1974 · Dodge · United States
1974 Dodge Challenger: the last original-era year
The last original-era Challenger shared a catalog with the Dart; the 360 replaced the 340 as the optional engine and production ended in April 1974.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
This record's own dek describes 1974 as the last original-era Challenger, sharing a catalog with the Dart, in which the 360 replaced the 340 as the optional engine and production ended in April 1974. This record's own overview states that the Challenger hardtop paired the 318 V8 with a three-speed floor shift as standard, with the Rallye package adding a performance hood, fender scoops with strobe stripes, a blacked-out grille, Rallye instruments and Rallye suspension, offered with either the 318 or the 360 V8; Dodge's own heritage releases give the 360 at 245 hp.
This record's own production section documents two totals for the final year, 11,354 in one lineage and 16,437 in another, with this record's own note stating that Mueller and Glatch describe the 16,437 figure as production including exports, which explains the gap without either total being wrong; the lower figure's geography is not explicitly stated by its own sources. This record's own production notes add that no Rallye package or 360 installation count was found for the year, a documented gap rather than an assumed zero.1,2
Two engines are documented, the standard 318 V8, for which this record carries no power or torque rating, and the optional 360 V8 four-barrel with bright-tip dual exhausts at 245 hp. This record's own key facts state that production of the original Challenger ended in April 1974, that the 16,437-including-exports total carried a base price of $3,109, and that Dodge's own heritage releases put total Challenger sales at roughly 188,600 across the whole of the model's original run.3,4
Three transmissions are documented: the standard three-speed floor-mounted manual, the optional TorqueFlite automatic, and a four-speed manual with a Hurst shifter available with the 360, per this record's own axle-availability table listing a "3- or 4-speed manual" option for that engine. This record's own options section documents the Rallye package in full, including a Rallye cluster with a tachometer and full gauges, an electric clock and three-speed wipers, alongside a Challenger-only Performance Axle Package bundling a 3.55 heavy-duty axle, Sure Grip, and a 26-inch high-capacity radiator.
Sixteen exterior colors are documented. This record's own interiors section documents a single standard all-vinyl front bucket-seat trim, and its specifications section carries a 110-inch wheelbase, a 198.6-inch overall length, an 18-gallon fuel tank, 9.6 cu ft of trunk capacity, axle ratios stated separately by engine (3.23:1 on the 318's three-speed manual and TorqueFlite, with a 3.55:1 Sure Grip option on the 360 regardless of transmission), and tire fitments split by model, 7.35x14 blackwalls on the plain Challenger against F70x14 whitewalls on the Rallye.
This record's own identification section documents the catalog's form number, 81-205-0032, lithographed in August 1973, the last such form number this record carries for the original Challenger's production run. This record's own conflicts section is empty for the year, its production notes treating the 11,354 and 16,437 totals as complementary once the export basis is accounted for rather than as a genuine dispute; unpublished leads are likewise empty, leaving this record's coverage of the final original-era model year resting on those two production totals, the base price, the two engines and the Rallye and axle packages documented above.
Fact sheet · 1974 · United States
The numbers
1974 Dodge Challenger — The last original-era Challenger shared a catalog with the Dart; the 360 replaced the 340 as the optional engine and production ended in April 1974.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 1974 Challengers including exports1,6,7 Challenger incl. Rallye package · 2-door hardtop · V8 · US plus exports | 16,437 | built, model-year | Reported |
| All 1974 Challengers (Sessler / Zazarine / Ross lineage)2,8,9 Challenger · 2-door hardtop · V8 · not stated (possibly domestic) | 11,354 | built, model-year | Reported |
The two totals are separately scoped and are not a conflict once the export basis is considered; the lower figure's geography is not explicitly stated by its sources.
No Rallye or 360 installation count was found.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Challenger hardtop base price1 | $3,109 | base price as reported, 1974 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 318 V8 318 cu in · 2-barrel | standard | Not yet sourced | |
| 360 V8 4-bbl with bright-tip dual exhausts5 360 cu in · 4-barrel | 245 hp (not stated in the release) | optional | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| 3-speed manual, floor-mounted, fully synchronized | standard | Not yet sourced |
| TorqueFlite automatic | optional | Not yet sourced |
| 4-speed manual with Hurst shifter | optional with the 360 (axle table lists '3- or 4-speed manual' for the 360) | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Rallye Package: sport hood, black-out painted grille, fender scoops with strobe stripes, Rallye cluster with tachometer and full gauges, Rallye suspension with front and rear sway bars, F70x14 white sidewall bias-belted tires, electric clock, 3-speed wipers | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Performance Axle Package (Challenger only): 3.55 heavy-duty axle, Sure Grip, 26-inch high-capacity radiator | — | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
JY6 |
Gold Metallic | Not yet sourced |
JY9 |
Dark Gold Metallic | Not yet sourced |
KT5 |
Sienna Metallic | Not yet sourced |
KL8 |
Dark Moonstone Metallic | Not yet sourced |
GE7 |
Burnished Red Metallic | Not yet sourced |
KG2 |
Frosty Green Metallic | Not yet sourced |
KJ6 |
Avocado Gold Metallic | Not yet sourced |
KG8 |
Deep Sherwood Metallic | Not yet sourced |
KB5 |
Lucerne Blue Metallic | Not yet sourced |
KB1 |
Powder Blue | Not yet sourced |
KY5 |
Yellow Blaze | Not yet sourced |
KY4 |
Golden Fawn | Not yet sourced |
HL4 |
Parchment | Not yet sourced |
FE5 |
Bright Red | Not yet sourced |
EW1 |
Eggshell White | Not yet sourced |
TX9 |
Black | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
All-vinyl front bucket seats (standard, Challenger) | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase | 110 in | 2-door hardtop |
| Overall length | 198.6 in | 2-door hardtop |
| Overall height | 50.9 in | 2-door hardtop |
| Fuel tank | 18 US gal | all |
| Trunk capacity | 9.6 cu ft | all |
| Axle ratios | 318: 3-speed 3.23; TorqueFlite 2.76 (3.23 optional). 360: 3- or 4-speed 3.23 (3.55 Sure Grip optional); TorqueFlite 3.23 (3.55 Sure Grip optional) | by engine |
| Tires | 7.35x14 polyester BSW (Challenger); F70x14 bias-belted WSW (Rallye) | by model |
Identification
- Catalog form number
- Form 81-205-0032, lithographed 8/73.
Identification
Read a 1974 Dodge VIN
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Same model year
Also in 1974
- AMC AMX The final Javelin AMX: 4,980 built, with the Go Package's cowl induction dropped and a production run that stretched into November 1974.
- AMC Gremlin X and Spirit AMX The Gremlin X gained a 'hockey stick' stripe. The 304 V8 remained available, but no X or V8 counts for the year were found.
- AMC Javelin The Javelin's final year: 22,556 non-AMX cars on a production run extended into November 1974.
- Buick Riviera Colonnade pillared roof; 20,129 built, 1,698 with Stage One and 4,119 with the GS handling option.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX The last year a 455 Stage 1 could be had in a Buick intermediate Gran Sport; 3,355 were built, 478 of them Stage 1.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The SS was gone; the new Laguna Type S-3 coupe carried the Chevelle's performance image, with a 235 net hp 454 still on the engine list.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Spirit of America Nova (RPO Z51) offered on the Custom hatchback per the source. Enthusiast-compiled production: 390,537 cars; Super Sport 21,419.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS Colonnade-era El Camino; Chevrolet's 1974 data pages define the RPO Z15 SS option for the El Camino Classic. Team Chevelle's production totals give 51,223 El Caminos built, 4,543 of them with SS equipment.
- Dodge Charger The last B-body Charger before the 1975 personal-luxury redesign, with 5-mph bumpers, carried-over powertrains and an SE that accounted for 30,957 V-8 cars.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon The 360 replaced the 340 in the Dart Sport, and Flory's production table counts 3,951 Dart Sport 360s at a $3,244 base price.
- Ford Maverick Grabber Grabber production fell to 23,502 by Classic Industries count.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Ranchero GT continued on the 1972-76 Ranchero; 11,328 GTs were built, per reference-site counts in the Standard Catalog lineage.
- Ford Thunderbird Sixth-generation personal-luxury Thunderbird; the record holds the production total and the luxury-group option prices only.
- Ford Torino The 1974 Torino grew again and added the Gran Torino Elite; the Gran Torino Sport survived only as a formal-roof hardtop, with 23,142 built.
- Mercury Cougar Outside the muscle focus: 91,670 Cougars for 1974 per Wikipedia's table.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The Hurst/Olds paced the Indianapolis 500 again and offered a 350 for the first time: 1,800 coupes, 380 of them with the 455 W-30.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The final year: Barracuda and 'Cuda hardtops with a standard 318 and a new optional 360, and 11,734 built before the line ended.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 The 245 net hp 360 replaced the 340 in the Duster's best sales year: 3,969 Duster 360s among 281,378 Dusters, with Twister, Gold Duster and Space Duster packages priced separately.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite In 1974 a GTX nameplate came with the Road Runner's optional 440 four-barrel, TorqueFlite required; Mueller's Muscle Car Source Book counts 386 of them.
- Plymouth Road Runner The last Satellite-based Road Runner; production roughly halved from 1973.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am A new nose and the last Super Duty: 10,255 Trans Ams, 943 with the SD-455.
- Pontiac GTO The last original GTO: a package on the compact Ventura with a 200 hp 350; 7,058 built.
- Pontiac Grand Am A revised nose and 17,083 built, only 342 with a four-speed.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The 455 remains the SJ engine as Grand Prix volume falls to under 100,000.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans With the GTO moved to the Ventura, the LeMans GT package became the intermediate performance choice, backed by 350, 400 and 455 V8 options.