More of the polyester pants and personal luxury car era than the rubber-burning muscle car era, this 1977 Dodge Charger SE “Special Edition” is a Charger nonetheless. The seller has this Charger SE listed here on eBay in Pipersville, Pennsylvania, about four miles west of the New Jersey border as the crow flies, and they’re asking $7,999. Thanks to Larry D. for sending in this tip!
Yes, this car is officially a Dodge Charger. It’s like that time your uncle shaved his head, covered his face in tattoos, and joined the circus. He was still your uncle, wasn’t he? Yes, yes he was, just like this car is directly related to the rest of the Charger family. Chrysler did indeed move the Charger to the personal luxury segment for 1975, which was hot at the time. They were related to the Chrysler Cordoba, of course.
I’ve always wondered what a four-door hardtop Charger of this era would look like… here’s a fairly quick Photoshop version that I just did. I like it, but I like four-door cars. The fourth-generation Charger was made for model years 1975 to 1978 and the SE, or Special Edition, was one of two models for the 1977 model year, with the Daytona being the other. Just for fun, here’s a Plymouth Superbird that I turned into a four-door, just… because. Back to this Charger SE!
For some reason, the seller doesn’t include any good photos of the interior, which is a little unusual. The back seat appears to look like new, and there’s a partial photo showing the passenger seat with a nice velour (is that an oxymoron?) fabric, again, looking like new. In any case, you’ll have to check out the photos and try to piece it together. Or, watch this video here on YouTube that shows the interior and the rest of the car. They say that this car only has a hair over 44,000 miles, which for a 45-year-old car is pretty amazing. There is some rust starting to show up on the exterior photos, but nothing too alarming.
The standard engine was a 318, and a 400 was available, but this one is Chrysler’s 360-cu.in. OHV V8, which would have put out 170 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. The seller says that it starts and runs fine. Are any of you fans or owners of this generation Dodge Charger?
Anyone that starts a post with “polyester pants”, is a clear indication of who wrote it. Here’s another sweetheart, like the blue one. Maybe AS an older person, these seem attractive to me, along with a lot of other things I may have ignored in my youth. I can’t recall any polyester pants, however.
On the last Charger post, we wondered if the lean-burn was in place of the catalytic converter,,the answer, I read, is yes, but short lived. Hemmings did an article on just that subject. Apparently, they were on the right track, today all FI cars have some sort of lean burn in them, but the gubment LEANED on them, to install CCs on their cars. By 1978, all cars had to have CCs.
Last of the Mohicans here, folks, and you can have one for a PALTRY $8grand, which, with 35 watchers, and no bids, may go for half that. Such nice cars that garner little or no interest today, and you think I’m full of it? Younguns wouldn’t know a nice car if it ran them over.
Re: the 4 door Superbird,, I’ve found, in life, be careful what you wish for.
I’m with you on this one, Howard.
This generation of Charger really attracts me, not sure why.
I much prefer the blue color that I saw at the Owl’s Head auction a few years ago. Wish I was there for the bidding, I might have been tempted.
Good job Scotty. I like mid 70’s “personal luxury” cars like this, specifically because of their “70’s excesses.” Big and comfortable (for two). This one with its soft yellow paint with gold/chamois stripes and half vinyl roof, you aren’t going to see anything like it around town. Or even at Cars & Coffee. Could be fun, all for a mere $8000 (or less).
Where’s the Corinthian “ Lather”?
why would they make good looking chargers into something that looks like that totally destroyed the legend
The popularity of personal luxury cars in 1975 and the lack of a Mopar entrant in the lucrative sales segment resulted in the Cordoba and a revised Charger. The car for sale presents well. Pure performance no longer resulted in big sales. The 1971 change to no lead gasoline mandates required detuning engines, high insurance rates on higher performance vehicles, and zealous law enforcement targeting of speeding and street racing already put the kibosh on super cars. Then the 1973 oil embargo and rising fuel costs drove buyers to consider the MPG of all new cars. Congress was implementing CAFE standards. Personal luxury cars were comfortable, luxurious, had sporty styling. still had V8 engines and decent intermediate chassis handling. So the why is manufacturers did what they had to make sales and survive regulation and changing tastes without regard to the legacy of 1960s muscle cars.
I said it about the Blue Daytona and I’ll repeat it, I hated these things back in the day but damn, they look good today.
Getting older, eh?
Yes in dee-dy. LOL.
One wonders why anyone would choose that color. Or lack of color. lol
pale yellow was very common in 60/70s tho its not my favorite, it sold. I dove many of these when new and used(worked at a dealer) and they drive very well and were very comfortable. From a practicality standpoint, what can you buy for the money? Drivetrain and chassis parts are readily available! Put a cam and port the heads, rejet the carb, add dual exhaust and these run very well.
I had one of these but mine was a 1976 Two tone blue Charger Daytona with white leather back in 79 or 80. It was fun to drive but as said more luxurious than a sports car. The option for the Daytona was basically nothing more than Special 2 tone paint, stripes and painted racing mirrors and grille paint treatment! Unfortunately I totaled it one rainy day when I pulled out from a stop sign and was T boned by a 67 Barracuda! Shame I ruined at least one classic. Definitely don’t see many of these around anymore!
Scott. just in case you missed the “75 Charger Daytona that was recently featured here.
https://barnfinds.com/daytona-round-two-1975-dodge-charger/
I think I would have liked it with the white interior better than this one’s blue.
Had the Chrysler Cordoba version in exact custard yellow colour with tan vinyl top, and tan upholstery with 400 , from a used, from a dealer in nice condition in South London. It had some kind of computerized engine management system and a month after buying I filled the tank and after thirty miles, my wife who was driving, noticed that the fuel gauge was reading 1/2 empty! We reached our destination and and I noticed that the guage was just off Empty so I filled up again on the way home! I eventually found out that the EMS was kaput and would cost mucho moolah so I saw the dealer and swapped with a 305 Impala sedan. Not what I wanted but it was a great,if slow driver.
Nice write up, but to nitpick, I lived near Pipersville for the better part of 30 years. No way is it four miles west of New Jersey. That said, this appears to be a very nice, low mileage car from the 70s. It is pre Lean Burn and that is a good thing. As it sits, it will eat gas and I was in Bucks County yesterday and regular junk unleaded is way above NJ prices, at about $3.79 a gallon. In NJ, on the way home last night I paid $3.22 for Shell on Rt. 206, near my new home.
Auction update: this one ended with no takers at $7,999, so it has been relisted at… $7,999…
Update: the price has been lowered by $100, to $7,899.
It’s been updated again to $7,499!
Offer the seller $6,500 and let him think about it…….
It seems I see these cars showing up in estate sales once or twice a year and they always are low mileage bargains.