This week’s Flashback Friday video features a television commercial for the 1966 Dodge Charger. 1966 was the first year where the Charger was its own model, having previously been a trimline for the Dodge Dart, and the company wanted to make sure that this new performance car made a big splash. To do so, the 1966 Charger was a big, roomy 2-door with four bucket style seats and when you fold the back seat down, the Charger offers as much space as a station wagon.
This commercial points out these interesting functional aspects, but it also talks about the features of the 1966 Dodge Charger, like a 4 barrel carb and a V8 engine. Oddly, they don’t mention the fact that the ’66 Charger was available with the incredible 426 Hemi, but it does point out that this new Dodge is muscle enough to catch anything on the road – and it is right. Really, when equipped with the 426 Hemi, there are few vehicles from 1966 that would even offer a close race for the original Charger.
"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.
