Back in 2001 when the first The Fast and the Furious film hit theaters, modified import cars were the rage and it seemed like muscle cars might — finally — have lost their hammerlock on America's automotive soul. But when that first movie came out, the car everyone remembered was the nasty blown 1970 Dodge Charger even Dominic Toretto was scared to drive. Muscle cars still rule.
Eight years later, that iconic black Charger is resurrected for Fast & Furious. The fourth movie's story has the wrecked Charger being restored for Dom (that's Vin Diesel) by his beloved Letty (that's Michelle Rodriguez) while Dom is living as an exile in Central America. In reality, the Fast & Furious picture car department had to build six Chargers to perform all the stunts.
Because 1968-'70 Chargers have, for the last 40 years, been Hollywood's favorite cars to wreck, they've become both rare and expensive. So just finding Chargers to buy was challenge enough, and the crew often had to settle for cars in hideous condition. One Charger was built with a real-live blown 528-cubic-inch Hemi V8 under its hood. But the three stunt cars were actually powered by small-block Chevy crate motors to keep things simple. And one Charger was nothing more than an engine-less "buck" built for use on stage where the actors could pretend to drive with the scenery added in later during post-production.
As to the Charger's appearance, there are a few changes from the first film. First the supercharger now nestles down through a hole in the hood rather than being bolted atop it. And more contemporary, large-diameter wheels and tires were added.
While one Charger was blown up and another crashed, four have survived and are stored.
