History of 1970 Dodge Charger RT/SE 440 6-pack

The 1970 Charger was changed yet again and gone was the split grille that was introduced the previous year. New front fenders and a new lower-priced version with bench seats and a more modest trim package were added to the mix.

The 500 returned as an intermediate between the base model and the R/T.

A new 440ci V8, the “Six-Pack,” was offered as an option and produced 390 hp.

The Special Edition (SE) package was available to Charger 500s and Charger R/Ts. Besides a new variety of colors including Top Banana, Panther Pink, Go Mango, and Plum Crazy, a new HEMI hood cutout was an option for the ’70 Charger in which 440 or HEMI lettering was spelled out in block letter with silver reflective tape on either side and hood scallop inserts were painted black.

The R/T added the Magnum engine but also the special handling package, auto trans (although manual could be had at no additional cost), and the Dodge “Bumble Bee” racing stipe.

V8,440ci, 3x2bbl, 390 hp @ 4700, 490 lb-ft @ 3600

The Dodge Charger R/T was arguably the most luxurious member of the Dodge Scat Pack lineup for 1970, especially when equipped with the SE option package like the gorgeous black example shown here.

The SE designation was short for Special Edition, and on the 1970 Charger, it included leather and vinyl bucket seats, a woodgrain steering wheel and matching woodgrain instrument panel, shiny pedal trim, and a special lighting group with turn signal indicators built into the hood.

Of course, this was on top of all the standard equipment for the Charger R/T: 440 Magnum V8 with four-barrel carb and dual exhaust, R/T suspension package, heavy-duty brakes, 14-inch wheels with F70 polyglas raised white letter or white-sidewall tires and a bumblebee or longitudinal stripe. On this Charger, a red bumblebee stripe is just visible encircling the rear, striking a dramatic contrast with the jet black exterior paint.

While the 440 Magnum was standard equipment on the Charger R/T, the 390 horsepower 440 Six Pack could be had for a few dollars more. If you wanted to be Buddy Baker or Dick Landy, the awesome 426 HEMI® engine was also available packing 425 horses under that long hood. With both the 440 Six Pack and 426 HEMI®, buyers had to choose between comfort or speed as air conditioning was not available on these multi-carbureted beasts.  Strange but true: Standard (non-R/T) Charger models could be ordered with the economical Slant Six for power. Not surprisingly, few buyers equipped their Chargers that way, and it’s rather unusual to find one today.

While the 1970 Charger is visually similar to the ’68 and ’69 models, there’s a foolproof way to tell them apart. The ’70 version has a heavy chrome front bumper that fully encircles the grille and hidden headlamps that form a single large rectangle. The ’70 R/T models also came standard with a rear-facing nonfunctional scoop on the door. In this regard, the ’70 Charger stands alone, making it easy to identify in a crowd of classic Dodge muscle cars.