Larger rear bumper guards
The rear bumper guards are larger than on the 1973, for the new rear 5-mph rule.14
Class of '74 · Dodge Challenger · 1974 body · first generation
1974Dodge Challenger
The last Challenger: 5-mph bumpers at the rear too, a 360 in place of the 340, and production stopped in the spring of 1974.
The year in brief
The rear bumpers were strengthened to take 5-mph knocks, as the law now required, with larger rear bumper guards. Little else changed.14
A 360 four-barrel V8 with 245 hp net replaced the 340 as the performance option; the 318 stayed standard.134
Production stopped in late April 1974, a few months into the model year. Consumer Guide counts 16,437 cars; Wikipedia's table gives 11,354.14sources disagree
Over five years Wikipedia counts 165,437 first-generation Challengers. Consumer Guide's yearly figures add up to 188,611 (our sum).14sources disagree
The story of the year
Too late, not too weak
Consumer Guide's verdict is that the Challenger was not a weak pony car but a late one: it arrived just as demand for such cars began to fade. Wikipedia makes the same point: the segment was already declining when the Challenger came.14
The name came back for 1978 on a rebadged Mitsubishi (the Galant Lambda, by Wikipedia's link), and again in 2008.4one source
How to spot a 1974
What tells it apart from a 1973.
A 360 instead of the 340
A new color chart
Ten of the 16 colors are new; only Gold Metallic, Dark Gold Metallic, Parchment, Bright Red, Eggshell White and Black carry over from 1973, by our comparison of the two catalogs.35one source
Production14
16,437 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | Challenger, including the Rallye package | 16,437 |
| All hardtops | 16,437 | |
| Total | 16,437 | |
Consumer Guide's figure, which includes the Rallye package. Wikipedia's uncited table gives 11,354. See the ruling.
Engines13467
2 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
Net horsepower. The 360's 245 hp is given by Consumer Guide and Wikipedia. Its VIN letter is disputed: J or L; see the ruling.
Price when new2one source
Base retail prices in 1974 dollars, before options.
J.D. Power's price guide, the only source we have for the 1974 price.
Colors3one source
16 factory colors. The color names come from one source3one source; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Gold MetallicJY6
Dark Gold MetallicJY9
Sienna MetallicKT5
Dark Moonstone MetallicKL8
Burnished Red MetallicGE7
Frosty Green MetallicKG2
Avocado Gold MetallicKJ6
Deep Sherwood MetallicKG8
Lucerne Blue MetallicKB5
Powder BlueKB1
Yellow BlazeKY5
Golden FawnKY4
ParchmentHL4
Bright RedFE5
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 chart in Dodge's 1974 folder, which is headed «Dart/Challenger exterior colors» and so is shared with the Dart. Three codes (KL8, KB5, FE5) were read off the image, where OCR read 5 as S and 8 as B.
Reading the VIN67
A 1974 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
JH23G4B10000167 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: a 318 V8 hardtop, 1974, 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 · J · L | Engine (see the engine table) |
| 4 | Model year (1974) |
| A · B · C · D · F · G | 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.68
Questions about the 1974
How many 1974 Dodge Challengers were made?
16,437 by the count we use: 16,437 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 1974 Challenger from a 1973?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: larger rear bumper guards; a 360 instead of the 340; a new color chart.1345
What engines did the 1974 Dodge Challenger have?
Two engines, from the 318 cu in V8 to the 360 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.13467
How much did a 1974 Dodge Challenger cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: hardtop $3,143.2one source
What colors did the 1974 Dodge Challenger come in?
Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation lists 16 factory colors.3one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1974, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Open
1974 Challenger production
Our ruling: Unresolved. We show Consumer Guide's figure; Wikipedia's has no citation. The two series also give different totals for the generation: 188,611 by our sum of Consumer Guide's years, 165,437 by Wikipedia.
What each source says (2)
- 16,4371one source
- 11,3544one source
Open
The 360's letter in a 1974 VIN
Our ruling: Unresolved. The decoder shows both letters for the 360.
What each source says (3)
- J (360 four-barrel), with L for a «Hi. perf.» 3606one source
- J («360 V8 (in 74)»), and L for a 360 four-barrel «in 73»7one source
- L4one 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
- 1974 Dodge Dart and Challenger folder Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Challenger (1970) Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1973 Dodge Challenger sales catalog Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- 1974 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)1973Dodge ChallengerFive-mph bumpers, the six-cylinder dropped, the Rallye turned into a package, and sales up to about 32,600.32,596 built (disputed)See the whole first generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1970–1974.