A divided grille
A vertical divider splits the grille in the middle; the 1968 grille is one piece.167
Class of '69 · Dodge Charger · 1968–1969 body · second generation
1969Dodge Charger
A divided grille, new tail lamps and the SE, plus two cars built for NASCAR: the Charger 500 and the winged Daytona.
The year in brief
Dodge built 89,199 Chargers for 1969, almost as many as in 1968.12
The body was carried over. The grille gained a centre divider and the tail lamps became long units across the back.127
A new SE, for Special Edition, added leather-and-vinyl front buckets, wood-grain trim and turn signals on the hood. It could be ordered alone or on an R/T.157
The story of the year
Built for NASCAR: the 500 and the Daytona
The 1968 Charger lost to Ford on the fast ovals: wind-tunnel tests showed that the tunnelled rear window made lift and the open grille made drag. The Charger 500 got a flush rear window and a flush grille.127
It was not enough, so Dodge followed with the Charger Daytona, introduced on 13 April 1969, with a nose cone and a 23-inch wing on the rear deck.178
503 Daytonas were built for sale in the United States.1one source
How to spot a 1969
What tells it apart from a 1968.
Production124
89,199 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Hardtop | Charger (no split by model) | 89,199 |
| All hardtops | 89,199 | |
| Total | 89,199 | |
Wikipedia and Hagerty give 89,199. Over-Drive's table splits the year, rounded to the hundred, into 69,100 Chargers and Charger 500s and 20,100 R/Ts, which add up to 89,200 (our sum).
Engines123569
6 engines. The letter is the engine code in the VIN.
The code is the engine letter in the VIN. Dodge's tables have two 440 codes, K (440) and L (440, high performance); none of our sources says which one the 440 Magnum carried, so both are given. The 440 Six Pack is not listed: three sources say it came for 1970; see the ruling.
Price when new46
Base retail prices in 1969 dollars, before options.
From Over-Drive's table, where the row is labelled «Charger SE/500»; Consumer Guide gives the same $3,860 for the Charger 500. The Daytona's price is disputed; see its page.
Colors5one source
18 factory colors. 17 of the 18 color names are confirmed by a second source57; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Medium BlueB7
Bright BlueB5
Light BlueB3
Bright TurquoiseQ5
Dark GreenF8
Light GreenF3
GoldY4
Light BronzeT3
YellowY2
RedR6
SilverA4
WhiteW1
BlackX9
CopperT5
Dark BronzeT7
CreamY3
Bright Red—
Medium GreenF5
No source we have gives the number of cars per color, so the counts are left empty. The 18 colors are those in Dodge's 1969 Charger catalog; the codes are from Over-Drive's list for all of Dodge's mid-size cars. Over-Drive has no Bright Red for 1969, so that code is left empty; its list has a Charger Red (R4), which no source we have ties to the catalog's Bright Red.
Reading the VIN23
A 1969 VIN has 13 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
XX29J9B10000123 · An example built from the code tables on this page, not a real car's VIN: Charger 500 or Daytona, Hemi, 1969, Hamtramck, unit 100001. None of our sources prints a real Charger VIN.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| X | Car line: Dodge Charger |
| P · S · X | Price class: Charger · Charger R/T · Charger 500 or Daytona |
| 29 | Body: 2-door sports hardtop |
| B · F · G · H · J · K · L · M | Engine (see the engine table) |
| 9 | Model year (1969) |
| A · B · C · D · E · F · G · R · P | Assembly plant (Dodge's code table) |
| 100001 → | Sequential unit number |
Where to find it: On a plate on the left top of the dash, visible through the windshield.23
Questions about the 1969
How many 1969 Dodge Chargers were made?
Dodge built 89,199 for the 1969 model year: 89,199 hardtops.124
How can you tell a 1969 Charger from a 1968?
Two signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: a divided grille; long tail lamps.1267
What engines did the 1969 Dodge Charger have?
Six engines, from the 225 cu in slant six 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.123569
How much did a 1969 Dodge Charger cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: Charger, six-cylinder $3,020; Charger, V8 $3,125; Charger 500 $3,860; R/T $3,592.46
What colors did the 1969 Dodge Charger come in?
Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation lists 18 factory colors.5one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1969, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
1969 Charger production
Our ruling: We use 89,199, which Wikipedia and Hagerty give; Hagerty may have it from Wikipedia, and neither cites a source. Over-Drive's rows, rounded to the hundred, add up to 89,200, which agrees with it but can only confirm the total to within about 100. Consumer Guide's rough figures do not contradict it.
What each source says (3)
- 89,19912
- 69,100 Chargers and 500s plus 20,100 R/Ts, rounded to the hundred (they add to 89,200)4one source
- «more than 85,000»; «only 7,000 less» than 1968's 96,108610one source
Settled
Was the 440 Six Pack offered on the 1969 Charger?
Our ruling: No. Wikipedia and Consumer Guide say the Six Pack came to the Charger for 1970. Hagerty contradicts itself, calling it a 1970-only engine and also available from the start. Over-Drive's own 1969 summary names the Six Pack as a Super Bee novelty, so its 1969 Charger price is most likely a slip.
What each source says (3)
- Six Pack priced for the 1969 Charger R/T ($307) and optional on the Daytona7one source
- New on the Charger for 1970110
- Hagerty: «It was only available that year» (1970), but also that the 440 «was also available right out of the gate (375 hp, 480 lb-ft of torque or 390/490 with the six-pack carbs)»2one source
Open
The Daytona's price
Our ruling: Unresolved: $4,000 or $5,903. Neither figure is cited, and the gap is too big to be options. We give no price.
What each source says (2)
- «the Daytona an even four grand»6one source
- Base price $5,903 in a production table8one source
Open
When the sunroof became an option
Our ruling: Unresolved. Wikipedia's 1969 sunroof and its 260 cars have no citation; Consumer Guide calls the 1970 electric sunroof a first, and the 1970 catalog lists it. We do not use the 260.
What each source says (3)
- 1969: «A sunroof was added to the options list, but was ordered on only 260 Chargers»1one source
- 1970: «for the first time, Charger could be optioned with an electric sliding sunroof»10one source
- An electrically operated sliding sunroof in the 1970 option list11one source
Settled
The size of the 1968–69 Charger
Our ruling: We use Dodge's own catalogs for both years: 208.0 × 76.6 × 53.2 inches. Wikipedia and Over-Drive give 76.7 for the width, and Over-Drive 207.0 for the 1969 length. For 1969 Over-Drive gives the height as 53.0 inches, or 53.5 with the 318.
What each source says (4)
- 208.0 long, 76.6 wide, 53.2 high (1968 and 1969 catalogs)512one source
- 208.0 × 76.7 × 53.21one source
- 1968: width 76.7, height 53.2; 1969: length 207.0, width 76.7713one source
- 1969 height: «Charger 318 CID V-8 – 53.5 inches, Other Charger – 53.0 inches»7one source
Settled
Letters or digits for the plant in a 1968–69 VIN
Our ruling: Letters. The Plymouth Owners Club registry gives letters for 1968–69 and Hagerty calls the seventh character a letter; only one guide gives digits. The same guide gives T for Windsor in 1970, where two others give R.
What each source says (3)
- Letters from 1968: A Lynch Road, B Hamtramck … R Windsor3one source
- «the seventh letter designates the plant»2one source
- Digits 1–9 for 1967–69, as in 19669one source
Sources
- Dodge Charger (1966) Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1968–70 Dodge Charger buyer's guide Hagerty · read 2026-10-11
- 1968-69 Dodge Vehicle Identification Numbers The Plymouth Owners Club Registry (tpocr.com) · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Mid-Size Production, 1966–1970 (five tables) Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1969 Dodge Charger sales catalog Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- 1968-1969 Dodge Charger HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1969 Dodge Mid-Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge Charger Daytona Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- Dodge VIN Decoder 1966-2002 Rubber The Right Way · read 2026-10-11
- 1968 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi · 1970 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi · 1969 Dodge Charger HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1970 Dodge Charger sales catalog Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- 1968 Dodge Charger sales catalog Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation · read 2026-10-11
- 1968 Dodge Mid-Size Cars Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · 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 built1968Dodge 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)
1970Dodge ChargerThe last of the second generation: a chrome loop bumper, High Impact colors, the 440 Six Pack, and falling sales.49,768 built (disputed)See the whole second generation.
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1968–1970.