In one of the earliest depictions of interstate road mania on film, speedster Kowalski (Barry Newman) hurtles across state borders in a supercharged Dodge Challenger. An overly enthusiastic Kowalski places a bet to pull off less than 12 hours for a trip that easily warrants just over 18 hours drive-time. The excursion sees him attract the attention of police cars and bikes hot on his heels. Some moments into the film, an exciting race between the challenger and the driver of a Jaguar E-Type ensues, and the consummate Kowalski makes short work of the Jag, leaving it in a pile of rubble after having veered over a bridge and into the river below.
The Dodge Challenger matches its name to a fault, and with a nutcase like Kowalski behind the wheel, it made for a compelling movie that saw it drenched in critical acclaim. Century Fox Studio executive Richard Zanuck had pitched the idea to use the new 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T from Chrysler, seeing as the company was willing to rent out cars to the studio for a dollar a day; a pretty amazing deal!
With a 4-speed 440 engine, the Dodge Challenger was a formidable addition to the movie. You will not like where it ended up!
Some Backstory On The Challenger
The 1970 Challenger was to close out the 2nd generation of Dodge Challengers, so Chrysler barely went out of their way changing it up from the previous year’s model. Picking up from the 69 Charger, the new model featured a large chrome bumper wrapped around the entire front, the one difference being that the metal bar that divided the grille in the middle had been taken out, giving it a comparably minimal look. Setting a new trend for the Challenger was a set of new electric headlight doors, and an upgrade to the taillight panel to make it more attractive.
Compared to earlier models of the charger, the 1970 Challenger felt more exotic at the hands of new owners. This featured prominently among buyers who opted for the new 440 Six Pack engine, which had arrived with 3 six-barrel carburetors and delivered 390hp. With the new additions and options, however, insurance companies were having a field day driving up automobile insurance options, and the Challenger R/T would not receive any special treatment in that regard. Chrysler in turn saw a slip up in the sales of the Challenger.
Despite sales dropping, and the Challenger heralding the onset of a new generation of Dodge Challengers, the 1970 model flat out decimated the competition on the NASCAR race track, scooping up 10 wins in a season that saw it re-affirm its strengths on the track.
The Challenger used in the production was dressed in a white coat and packed a powerful 440 cci Magnum with four bbl, powered by a four-speed manual transmission.
It Wasn't The Only Challenger On Set
While the Challenger from Vanishing point was literally a co-star alongside Barry Newman, it was hardly the only Chrysler model sourced for the production. It wasn’t even the only Challenger. 4 other Challengers were present in the yard on set, and car enthusiasts were entertained to a beautiful quintet of Dodge Challengers.
It was Carey Loftin, the rockstar stuntman who had settled on the use of the Dodge Challenger R/Ts for the movie, preferring it for the "quality of the torsion bar suspension and for its horsepower”. Lofting also stated that it was “a real sturdy, good running car."
While Chrysler had lent out 5 alpine-white Challengers to the production house, there are rumors that one of them was originally green, having been repainted to match the director’s vision. 4 of the Challengers were relatively similar, carrying 440 engines under the hood, but one of them bore a lesser-powered 383 cc engine and had an automatic transmission. Quite unexpectedly for a car movie, none of the cars had any special modifications, save for the heavy-duty shock absorbers that had been retrofitted on the car that was slated to jump over No Name Creek.
Each of the Challengers held their own during the set, and their engines remained perfectly intact. Matter of fact, Barry Newman faulted the engines for being too powerful...how is that for a complaint!
It Died A Painful Death
Most movie props that have the film centered around them usually go on become relics that are auctioned off as memorabilia, such as this Cadillac Coupe De Ville from Once Upon A Time In HollyWood. Car enthusiasts and movie lovers alike often flock to nab available movie set remnants and the same would have been perfect for the 1970 Challenger used in Vanishing Point. Yeah, this didn’t happen.
According to the film director, Richard C. Sarafian, the Challengers had been exposed to some gnarly conditions during filming, some stunts involving jumping over highways and creeks. It’s safe to say that they were largely bruised and battered, and while their engines did remain functional even toward the end of filming, their bodies and parts were a far cry from okay. That notwithstanding, the controversy surrounding the movie’s use of drugs had reached Chrysler’s ears and they were not about to deal with the backlash that was soon to emanate from the press. Soon after the Challengers were returned to Chrysler, each of them, including the star of the show was crushed to a pulp!