The Ford Mustang began the pony car revolution in 1965 and many manufacturers were caught off-guard, scrambling to catch up to the new lucrative market. Dodge, who was late to the party, introduced the Challenger in the fall of 1969 as a 1970 model. It was one of two Chrysler E-body cars, the other being the slightly smaller Plymouth Barracuda.

The Rise and Full of the Muscle Car
America was well on its way to winning the Space Race, Baby Boomers were graduating from college, and high-octane gasoline was relatively inexpensive when Pontiac introduced its GTO, alerting America's automakers to the potential for large profits through performance. The muscle car allure was a blend of performance, simplicity, and practicality, with accommodations for up to six passengers. No exotic materials or engineering were required.

The Big Three quickly found that enthusiast cars lay dormant beneath the skin of their regular model lineup. The recipe was simple, and one that was around since the early years of the automobile - a large engine installed into a small or midsize vehicle. To spice things up further, a few new paint codes and a few square yards of wild graphics announced the presence of something special. Modesty, however, resulted in what was described as a 'sleeper.'