What did influence you to get an E body?

[cavemanno1]

I don't know whether it's been discussed already,sure it has but I was always wondering what made everyone want to have a Cuda or Challenger and that particularly year!

I have a '68 Charger with the '70 Cuda and on the charger forum it has been discussed a million times!

Some say Bullitt,DoH Crazy Larry Dirty Marry etc. but Cudas not really been in any movies I know of!
I could give you 15 movies on the top of my head that featured a '68-69 Charger but not Cudas or Challengers part from the Vanishing point.

What influenced me was 303 Mopar.Dan helped me out with parts and such for my charger and when I saw his Cuda I fall in love with it!

Never seen one before as here in Hungary there aren't any part from ours!

So what's your excuse for the love of your e body?


This thread is primarily to get some forum credits for my e body t-shirt 

[soundcontrol]

I wonder how many cars Vanishing Point sold...it sure got me. When I saw it I was too young but some years later I had my Challenger.

[gzig5]

My first car in 1983 was a 1972 Barracuda with 318/2 barrel.  I wanted something that nobody else had.  Tons of Mustangs and Camaros around.  Dad was mainly a Mopar guy with a few classic (32-40's) Fords thrown in.  Had to sell it before leaving for college for something more reliable that could take 40,000 miles a year. 

35 years later I wanted another one and a beat up 73 Cuda 340/4 barrel fit my budget.  Long road to go with it but it has been a fun four months already.

[RUNCHARGER]

In summer of 69 Hot Rod Magazine had the new Challengers and Cudas on the cover. I loved them both instantly, no musclecar ever looked better. Obviously the styling is timeless too as they still look as great as when first brought out.

[blown motor]

In the area I grew up in, in the 70s, there was an assortment of GM and Ford muscle products but very few Mopars. One guy had a red 73 Cuda and I loved it. When I went looking for a muscle car six years ago I posted on an Agricultural forum that I was looking for a 70 or 71 Cuda. A dairy farmer from Wisconsin asked if I would be interested in a 74 Challenger and posted a picture of it. I fell in love with it and bought it. No regrets.

[JH27N0B]

As an outsider kid who always liked cars and trucks, when I turned 13 or 14 I started seriously thinking and daydreaming about when I turned 16 and would buy a car.  I read Hot Rod and Car Craft religiously and liked Camaros and Mustangs and many other muscle cars I read about.
Then one Sunday night ABC showed Vanishing Point and it changed my life.  I decided I'd get a Challenger or cuda when I got my license.  I got my T/A at 16 and at one point in college had 2 70 Challengers and a 71 cuda.  Now I have 3 vintage Challengers and it's safe to bet I'll have a Challenger until they pry the keys out if my cold dead fingers!

[RUNCHARGER]

Here's where it all started for me.

https://www.ebay.com/p/Hot-Rod-September-1969-Back-Issue/85137995

[DodgeGuy]

My first car was a mid-70's Dodge Charger, which ignited my love for Mopars.

My 3rd car was a 1973 Dodge Charger.


Then shortly after my wife and I were married (March of 1992, when I was 19 and she was 18) we purchased a 1973 Dodge Challenger.

(had several other Dusters and Darts).

With a growing family they all were sold.

Fast forward about 24 years later and with all of the kids (4) out of the house, it was time to revisit my love of classic muscle cars and Mopars.

So we found our current '74 Challenger and we love it!!

[ec_co]

family influence for me. both sides of the family g'parents had valiants with the beloved leaning tower of power slant 6. my dad bought a '70 /6 in '73, drove it for 15 years and parked it in the 'back 40' around '87. lots of memories of him driving us around in it. took me 25 years to convince him I was in love with it as well and not just wanting it to fix and flip. he gifted it to me about 5 years ago and as part of the bargain I'm keeping it a slant 6 (I don't mind either since they are more rare than a real hemi these days and unique to see in a crowd of V8s). I'm hoping (hope in one hand .....) to have it on the road by next August for it's 50th b'day

[70/6chall]

I guess my story of E-body influence parallels Coles (ec_co). After I returned from overseas in 1972 during my Vietnam trip, no job, no car to even get to no job. Before I left I had a couple of B body cars, 64 Polara, 66 Satellite, big block cars. My father in 1973  found a trade in 70 Challenger in the local trader rag at a local Dodge dealership, for $1,100. with 40K on the clock. Well history had Dad buying that Slant6 Dodge for me. He was paid back with interest cheerfully. Fast forward with A JOB, life, family and daily driven service, to 2005. Now with 562K miles on I retired it from its exemplary service and then me thereafter. It's still with me and still a great looking car. I'm happy with it.
Thanks,   Al

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I can still remember around senior year in high school walking home when an E (dont remem if it was a chally or a cuda) and a 70 RR or GTX lined up on the street ready to light'em up. This was like 72/73. I remember the E was root beer color jacked w big tires on the back. Still stands out in my mind, it was just so cool. I guess it stuck. All my buddies were chebby/ford guys. But I was always a little different...... I had a few small block Mopes over the years but never really had the cash to "play" till after my business was up and running , the homestead paid for, and things to help secure the future in place. I got a call from a buddy one day and that was that. Looking back I didnt buy my E at the right time, The market was really overheating back then. But What's done is done. We still go an have a good time.   

[IRON MAN]

Some say Bullitt,DoH Crazy Larry Dirty Marry etc. but Cudas not really been in any movies I know of!
I could give you 15 movies on the top of my head that featured a '68-69 Charger but not Cudas or Challengers part from the Vanishing point.

The 2009 movie "The Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman rode around in a 1971 Cuda Convertible.

The TV series "Nash Bridges" police drama ran five years 1996-2001. Don Johnson and Cheech Marin drove around in a 71 Cuda convertible during the series.

[Topcat]

I don't know whether it's been discussed already,sure it has but I was always wondering what made everyone want to have a Cuda or Challenger and that particularly year!

So what's your excuse for the love of your e body?

Here are some previous stories some here told us about.

https://forum.e-bodies.org/general-topics/7/what-who-why-or-how-got-you-turned-onto-mopars/6440/

[JS29]

Mod squad, Medical center, Mannix? Beverly hillbillies, Brady bunch had E-body's on there shows. All had influence on me, Vanishing point was the cheery on top for me!    

[Racer57]

Same story as a lot of you. Everyone had B body mopars, Chevys, and Fords, but no one had an Ebody. I had a 69 Barracuda that I fixed up some, but when a friend showed up with a 70 Cuda..     Only took me 40 years to get my own.