File:1970 Dodge Charger R-T SE 500 Magnum.jpg
Muscle Cars · Pony Car

1970 Dodge Charger R/T

Wide. Low. Unstoppable. The 1970 Dodge Charger R/T is American muscle at its most unapologetic.

Hero: Calreyn88 / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Some cars are built to move people — the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T was built to move souls. A second-generation B-body classic, it remains the defining shape of the Mopar muscle era.

Stand at the curb and let it wash over you. That long, sculpted hood. The way the body pinches and swells through the middle — that unmistakable Coke-bottle silhouette, all tension and purpose, as if the car is already moving while it sits still. Then there's the grille: a smooth, uninterrupted expanse of black that hides its headlights behind closed doors like a prize fighter keeping his best punch out of sight. This wasn't just design for design's sake. Every crease told you something about who this car was made for.

The R/T badge — Road/Track — meant Dodge was serious. Under that sweeping hood you could spec the big-block 440 Magnum, a V8 with the kind of torque that firms up your spine the moment you feed it throttle. Or you could check the box that still makes enthusiasts go quiet: the 426 Hemi. Two four-barrel carburetors, hemispherical combustion chambers, and a reputation that was already legendary before this car ever rolled off the line. Either way, the 1970 Charger R/T was not a car you asked questions of — it answered them.

The Charger earned its place in culture the hard way: by being genuinely, almost recklessly great. Film crews loved it. Television turned it into an outlaw icon. Decades on, the sight of that hidden-headlight grille still draws a crowd at any show or cruise night. It belongs to a very short list of American machines that transcend their era — cars that don't just remind you of the past but make you feel it, viscerally, right now. The 1970 Dodge Charger R/T is that car.

Every last detail

Full specifications

The numbers that matter, each cited to its source. Where a figure is disputed or unconfirmed we hedge or leave it out — never guessed.

Engine

440 Magnum

Displacement440 cu in (7.2 L)
ConfigurationV8
Power375 hp (gross) @ 4,600 rpm
Torque480 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm
Bore × stroke4.32 × 3.75 in
InductionFour-barrel carburetor
Years1970

The standard Charger R/T engine. Bore & stroke per Chrysler RB engine (Wikipedia).

Source: Wikipedia: 1970 Chrysler 440 Magnum rating (Dodge Charger / Plymouth Barracuda)
Engine

440 Six Pack

Displacement440 cu in (7.2 L)
ConfigurationV8
Power390 hp (gross) @ 4,700 rpm
Torque490 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm
0-60 mph7.2 sec
Quarter mile13.95 sec @ 101 mph
InductionThree two-barrel carburetors
Years1970
Source: Wikipedia: Dodge Charger (B-body); performance per Hi-Performance Cars, Feb 1970 (via ultimatemusclecar.com)
Engine

426 Hemi

Displacement426 cu in (7.0 L)
ConfigurationV8
Power425 hp (gross) @ 5,000 rpm
Torque490 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
Bore × stroke4.25 × 3.75 in
Compression10.2:1
InductionTwo four-barrel carburetors
Years1970

The legendary optional 'elephant' Hemi. Bore/stroke/compression per Chrysler Hemi engine (Wikipedia).

Source: Wikipedia: 1970 Chrysler 426 Hemi rating (Dodge Challenger / Plymouth Barracuda)
Production

How many were built

YearTrimBodyBuilt
1970Charger R/T10,337

Widely cited at 10,337 (the heritage source phrases it "nearly 10,000").

Source: dodgegarage.com (Chrysler heritage)
Straight from the record

Safety recalls on file

Factory safety campaigns the U.S. government has on record for this model year — not our opinion, the real database.

NHTSA Campaign 69V127000

Seats

Source: NHTSA recalls API (api.nhtsa.gov), public domain. Always confirm an individual car’s recall and repair history by VIN before buying.

Verify YOUR car

Is yours the real thing?

Numbers-matching engine, factory options, the day it was built — these are the people who can confirm what your car left the factory as. We point you to the marque authority; we never reproduce their records.

Galen's Tag Service →Galen Govier's Mopar authentication — fender-tag decoding and a registry letter for 1962-1974 Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler (paid).