5-mph bumpers with guards
The front bumper stands out from the body with large guards and rubber pads; the 1972 bumpers sit flush, and guards were optional.134
Class of '73 · Dodge Challenger · 1973 body · first generation
1973Dodge Challenger
Five-mph bumpers, the six-cylinder dropped, the Rallye turned into a package, and sales up to about 32,600.
The year in brief
The front bumper got large rubber pads and stood out from the body to meet the new 5-mph impact rule. Otherwise the car looked as it had in 1972.14
The slant six was dropped, so the 318 became the standard engine and the 340 four-barrel the only option, at 240 hp net. Consumer Guide quotes 16.3 seconds at 85 mph over the quarter mile for a 340 with the automatic.14
The Rallye was no longer a model of its own but a package for the hardtop, with most of its earlier features.13
Sales rose: Consumer Guide counts 32,596, Wikipedia 27,930.14sources disagree
How to spot a 1973
What tells it apart from a 1972.
Production14
32,596 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | Challenger, including the Rallye package | 32,596 |
| All hardtops | 32,596 | |
| Total | 32,596 | |
Consumer Guide's figure, which includes the cars with the Rallye package; no source we have counts the Rallyes. Wikipedia gives 27,930 in its table and «over 27,800» in its text. See the ruling.
Engines1345
2 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
Net horsepower. The 340's 240 hp is given by Consumer Guide and Wikipedia; the 318's 150 hp by Wikipedia only. Dodge's catalog gives no ratings.
Price when new2one source
Base retail prices in 1973 dollars, before options.
J.D. Power's price guide, the only source we have for the 1973 prices. It lists the Rallye as its own model, although Dodge sold it as a package that year.
Colors3one source
16 factory colors. 2 of the 16 color names are confirmed by a second source13; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Light BlueHB1
Super BlueTB3
Bright Blue MetallicGB5
Bright RedFE5
Top BananaFY1
Light GoldJY3
Gold MetallicJY6
Dark Gold MetallicJY9
Pale GreenJF1
Light Green MetallicGF3
Dark Green MetallicJF8
Bronze MetallicGK6
ParchmentHL4
Dark Silver MetallicJA5
Eggshell WhiteEW1
BlackTX9
No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty. The 16 colors are the 16 fields of the color wheel in Dodge's 1973 Challenger catalog, which Consumer Guide's count of 16 matches; the printed list beside the wheel has 15 and leaves out Pale Green (JF1). Top Banana is the only one at extra cost.
Reading the VIN56
A 1973 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
JH23H3B10000156 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: a 340 V8 hardtop, 1973, Hamtramck, unit 100001; the price-class H is one of Dodge's classes, used only to fill the position. None of our sources prints a real Challenger VIN.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| J | Car line: Dodge Challenger |
| H · L · M · P · S | Price class: High · Low · Medium · Premium · Special (Dodge's classes for all its cars; which a Challenger used is not in our sources) |
| 23 | Body: 2-door hardtop |
| G · H | Engine (see the engine table) |
| 3 | Model year (1973) |
| A · B · C · D · F · G · H · R | Assembly plant (tpocr's table of Dodge's codes) |
| 100001 → | Sequential unit number |
Where to find it: On a plate on the left top of the dash, visible through the windshield.57
Questions about the 1973
How many 1973 Dodge Challengers were made?
32,596 by the count we use: 32,596 hardtops. The sources disagree on the total; the ruling on this page explains which figure we show and why.14sources disagree
How can you tell a 1973 Challenger from a 1972?
Two signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: 5-mph bumpers with guards; no six-cylinder.134
What engines did the 1973 Dodge Challenger have?
Two engines, from the 318 cu in V8 to the 340 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.1345
How much did a 1973 Dodge Challenger cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: hardtop $3,011; Hardtop with the Rallye package $3,218.2one source
What colors did the 1973 Dodge Challenger come in?
Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation lists 16 factory colors.3one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1973, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1973 Challenger production
Our ruling: Unresolved. We show Consumer Guide's figure; Wikipedia's has no citation.
What each source says (2)
- 32,596, including the Rallye package1one source
- 27,930 in the table; «over 27,800» in the text4one source
Sources
- 1970-1974 Dodge Challenger HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Challenger 1970–1974: original MSRP (eleven pages) J.D. Power (NADA Guides) · read 2026-10-11
- 1973 Dodge Challenger sales catalog Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Challenger (1970) Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1973 Dodge Vehicle Identification Numbers The Plymouth Owners Club Registry (tpocr.com) · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge VIN Decoder 1966-2002 Rubber The Right Way · read 2026-10-11
- Mopar VIN Decoding StockMopar · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1971Dodge ChallengerThe second year: a split grille, a cheaper Coupe with fixed rear side glass, the R/T as a hardtop only, and sales down to 29,883.29,883 built (disputed)1972Dodge ChallengerA hardtop only, the R/T replaced by the Rallye, no big-block engines, and the «sad mouth» grille.26,663 built (disputed)
1974Dodge ChallengerThe last Challenger: 5-mph bumpers at the rear too, a 360 in place of the 340, and production stopped in the spring of 1974.16,437 built (disputed)See the whole first generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1970–1974.