The Dodge Charger

After the Second World War, young American men with time on their hands and cash in their pocket began experimenting with old cars.

The aesthetic was exposed engines, chopped-off roofs, and wide wheels on lowered axles. The raw materials for these ‘hotrods’ were obsolete Model T Fords and Chevrolets from the late 1920s and 1930s.

The custom phenomenon focused on southern California - mainly because the fine weather didn't limit their designs. In fact, the creative individuality of some hot-rodders like Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth knew no bounds. Roth's Beatnik Bandit and Mysterion have become legendary symbols of speed and creativity.

By 1960, the American motor industry was responding to the demands of the youth market. Huge race-developed V8 engines were being crowbarred into mid-sized car bodies on the production line. The best designers were employed to ensure that the styling, down to the finest detailed badges, was irresistible. They became known as muscle cars.

Whereas fast cars in Europe were completely out of reach for the man in the street, these cars had a price tag that even the most cash-strapped boy racer could aspire to. Cars like the Ford Mustang, Plymouth Roadrunner, and Dodge Charger were immensely popular. Unfortunately, the oil crisis of 1972 signalled the end of the gas-guzzlers and the muscle car era stalled.