Fast and Furious. A name that means so much more than two words could ever relate. The lives of millions of car nerds were forever changed by the original movie or one of the many sequels and for good reason.

Cars are a major part of the cast. Though not always focused on, you can count on seeing some of your favorite rides like 71 Skylines, Jensen Interceptors, AMX Javelins and more sprinkled in from around the world in each of the Fast films.

None of those rarities match the screen presence and heroism of the 1970 Dodge Charger driven by Vin Diesel's character Dominic Toretto. Few cars in the films hold your attention and respect on the screen like this particular Mopar monster. The perfect gloss black paint and enormous bug catcher blower bulging through the hood make for the first massive reveal moment in the franchise.

There's a great deal that was done behind the scenes to create that moment and today we break down it along with so much more that you never knew about Doms Charger.

The Engine

That iconic scene with the hood off is one of the strangest secrets most people don't know about the first movie. Despite silly things in the film like the infamous "Danger To Manifold" computer warning Brian experiences in his Eclipse, they went all out to get this one single shot.

They sourced an alcohol-injected 445 cubic inch V8 from Chuck Taylor Racing Engines. Then stacked that infamous Mooneyham 6-71 blower on the top to make it clear to those in the know that this was a serious machine with incredible power.

Sadly once this shot was filmed the motor came right back out and was replaced with a still powerful but not supercharged Hemi to finish the production. In fact, if you watch the final scene with Brian and Dom racing, you can see that the supercharger isn't spinning at any point in the race since it was totally fake.

Keep audiophiles might have suspected this since you never hear that signature supercharger whine throughout the film.

Fast Facts

The Chargers used in the film were provided by a company called Cinema Vehicle Services in California. They're still in business today and are considered the leading company for movie car production. Their cars have been featured in numerous Fast & Furious movies as well as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Mr. And Mrs. Smith, Dawn of the Planet of The Apes and more.

They built four cars for sure and possibly a fifth that's been lost to history. Of the four known 3 were specifically for stunts in the film. The first was used for the moment when dom drifts the Charger into a motorcycle pursuing them. The second is used for the wheelie at the start of the final race and the third is used for the flip over and crash at the end of the film. The last car is considered the Hero car and is currently owned by a person who had it imported to Italy.

The Wheelie

Another fun behind the scenes fact is that the wheelie Dom does to begin the race at the end of the movie also wasn't real. It seems obvious when you watch it because not only does he smoke the tires but he also gets extreme air. Those two things aren't possible at the same time since a wheelie is a demonstration of extreme power mated to exceptional traction; the opposite of what causes smoky burnouts.

The film crew actually added hydraulic wheelie bars to the charger that pointed in the wrong direction and then used them to raise the front of the vehicle up at the start of the race.

The Final Race

The final race in the movie was so brilliantly shot that most fans can replay it in their head at will. One of the consultants on the film spilled the beans about who would've really won that race. It helps that the consultant in question actually owned Brian's orange Toyota Supra. So he knows exactly what he's talking about.

He says that despite his 600 horsepower setup in the Supra and his nitrous bottles that Dom's charger would've walked away with the win easily. He cites the clear advantage the Dodge has in terms of power, traction, and weight. The V8 built for that single shot mentioned above made some 900 horsepower. Slicks on the Charger make for better launch and acceleration. Finally, both cars came in around the same weight surprisingly, mostly due to the Mopar being stripped out and nearly bare inside. So in a real-world race, Dom would've been well clear of the tracks long before the semi found him there.