 68-70 V8 Chargers in far worse condition are advertized (and even sell!)in the price range it’s in now.
OK, I’ll admit it may be a sheep in wolf’s clothing but at least 1st owner went for a manual and that alone will help it move a lot better. Personally I wouldn’t mind the /6 even in a Charger – how many wouldn’t raise their eyebrows when they realize it’s not a V8? Whether it’s worth MORE than a run-of-the-mill V8 Charger is a completely different question though. I suspect it may end up with someone who yanks out the /6, puts it on a pallet, then builds a V8 for it.
As for the mid-year introduction of the /6 it was due to dealer request – the idea was to turn typical sensible, yet individualistic, Dart buyers onto the personal car oriented (and of course more profitable) Charger and still not compromise the sales arguments of the /6’s fuel economy and reliability
It’s a nice body style. As of this writing it’s bis at 32k
Would like to see this chase the Bullitt Mustang on the streets of San Francisco!
I’m not sure if this particular car would even MAKE it up some of the streets in San Francisco.
As for chasing the Bullitt Mustang, the only way that would be possible is if Steve McQueen stopped for a coffee somewhere mid-chase.
Or if his mustang had a 200 cube 6.
The dukes of hazard would last <1 episode with a charger like the 1 above.
& the Dirty Mary Crazy Larry movie would last just a few more minutes if they switched to a similar charger.
lol
I loved the era when you could mix and match just about anything the brand offered. Packaged options now force you to take and pay for items you don’t really want.
Six legged dogs are rare too but that doesn’t make them very desireable
Really? I would LOVE to have a 6 legged dog!!
Now at 30 grand ,with over 4 days to go.If I bought it (and I am in the market for a black 68 ),folks would indeed be surprised to see that poor little Valiant power plant ,the first time I popped the hood.By the second time I lifted the hood,folks would be overjoyed by the sight of the Hellcat engine and tranny (along with the red interior).
I watched a video on YouTube by a young man who found one of these slant six 3 speed cars got it running and drove it home . If there were two made then both of them still exist intact . This is definitely not the same car . When I was a boy back in New Jersey I saw slant 6 Challengers all the time , those weren’t rare at all .
What are these various sources? Cmon, please show some journalistic chops.
More than 2 of these cars exist.
Man, you can see Bill Hickman tightening his seat belt. Then you see the slant 6.
Slant 6 in a Charger? What a wind job! I thought the bottom on a Charger would be a 318, which a disgusting thing to begin with, but a Slant 6.
If I bought this car, I would put a 440 or 426 or a Hellcat engine before the new title came in the mail. I could not abide the Slant 6.
The six needs to stay AND be built up and super/turbocharged to 300hp with a 6-speed behind it. The Duke boys would sure drive that.
This is a 68 Charger and it needs to be faster than it looks and looks like it can make the Kessel run in under 10 parsecs.
Big believer in Slant 6s. Had a 64 Fury (“Bad Slant”) with a 4 barrel and stainless header and push button transmission. It was deceptively quick if a little topped out up in the high rpm range. A turbo sure would’ve been sweet, Chebby.
This will be the most boring 35-40k anyone’s ever dropped. The 225 was stone reliable yes. Exciting? Not so much.
When my Grandparents bought their new ’73 Monte Carlo, I was looking through the owners manual, and noticed that the “base” car had a 250 six banger, and a 3 on the tree. I’ve never heard of one being on the road. This Charger, being of the slant 6 variety, certainly makes it rare. Not as much fun, if it had a V-8, but fun, nonetheless. Just in a different sense of “fun”.
None of the literature from the era supports the ’73 Monte Carlo ever being available with the 250 6. The lowest HP engine in the 1973 Monte Carlo was the 350 2-barrel. The V-6 did not appear in the Monte Carlo until 1978.
http://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Chevrolet/1973-Chevrolet/1963-Chevrolet-Monte-Carlo-Dealer-Sheet/index.html
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/model/chevrolet_usa/monte_carlo_2gen.html
The 1973 Chevelle was offered with that engine. So maybe the cars shared an owner’s manual and that’s what you saw?
Always been a Chevy man never in to mopars but I love the style of 2 gen chargers my uncle had a black 70 RT charger what a great looking car. Now what to do with this one the thought of driving around is such a sexy body style that screams muscle car with a 6 under the hood some how hurts my brain, don’t think I could do it, but on the other hand it seems a shame to change it to a v8. I think I’d do what others have said, keep the 6 build up the insides to take power upgrades and hang a big turbo on it and up grade the trans to a floor shifter 5 or 6 speed. Now you got the looks and the power to back it up and you still have the original 6.
Put the original 6 in a Dakota Pick Up and drive it to machine shop to bring home the Big V8 or V10. If you want to hop it up just think how it will run in a lighter body. The car is rare and it will still be rare with a V8 in it and by judging on the price of Tribute Clones with a big block, Hemi or Hellcat’s installed they are going for a hell of a lot more than a one off factory build with a small economy engine. Chargers are known instantly upon sight and they are known for their ability to chase down a big block 68 Mustang, not for sipping gas for Aunt Emma.
And speaking of Aunt Emma……that a slant six is bound to burn the SHOOT out of a tank of gas pushing around a Charger. It is to small and underpowered of an engine for the car and therefore not efficient for the application…= poor MPG.
The one on YouTube is “junkerup”
Extremely rare and extremely undesirable. It’s a beautiful car, 1968 Charger in in my top 10 all-time favorite cars, and I’m not a Mopar guy. Nice conversation starter, that is all it’s good for.
Put in an Aussie 265ci 6cyl with triple Webers and a 4spd RT 4 spec blow the doors off any V8 and a decent handling package
Upon opening the hood at a local car show I could just see the disappointment on people’s faces, probably more surprised I would even open the hood in the first place. That engine and that black Charger with those wheels just don’t belong together.
This cars rarity lies in the fact it was absolutely undesirable, Dodge should have stayed away from that idea on such an aggressive looking car.
The Dodge Charger in this body style is one of the all-time great automotive designs, hands down. The 225 slant 6 is a legendary albeit pedestrian motor.
What is really disturbing is that there were 906 Americans who chose this ungodly combination. That was 40 years ago and those 906 have multiplied since then.
Kind of explains the current situation in this country…
It wasn’t unusual for Chrysler to offer the 225 in even their full-sized models. I had one in a 1960 Plymouth Savoy. It was a tank, but the car could go down the freeway ok.
I don’t find this all that unusual, and only two with a slant 6 and manual? That’s rather hard to believe.Chrysler would have made more than that. Consider, the Charger was basically on a Coronet chassis and those too were offered with a 6 cylinder. The vast majority would have been a 904 Torqueflight, but no doubt Chrysler would have put out some 3-speed manuals too.
When you want to brag to your Hemi Charger friends my car is much rarer than your pedestrian car.
I know it’s rare!! It’s got to be who in their right mind would buy such an aggressive looking car and order the six cylinder and a three on the tree!! I’m sorry but I know the purists will hate this but I would keep the original motor and source a period correct hemi and Chang the three speed to a four speed!!!!
Even bigger & heavier cars came std with a 6 – like biscayne & some full size fords of the 60’s. In the charger & latter cars, the 6 is just working too hard IMO.
But for a light stripper 60’s nova or camaro with the 250, as long as it has at least a 3:07 rear – even with powerglide can go up mountains near delaware water gap no problem – best to ditch the heavy back seat, install pertronix, advance the timing, put on a taller air filter, & ditch the ridiculous heavy restrictive sideways muffler for a turbo muffler.
Around town, shifting manually moves the car more than fast enough. Floor shifter is preferable – especially the horseshoe one.
I am more familiar with the 69 Model Year. From what I recall, they only made 106 6 cyl. Chargers in 1969. I think that the only transmission available was the 3 speed column shifted manual transmission. These are supposed to be the lowest production Chargers for 69. I did see one a long time ago at either the Spring or Fall fling meet in Van Nuys, CA. I doubt if many have survived from either my 68 or 69.
At least 462 were built, with more being 3 speeds.
If it were still B5 and had a white vinyl top, it would look the part of the 6 cyl. Nice teachers car. It is the black and the rims that throws the vibe off.
yup. rare and weird.
Worth 30 grand ? no
Lamb in wolfs clothing
It is worth 30 grand to at least 2 people. The guy who said it would be disappointing to show goers when the hood was opened is so wrong. After seeing V8 Charger after V8 Charger, it would be the most interesting This is the first Charger I’ve seen on Barn finds that I have any interest in.
Even rarer i bet is a ’69 RS camaro with either 230 or 250 6 cyl, cause i never seen one!
I’ve seen like 15 Hemi e bodys and I wouldn’t say they are less rare than an RS with a 6.
Joenywf64, there was a first generation Camaro RS for sale in Hemmings about 5 or so years ago. It had the 230 inline six & I remember it was advertised as being a column shift, but I think it was a powerglide if I recall correctly. Not sure on the year, either 1967 or 1968. Manual top.
Sure, I didn’t see it in person, but I saw pictures. I guess they do exist.
Yes i seen a handful of ’67s & ’68 rs’s myself with 6 cylinders – one was a convertible at Carlistle. All got standard 3:07 rear because they were rs’s.
But NEVER seen a ’69 – astounding considering how many ’69 camaros were sold for 1.5 years. EZ as pie to order back then.
They could have built them all that way. lol
Never seen a ’69 rs with a 6 cyl in real life or any magazine or on internet.
I hope someone acquires this car & restores it back to original. It is an oddity & I agree, that the slant 6 with the 3 speed manual transmission is probably far from the best power train choice for a car that is this heavy.
How heavy do you think it is? These cars are big but they are unibody and lighter in weight that any ford or chevy from that era. I agree that a V8 is better for this or any car of that era but with a stick they run OK and do the job of transportation quite well. All these negative remarks are from people that I suspect do not have a history with vintage cars and have just made a judgement based on opinion mostly. Weight of a 68 Charger with /6 base is around ~3,350 pounds. Heavy would be >= 3800 pounds. 68 Chevy Impala was 3700 pounds.
Come back with some correct weights and comparisons.
I think most are missing the point of this cars historical significance. As far as the vinyl top is concerned, that could be added back as they are readily available, I agree that the color change was a mistake but that also could be corrected. All the people hear saying negative things about this car, I have a question for you. Do you own this year Charger? Do you have one in your garage? No? Then you do not get it. I had a chance to get a 69 Charger 45 years ago with this configuration and it fell through. Finally 45 years later I got a couple of 2G Chargers and I can tell you that these are the coolest cars from that era no matter what engine is in them.
I agree with Robert & I have a very original 69 Charger White Hat Special in my garage that I have associated with for 49 years.
Mr Ricewasser what exactly does a WHITE HAT SPECIAL consist of? I kinda remember hearing somewhat of em years ago was it a FACTORY option or a local dealer thing ?? Mopowers are sorta unique with options that the EXPERTS claim that never were one of the coolest ones recently discovered was a 66 coronet 4 dr HEMI that was definitely a factory orig car
Who are these experts?
4 door Hemis have been known since the 1980s.
It was a seasonal promotion package that offered certain accessories at a reduced price. It was also offered on other Dodge models. Some of the items in the package were, vinyl roof, wsw tires, deep dish wheel covers, remote outside mirror, interior light package, vinyl bucket seats, wood grain steering wheel, & center console. You can google white hat special cars & get more details or just ask Siri. Hope this helps.
That’s more rare than the 1 of 3 1970 R/T with a hemi, sunroof and luggage rack I know about. Last I checked, he wanted 85K for it. Unrestored, but resprayed the original red I believe.
How is combining options an apples to apples comparison?
From what I have read, 6 cylinder Chargers in 69, anyway, only came with the 3 speed manual transmission. If I remember, there were only a little over 100 Chargers in 69 equipped with this power train. Looks like there were a lot more 68’s built & equipped with the 225 cu” slant 6. I hope the new owner will retain this configuration, as it is rare, even more so for the 69 model year.