No turn-signal indicators on the fenders
The tops of the front fenders are clean. The 1967 has turn-signal indicators there, the easiest way to tell the two apart.17
Class of '66 · Dodge Charger · 1966–1967 body · first generation
1966Dodge Charger
The first Charger: a fastback on the Coronet, launched on New Year's Day 1966, with V8s only and 37,344 built.
The year in brief
Dodge built 37,344 Chargers for 1966, all at its Hamtramck plant, in a model year that for the Charger began only in January 1966.12
The Charger was built on the mid-size Coronet: it used the Coronet's chassis, 117-inch wheelbase, cowl, windshield, A-pillars and hardtop doors, with a fastback roof and rear of its own. At $3,122 it cost $417 more than a V8 Coronet 500 hardtop at $2,705.124
Inside were four bucket seats with a console running from front to rear, and the rear seats folded to make room for cargo.15
Every engine was a V8, from the standard 318 to the 426 Hemi. Only 468 cars were built with the Hemi.56
The story of the year
The Leader of the Dodge Rebellion
Dodge called its new fastback «The Leader of the Dodge Rebellion». It released the details on 6 December 1965 and introduced the car on New Year's Day 1966, to viewers of the Rose Bowl.12
From 13 to 16 January 1966, Dodge flew dealers from all over the country to Miami for the «Silver Charger Driveaway», and they drove home in silver Chargers.1one source
The grille hid the headlamps, which rotated into view, a feature Chrysler had not used since the 1942 DeSoto.12
How to spot a 1966
What tells it apart from a 1967.
Production124
37,344 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Fastback | Charger (V8) | 37,344 |
| All fastbacks | 37,344 | |
| Total | 37,344 | |
Consumer Guide (HowStuffWorks) and Wikipedia both give 37,344. Over-Drive's table rounds it to 37,300; see the ruling.
Engines1589
4 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
The code is the engine letter in the VIN. The two VIN references we have disagree on the 1966 letters for the 318, 361 and 383; both give H for the Hemi. See the ruling. Every 1966 Charger had a V8.
Price when new14
Base retail prices in 1966 dollars, before options.
Reading the VIN89
A 1966 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
XP29H6210000189 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: Charger, Hemi, 1966, Hamtramck, unit 100001. None of our sources prints a real Charger VIN.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| X | Car line: Dodge Charger |
| P | Price class: Charger |
| 29 | Body: 2-door sports hardtop |
| D · E · F · G · H | Engine (see the engine table) |
| 6 | Model year (1966) |
| 2 | Assembly plant (Dodge's code table) |
| 100001 → | Sequential unit number |
Where to find it: On a plate on the left front door hinge pillar.8one source
Questions about the 1966
How many 1966 Dodge Chargers were made?
Dodge built 37,344 for the 1966 model year: 37,344 fastbacks.124
How can you tell a 1966 Charger from a 1967?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: no turn-signal indicators on the fenders; a full-length console; a 361 V8 on the list.12357
What engines did the 1966 Dodge Charger have?
Four engines, from the 318 cu in V8 to the 426 cu in Hemi V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.1589
How much did a 1966 Dodge Charger cost new?
Where is the VIN on a 1966 Dodge Charger?
On a plate on the left front door hinge pillar.8one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1966, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
1966 Charger production
Our ruling: We use 37,344. Consumer Guide and Wikipedia give it alike; Over-Drive's table rounds every Dodge figure that year to the hundred.
What each source says (2)
- 37,34412
- 37,300 in a production table rounded to the hundred4one source
Open
The engine letters in a 1966 VIN
Our ruling: Unresolved. The two VIN guides agree that H is the Hemi but are one letter apart for the 318, 361 and 383, and neither cites a factory document. The decoder shows both readings.
What each source says (2)
- D 318, E 361, F 383, H 426 Hemi8one source
- D 273, E 318, F 361, G 383, H 426 Hemi9one source
Settled
Was there a 273 V8 in the 1966 Charger?
Our ruling: No. Dodge's own 1966 Charger catalog lists the 318 as standard, and Consumer Guide says the 318 came standard in the Charger, as opposed to the 273 in the Coronet. Over-Drive's line is not supported.
What each source says (2)
- «Engine choices were V-8s only – from the 273 CID to the 426 CID Street Hemi»3one source
- The 318 was the standard engine125
Settled
The width of the 1966–67 Charger
Our ruling: We use Dodge's own catalog: 75.3 inches. Wikipedia's 75.8 has no citation.
What each source says (2)
- 75.3 inches5one source
- 75.8 inches2one source
Sources
- 1966-1967 Dodge Charger HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Charger (1966) Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1966 Dodge Mid-Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Mid-Size Production, 1966–1970 (five tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1966 Dodge Charger sales catalog Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Charger (1966): the 1966 Hemi count Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Charger (1966): the 1967 turn-signal indicators Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1966-67 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
Keep going
Three more years.
1967Dodge ChargerThe fastback's second and last year: turn signals on the fenders, a vinyl roof, the 440 Magnum, and only 15,788 built.15,788 built
1968Dodge ChargerAn all-new coke-bottle Charger with a flying-buttress roof, the first R/T, and sales of about 96,100.96,100 built (disputed)
1969Dodge ChargerA divided grille, new tail lamps and the SE, plus two cars built for NASCAR: the Charger 500 and the winged Daytona.89,199 builtSee the whole first generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1966–1967.