1999 Dodge Charger: Precursor to the Modern Super Sedan

Charger Concept shared the LX platform, but not much else with the 2006 production car.

Back in 1999, the Dodge brand reincarnated the Charger name with a sleek sedan concept car. This was the first suggestion that the legendary muscle car name would be used on a four-door sedan and while a production car with the same name wouldn’t arrive until 2006, this was the first look at a modern era Dodge Charger with rear-wheel-drive.

As you might imagine, the return of the Charger name made this Dodge concept a popular one and the automaker showed it off at events around the country for years. It eventually became a permanent installment in the company’s historic vehicle collection, but back in 2014, the Dodge brand brought the concept car to a small media event at the Dodge Brothers Meadowbrooke Mansion in Metro Detroit. At an event celebrating Dodge’s 100th anniversary, eight years after the Charger returned to production, this stunning concept car reminded everyone in attendance the concept that led to the sedan that we all know and love. The fourth installation in DodgeForum’s “Concept Spotlight” series takes a closer look at the original rear-drive LX vehicle.

Rear-drive Sedan

The 1999 Dodge Charger concept was built on a modified version of the Chrysler LH platform, which would eventually come to be known as the LX platform that underpinned the first modern Charger, Magnum and Chrysler 300. The exterior design was headed by former head of Chrysler design Tom Gale, and the most important factor was the number of doors.

Much to the dismay of many Mopar lovers, the 1999 Charger was a four-door sedan with a unique fastback design. It has a downward-sloping nose with the familiar crosshair grille and out back, there was a high-positioned rear end that gave the big sedan an aggressive rake. Along the side, the doors featured scalloped portions that were reminiscent of the classic sidelines, but in the long run, there were few similarities between this Charger and the old school versions.

However, in 1999, the Mopar community was elated to see a new rear-drive car, so everyone who looked past the extra doors quickly fell in love with this car.

Compressed natural gas power

Under the hood of the 1999 Dodge Charger concept is a 4.7-liter V8 with a single overhead camshaft design, fitted with a supercharger and tuned to run on compressed natural gas. This unique engine configuration sent 325 horsepower towards the rear wheels by means of a 5-speed manual transmission, so with a curb weight of roughly 3,000 pounds, this sedan had excellent performance potential.

Of course, the 4.7-liter V8 was never offered in the modern Dodge Charger, nor was any variation of this Dakota engine supercharged in production form. Fortunately, the 5.7-liter Hemi that powered the 2006 Charger production car offered 345 horsepower without the supercharger, but a manual transmission has never been offered in the modern muscle sedan.

Really, very few aspects of the 1999 Dodge Charger concept made it to the 2006 production car, but as the first rear-drive iteration of the LH platform, this car was the Mopar community’s first look at a modern rear-wheel-drive performance car that wasn’t a Viper. Basically, this concept car showed that Dodge was considering a powerful, rear-wheel-drive performance car that “regular people” could afford. This car led to the modern Charger and in a roundabout way, the Magnum and Challenger as well.

Not everyone likes the look of this 1999 concept, but there is no question that it is one of the most important concept cars in the modern era of Dodge and the Chrysler Group.

Photos for DodgeForum: Patrick Rall

Check out the next edition of ‘Concept Spotlight’ next week, only on Dodge Forum!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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