Dodge Charger Gets New Fans Thanks to Fast & Furious and Lego

One of the stars in the action movie franchise is the 1970 Dodge Charger. Now that Fast X is about to come, it is time to remember the beautiful tribute Lego Technic has made

I dare to say that all car fans remember those scenes. Shiny chrome accents surrounded by glossy black paint. Hidden circular headlights just waiting to pop up as opening eyes. A massive V8 with its air intake popping out of the hood. And that deep, gurgling engine sound which is simply impossible to resist.

That 1970 Dodge Charger starred in the first Fast & Furious film driven by Dominic “Dom” Toretto, who is Vin Diesel’s character. The car would appear in several other editions of the franchise and became object of adoration among muscle car enthusiasts. More recently, it has made its way into the Lego universe too.

The first Dodge Charger had a hardtop body with a fastback that resembled AMC's Rambler Marlin
The first Dodge Charger had a hardtop body with a fastback that resembled AMC’s Rambler Marlin

Real-life Dodge Charger

The very first Charger arrived in 1966 as what we can define as a halo car in the Dodge family. It is larger than typical pony cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, while less fancy than personal luxury ones like the Ford Thunderbird. It started as a variation of the Coronet, but a rising popularity quickly earned its own image.

The 1970 Dodge Charger preserved the buttresses from 1968 and the full-width taillights from 1969
The 1970 Dodge Charger preserved the buttresses from 1968 and the full-width taillights from 1969

The second generation marked the peak of this car. It fully embraced the muscle car spirit through its big engines, strong acceleration, impactful design, and no-frills construction. The Dodge Charger had facelifts once a year, and they came with small improvements in terms of equipment, accessories, and powertrain.

As you can imagine, the Charger took a major hit from the oil crisis. In the third generation, Dodge had to gradually tone down its sporty character. It would find high sales again in 1975, when the fourth iteration completed the change to personal luxury. There was another phase in the 1980s before the current one.

Dodge Charger in Fast & Furious

The famous all-black 1970 Dodge Charger appeared in the franchise for the first time in its very first title, The Fast and The Furious (2001). It was owned by Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, after inheriting it from his father. As the pictures show, the car was heavily tuned according to the muscle car guidelines.

In that movie, the Charger first appears on some garage scenes. It effectively comes to action in the end, when Toretto drives it out of the garage to rescue a friend. Brian O’Connor, played by co-star Paul Walker, ends up joining him at a drag race which ends up with both jumping over a train and Toretto crashing.

While Toretto did not appear on the second movie, once the franchise brought him back, the 1970 Dodge Charger made sure to come as well. They have become some of the most important parts in the franchise up to Fast X. That is the name of the final part, which will be split into two movies starting in next May.

The Dodge Charger Lego set replicates the Fast & Furious car in 1077 pieces
The Dodge Charger Lego set replicates the Fast & Furious car in 1077 pieces

Dodge Charger Lego Technic Set

The Danish toymaker presented its Dodge Charger set in 2020, back when the ninth Fast & Furious movie was released. Car fans of all around the world simply loved it because it is part of the Lego Technic series. That means the set features detailed representation of several components, including some moving parts.

Dom's Dodge Charger Lego Technic set
The Lego Technic set features everything from the double exhaust pipes
To the typical wraparound bumper of the 1970 Dodge Charger

This Lego set uses 1077 pieces to replicate the car in 1:13 scale. Once you finish its assembly, you will see that it features double wishbone suspension, a set of NO2 canisters in the trunk, and a big V8 engine with working pistons. There is also a wheelie bar which you can set down to keep it at an upright position.

Dodge Charger Lego Technic tech specs

  • 15” (39 cm) long, 6” (16 cm) wide and 4” (11 cm) high
  • Appropriate for ages 10 and older
  • 1077 pieces with printed instructions included

As you can see, Lego Technic did yet another great job in terms of attention to detail. We can see not only classic items, like the engine and the big wheels, but also elements such as the hardtop, the silver accents, and the buttresses. They are essential parts of the image of a car which helped establish its market niche.

As you can see, the Dodge Charger Lego Technic set is a wonderful recommendation for people who love cars, enjoy the Fast & Furious franchise, play with Lego and, especially, who combine at least two of those. Feel free to check its Amazon page to obtain more information and maybe even buy a set for yourself!

Author Profile
Editor-in-chief

Danillo Almeida has explored his passion for cars in two distinct ways. The first one is his graduation course in Mechanical Engineering, which will hopefully lead to a job position in the field. The other one is expressing his knowledge and opinions on the matter through writing. Almeida has already contributed to blogs, stores, and websites in general writing automotive content in many formats.

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