For 1969, Elwood Engel's "Fuselage Chryslers" presented a clean alternative to the increasingly baroque big cars from GM and Ford which followed the brief mid-Sixties fashion for clean, trim lines. The Fuselage Chryslers, though oversized like the other "standard sized" Big Three offerings, exhibited mostly undecorated flanks and lots of what designers call "tumble-home", the inward slope of the greenhouse in section. For the 1970 model year, when Chrysler announced its E-body replacements for the Plymouth Barracuda as well as the first Dodge Challenger, the cars had long-hood, short-deck proportions like the Mustang and Camaro but with more "tumble-home" and also what I call "tuck-under." Not sure what designers call it, but this is the inward slope of the flanks towards the rocker panels, and it nicely exposed the wider wheels and tires then coming into vogue.
Unlike GM, which had used the same basic body shells for its Camaro and Firebird twins, Chrysler budgeted for a larger body shell on the Challenger, much as Ford had done for the Mercury Cougar derived from the Mustang. As a result, the Challenger (above) rode on a 110" wheelbase and was 4.6" longer than the Barracuda* (below) which had 108" between wheel centers. Carl Cameron's design for the Challenger was also 1.2" wider than John Herlitz's Barracuda, and the photo above shows how this aspect was highlighted by the ridge stamped into the Dodge's flanks, running from head to tail lights and following the arc of the rear fenders. The Barracuda shown below highlights the tumble-home as well as the tuck-under of Herlitz's design, which has a more sheer and spare treatment of the flanks than the Challenger. It would look even cleaner without the "shaker" hood scoop and the vinyl roof, which was to the 70s what wraparound, dogleg windshields were to the late 50s. The frontal aspect on the Plymouth may show influence of Giugiaro's designs for the Iso S4 and DeTomaso Mangusta. Car designers, after all, went to shows and read the car mags...
The Barracuda also kept details simple with single headlights (except for 1972) and by offering body-colored front bumpers. Comparing the Plymouth above with the Dodge below shows how the Challenger's more deeply sculptured flanks generated different shadow lines. Notice how the curve of the Barracuda's rear fender is formed into a distinct ledge below the window sill that fades into the front door stamping. On the Challenger below, the top of the rear fender actually becomes the window sill, and the side rear window arc follows the roof line, while the Barracuda has a slightly more angular window profile. These differences were subtle but required expensive tooling for each car line, and showed that the design team must have enjoyed some freedom before the corporate budget-cutters came in.
The budget cutters were in control before 1974, which was the last year for these E-bodies. Declining sales in the "pony-car" sector resulted from increasing insurance rates and concerns about fuel economy which arrived with the Arab oil embargo in '73. With the passage of time, though, the relative rarity of these cars compared with Mustangs and Camaros, as well as the reputation for performance gained by offering the most extensive engine options (including the 426 Hemi*) meant that the forsaken E-bodies gained fans among collectors. By the time the Daimler-Chrysler marriage ended in 2007, the company had completed designs and tooling for a new Challenger, including key elements like Mercedes S-Class front suspension and E-Class 5-link rear suspension. The car made its debut in February 2008, and echoed many of the exterior design themes of the original Challenger, such as the roof shape and break line curving along the flanks, here as a simple change of section rather than the incised ridge of the original...
Another difference was that the new car was not a true pillarless hardtop like the original. Despite the presence of that body type in the Mercedes lineup when the new Dodge was planned, designers opted for a conventional B-pillar. And there seemed to be a lot less tumble-home and tuck-under in the new design. The more vertical sides and roof section are visible in the photo below...
The photo below shows off the more restrained form, perhaps a result of packaging concerns. The decision to go with the B-pillar meant that the space between B and C pillars was filled with a tiny trapezoid of vision glass which is made to look larger by edging it with a black glass border. Despite a few clunky details, the car was convincing on the road, with engine options eventually well beyond the original Hemi's power, the supple Mercedes-derived suspension and modern antilock disc brakes. It sold well, was kept in production after the Fiat takeover of Chrysler in 2009, and is still in production...
If Fiat had been looking for a Challenger design to remind them a bit more of home, they might have had a look at the 1971 Challenger shown below, as it was rebodied by Italy's Pietro Frua*, better known for work on products from Maserati, BMW* and Monteverdi*...
The handsome fastback has plenty of tumble-home as well as tuck-under. Just look at the way it displays those deep wire wheels, which were already becoming an anachronism in 1971 but still look great. The crease linking the front air intake with the tail creates the border between tumble-home and tuck-under, provides a dramatic shadow line and also gives an excuse to animate the wheel arches with those flared openings. On a car where there's almost no surface decoration, these deft maneuvers give the form real impact.
Note also that like the 2007 Challenger, the Frua version has a B-pillar. Unlike it, the car offers real vision between B and C-pillars, as well as out the generous rear hatch. The tail lights appear to have been taken from a period Alfa Berlina, but like everything else, they work. If Fiat Chrysler decides to go Retro again when they redesign the current Challenger, they could look in worse places than here...
*Footnotes: For a history of another Frua-designed, Chrysler-powered car, see "The Etceterini Files Part 20---Monteverdi and MBM" from July 19, 2019. Other designs by Frua are featured in "Forgotten Classics: Frua Designs for Hans Glas and BMW" from Dec. 2, 2018. For another look at the Plymouth Barracuda, as well as Ghia-bodied Chrysler show cars, see "What Defines a Production Car, and Why Would Anybody Pay $3 Million for One?" in the Archives for August 29, 2015.
Photo Credits:
Top thru 3rd from top: Chrysler Corporation
4th thru 6th: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
7th: en.wheelsage.org
8th & 9th: webcarstory.com
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