autoevolution
 

Texas-Rescued '68 Charger Gets Restomod Dubai Life: Arabian Nights Dream or Nightmare?

Raise your hands, everyone who thinks the '68 Charger is a fine-looking automobile. Planet Piston is still a democracy, gearhead people! You are allowed to have a different opinion, even a contrary one. Great, it's settled then; our second-generation Dodge is beautiful by unanimous decision.
1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod 10 photos
Photo: Instagram/Mopars5150
1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod
What about resto-mods of the said make and model? Mopar fans, stand down, please; I'm just the messenger, don't have me 426-HEMI-whacked. I'm asking because, once upon a Texas barn find, there was this respectable-looking survivor Dodge Charger from 1968. The car was salvaged and then sold to the best-offering buyer.

That was about two years ago. The Charger emerged in Dubai – in a very different outfit than when it left the factory. And this restomod work lit the comments match on the gunpowder barrel.

Hardcore Moparists quickly and utterly dismissed the outcome as atrocious. At the same time, moderates leaned toward nodding in appreciation for the effort but not for the car itself. Sure, the ultra-fundamentalists that put Dodge on a pedestal would rather see this car in the crusher than in this state, but to each their own.

1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod
Photo: Instagram/Mopars5150
Originally equipped with a 318 CID (5.2-liter) V8, the current powertrain is not disclosed. It could be either a rebuilt original or a completely new crate plant. With the recent body modifications, either variant might work.

Or, to put it in Mopar fan logic – whoever built this car might just as well have bought a new one altogether for the money. Or rebuild it to its initial shape with new sheet metal parts. Still, some radicals honestly desired that the original be kept real. Optionally, it could have served as inspiration for an AI-designed virtual project.

The air dam is one major apple of discord for commentators – and my subjective self is a partisan of this party – with the out-of-place fog lights and air vent. The grille is the one Chrysler styled 55 years ago, with hidden headlamps, red "Charger" scripting, and all-black indifference.

1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod
Photo: Instagram/Mopars5150
Keeping in front of the wheels – to which I'll get in a moment – the hood scoops (a la AAR 'Cuda from 1970) make the Charger look like a whale with its blowhole gasping for air. The eerie paint job reinforces the cetaceous resemblance.

The wheels are big, black, and still round. Too big, some might say, with rubber bands instead of tires, and the flashy red Brembo calipers only intensify the tension in the air. Speaking of the tires, the internet inspectors turned a cold shoulder on the "bargain bin trash cheapo Liberty HP" choice of rubbers.

Probably the owner doesn't intend to make a show-stopping entrance to car meetings. You know, emerging from a self-induced rear-wheel smoke cloud dense enough to slice it open with a chainsaw. So the lowly skinny tires are not a capital sin altogether.

1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod
Photo: Instagram/Mopars5150
The flares on the fenders hint at widebody ambitions yet are less in-your-face obvious than other elements of this restoration-modification endeavor. Look at it from the back and below – the mufflers could trigger primary instincts in purists.

And the odd bumper guards above the quad exhaust array are another head-scratching add-on. You can speculate in the comments whether this serves an aerodynamic purpose. However, this air-deflecting supposition is not backed by science or drivetrain facts. For all its worth, it could be just a set of ornaments.

Before we peek inside, notice the oversized scallops on the doors, meticulously respecting the original design of the 1968 Dodge Charger. Except these are far deeper than what Chrysler's stylists drew. And the interior – from which we have one perspective, and nor the most important one – is pure restomod overkill.

1968 Dodge Charger 318 Restomod
Photo: Instagram/Mopars5150
The back seat occupants get a sunroof – mixed-feelings drumroll is hard here – and that central console is so out of place, you'd need a passport to lean on it. All in all, much work – and funds – went into this build, and whoever pulled this one off deserves a handshake.

Granted, some might deem this Charger (the badge says it is a Charger) a render from a midnight club DUB edition video game. Whichever the case, it's a tough-lookin' build, and it is a better destiny than the scrapyard.


If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Razvan Calin
Razvan Calin profile photo

After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories