Inspired by Tradition: Rebuilt from the Ground Up

Dodge’s marketing department kept pretty busy in the late 1960s.

Like many manufacturers, they wanted some slogan to match the product line coming from the factories and the business was selling the idea of power.

In 1968, the company chose to add a set of wrap around stripes to the rear of the hotter models – Dart GTS, Coronet R/T, Super Bee, and Charger R/T – and called the group “The Scat Pack”. Adding to this were wild representations of bumblebees with smoking tires that ran in magazine and dealership advertising, likely done by Warner Brothers, who was handling the Road Runner campaign at the same time. To say it was memorable would be an understatement.

Jeff Richey grew up around a Dodge franchise in this era. He has been a body and paint man most of his life, owning a shop in Fort Pierce, Florida. Remembering the 1968 models, the redesigned Charger was always a favorite. That year, replacing what had basically beena modification of the Coronet was a completely new model that took the nation’s car enthusiasts by storm. The inset grille with covered headlamps, turbine-inspired taillights, streamlined body lines, and narrow cab area looked fast sitting still. Have a read more link posting to the main article.

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