We consider ourselves somewhat enlightened when it comes to women’s issues. Today, women are an integral part of the automotive hobby, so this ’70 Dodge Charger 500 commercial appears completely dated. Believed to be banned shortly after it aired, we failed to find any evidence of the claim.
What we do know is that the Dodge shuffled the Charger line a bit, with the base Charger being de-contented and the Charger 500 taking the formerly base Charger’s place. The paint palette was mostly new, with a nice assortment of High Impact colors. The car in the ad has a 4-speed, which means it must be a 383-4, the most powerful engine available in this model; according to the 1970 Charger Registry, 1,335 cars were built like this for the US.
The commercial begins with our bookish hero, Elliot about to propose to his lady. Elliot is an awkward ding-a-ling of sorts so it’s hard to imagine him dating this skirt for three years (or four, according to her). But, then, a bird in a bikini knocks on the window.
“Gorgeous car! What is it?” she asks. Stuttering, Elliot tells her it’s a Dodge Charger 500.
“Dynamite!”
Then another girl springs up and asks, “What’s that?” to which our hero replies that it’s the optional Hurst shifter. Nineteen seventy was the debut for Hurst’s Pistol Grip shifter for Mopar 4-speed cars (aside of the A-bodies like the Dart).
Meanwhile, Elliot’s girlfriend is trying to regain control of his attention, all for naught. More foxes pop up.
“Hey! Where are the headlights?”
At this point, Elliot’s having a gas, feeling he’s quite the hunk. His girlfriend is all bent as he flees the scene in his totally boss ride with his harem of beach bunnies, presumably on his way to get his kicks with the Love Generation.
Clearly, Elliot was Dodge Material.