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Time Capsule: 1968 Dodge Charger

For the most part, it looks as though time has almost stopped for this 1968 Dodge Charger. Perhaps because it wasn’t an R/T or equipped with one of Chrysler’s fire-breathing V-8s, it was more gently used over the past 53 years. In fact, the seller is only the second owner who’s a Mopar guy that restores several of these cars each year. But this one’s not a restoration and is largely the way it came from the factory in early 1968. The Dodge is located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $47,979.54 with no reserve to deal with (the bidding started at $35,000).

Unlike the GTO and other intermediates introduced as muscle cars in the mid-1960s, the Charger was intended to appeal to youthful audiences who were also looking for sporty transportation, not necessarily street racers. This second-generation 1968 Charger fits that bill exactly, with buckets seats and a 318 cubic inch V8 under the hood. The original owner bought this car not far into 1968 and only put 62,000 documented miles on the car over the next five decades. The seller provides an extensive history on the Dodge along with a ton of details on work that has been done to help ensure the car stays around another five decades.

As you might expect, this is a numbers-matching automobile, and the seller provides a long list of part numbers that point to its authenticity. The Charger will come with a binder that contains receipts and other documents dating back to the original sale of the car on February 2nd, 1968. The first owner wasn’t big on options, so they’re largely limited to the buckets, vinyl top, chrome package, AM radio, and a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The car now wears painted steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps.

Besides the usual maintenance-type items the seller has swapped out, the only things that deviate from stock are dual exhaust and the carburetor, which the old one tags along in a box. Those maintenance items include a full tune-up and fluids change, hoses and clamps, fuel pump, master brake cylinder and all brake pads, lines and cylinders, shock absorbers and battery. The Charger wears newer Goodyear Speedway Redline Bias-Ply tires.

The seller points out that this is not your average survivor car and the folks watching the auction obviously agree since the bidding has been brisk and high. The body and paint are superb with no evidence or indication of any rust repairs. A couple of dingies have been fixed over time (and a couple remain) and a good job was done in terms of matching up the paint. The chrome and glass look great. The interior looks practically new with no real indicators of wear since the 1970s. The flip-up headlights even work as they’re supposed to! For those who like to inspect a car an inch at a time, the seller provides a link to even more photos than those posted in the listing.

If the buyer is interested, an extra set of tires and wheels can be included with the deal. The tires are from Sears back in 1974 and were on the car when the seller drove it home in 2020. The 1968 Charger was a sales hit for Dodge as they sold more than 92,500 of them that year. Deduct about 18,000 for the R/T model and a few more that came with the Slant-Six engine, and you’d be left with about 75,000 Chargers of which this car is one.  This generation of the Chargers were popular in movies and on television, appearing in chase scenes like with Steve McQueen in Bullitt and as the General Lee in The Dukes of Hazzard.

Hagerty says that the average resale value on a 1968 Dodge Charger is $22-23,000. But this is not an average Dodge Charger. While it doesn’t have a 383, 440 or Hemi that would raise the price of poker, it has a pedigree and originality going for it. It looks as though several bidders are willing to pay a premium price for a premium car, hence the bidding meeting or exceeding Hagerty’s projections.

Comments

  1. Avatar alphasud Member

    Beautiful car and buyers bidding reflect this. Hats off to the person who took the time and care to fully document and maintain its like new appearance. I know I don’t have what it takes to do what they did.

    Like 18
  2. Avatar JoeNYWF64

    The battery did not fool me into thinking it was a 60’s design – or even from the 90’s, but it is superior in every way to those weaker, much heavier, & corrosive ones back then.
    Do those hose SPRING clamps weaken over time? They always made me nervous.
    I doubt this car even ran many errands – not with no dents on either side. Or was left parked in a lot unattended.
    Wish GM used those rocker switches on the dash.
    Should i be surprised that this car is green?

    Like 4
    • Avatar David

      no those spring clamps just break in half.

      Like 1
  3. Avatar bone

    Just to be nit picky, the hubcaps are off a 68-69 Plymouth , other than that it looks really clean and original

    Like 5
    • Avatar Gus Fring

      1968 Plymouth

      Like 0
  4. Avatar Skyslimit

    One million dollars and nothing less.

    Like 4
  5. Avatar CraigR

    Wow. They just don’t come much nicer.

    Like 5
  6. Avatar Steve R

    Nice car. The seller did a great job of preparing the car for sale, then took the right pictures and wrote a clear and concise ad. This car shows that quality cost money, rightfully so.

    Steve R

    Like 15
  7. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    Car & seller – no ones going to be disappointed

    Like 4
  8. Avatar William

    What a great find. Hope it stays just the way it is, but I fear it will not stay this way. People who have the money to buy something like this, usually have no respect for sentimental value. Often their hearts and minds are simpler and coarser.

    Like 4
    • Avatar Steve R

      That is simply not true. Saying that successful people have no respect for sentimental value is a stretch, to say the least. It’s buying into blanket stereotypes which are blatantly false.

      At the cars current price it is going to attract the enthusiasts that are only interested in original unrestored cars, assuming this car is truly as described. It was probably a prime candidate to be turned into a high end Pro Touring car the last time it sold, which was likely for an amount significantly less than it is going to sell for this time around.

      Steve R

      Like 11
  9. Avatar Kenneth Carney

    Last time I saw one this plain was at my high
    school where a young lady had one that
    was powered by a 225 slant 6. Hers was gold with a white vinyl roof. Yes,
    that car too came with steel wheels and
    dog dish hubcaps. Makes me wonder if
    that car survived and if it did, is it as nice
    as this one. Funny how things stick in
    your mind even after 50+ years.

    Like 5
    • Avatar ADM

      They only made about a half dozen slant six, ’68 Chargers.

      Like 2
      • Avatar JoeNYWF64

        & surprisingly maybe as many ’69 camaro RS’s with either strait six, since i never seen 1, tho some1 here has.
        No records were kept by Chevy to confirm how many were built.

        Like 1
      • Avatar ADM

        The guys at Graveyard Cars have one.

        Like 0
  10. Avatar Boatman Member

    Interesting. Car has an N85 Tic-Toc Tach that is not on the fender tag. If this guy is a Mopar expert, it seems like he would have mentioned this fact.

    Like 4
    • Avatar RobA

      That is actually just a clock, and is correct according to the fender tag. A tachometer would show as a 7 under the “T” in the 2nd row. N85 is a designation starting in 1969.

      Like 8
  11. Avatar Dodge440scat

    I have several original cars with those same hose claps, they are well made OEM, not like the repops, and I have never had a problem with them.

    Like 4
  12. Avatar George Mattar

    Wow. About 1,275 times better than the average POS 68 to 70 Charger on this site. No way this car was ever driven in western PA, where the state idiots dump more salt than in a billion Big Macs. Would love to own it.

    Like 9
    • Avatar JoeNYWF64

      You should see how much salt is dumped on some PARKING LOTS these day, like banks & walgreens – 1 word comes to mind – lawsuit.
      & in the last few years we also got brine being sprayed sometimes DAYS IN ADVANCE before it’s “supposed to snow” – & i seen a few times it didn’t snow & rained instead, washing the brine away – your tax money at work.
      This car could have been driven(even a lot, barring no accidents) in western PA only on days the roads were dry.

      Like 2
      • Avatar William

        Being elderly myself, I appreciate ice free roadways and parking lots. When you get old, you might feel the same. Feel free to fix the problem in a way that doesn’t cause other problems, but until then, bring on the salt.

        Like 10
  13. Avatar Jcs

    Wow, what a great day on Barn Finds, another spectacular American classic that is actually worth every cent.

    Oh and just curious, am I the only one who actually likes green? I find virtually all of the various shades of the era to be the most attractive colors.

    Like 16
  14. Avatar Jeff

    Yeah Jcs
    – your words ” I find virtually all of the various shades of green of the era to be the most attractive colors ” could have been mine!

    Beautiful car in the most beautiful color – perfect combination!

    Like 5
  15. Avatar Chuck

    Wow. Nice car.
    Too bad more people didn’t take care of their cars like this. Of course, back in the day, they weren’t “classics.”

    Like 2
  16. Avatar Steve

    Very very nice example of a pretty mundane car. It’s a 318 so it’s definitely not a muscle car. 49,000? What is the huge money for? Might as well be a cordoba. I’d prefer it equipped with the slant six then at least you’d have something unusual. I’m surprised that it even has dual exhaust. Is it a two barrel? If it is someone has pimped it out a bit. I had a 318 Coronet a few years back. Very boring car.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Lash

      Your post was very boring.

      Like 8
      • Avatar Steve

        318 boring?

        Like 0
  17. Avatar Vw.dodge

    This appears to me to be a great survivor that has received a very sympathetic preservation and detailing to make it the car it is, and the car it remains today after all these years. Don’t be fooled by the shiny paint under the hood, things like the engine and radiator have undoubtedly been renewed, just as the trunk pan appears to show corrosion that has been carefully painted over. The carpet may even be new, who knows. But hey, even as a 318 car it is leap years ahead in condition, provenance and price than most other survivors and any work that has been done has done nothing but enhance the car because it has been done in the factory tradition to a tee. If you’re not hung up on horsepower or fancy trim packages this is the one to own, in all it’s original glory, even if it’s green: that was the color of the day.

    Like 3
  18. Avatar WH

    They had some great colors back in the day. Unlike a few years ago everything was either white, black, silver or grey. At least Chrysler has been bringing back some of the old colors. We need more greens too!

    Like 3
  19. Avatar PRA4SNW

    The Answer: 1968 Charger.

    The Question: What is the most expensive thing that you can wrap around a 318 cubic engine.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Steve

      Now that made me laugh!

      Like 1
  20. Avatar martinsane

    Bucket seats with out console seems out of sorts. I imagine this rig with a bench seat.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Rich C

    Was the R/T rear stripe available as an option on non R/T ’68 Chargers? My neighbor has a white car w/black vinyl roof, 318, buckets and console. Think the stripe would be an improvement if it was an option.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar Mvivori

    Wow, nice car. I immediately thought of the complete 426 Hemi drive line that Nick from Nicks Garage was selling.

    Like 0

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