1970 Dodge Barracuda & Challenger: An Insider’s Story

The Dodge Challenger nameplate evokes strong reactions, but for Burton Bouwkamp, former Director of Product Planning at Chrysler, it also carries some painful memories. As the internal champion for the new 1970 “E” Body platform, which included both the Dodge Challenger and the iconic Plymouth Barracuda 1970, Bouwkamp provides a unique perspective on the ambitious project aimed at conquering the booming “pony car” market. The plan involved moving beyond the limitations of the previous Barracuda, a fastback Valiant derivative, to create truly competitive entries against the Mustang, Camaro, and others.

The Promise and Peril of the E-Body

In the late 1960s, Chrysler’s Advance Product Planning and Styling teams closely monitored the “compact specialty car” segment. Forecasting continued growth towards 1,500,000 units annually, they projected Chrysler could capture a 15% market penetration. This translated into a belief that they could sell 225,000 E-body cars per year. Bouwkamp presented this optimistic vision to management, promising sales of 200,000 units annually—a volume perfectly suited for efficient manufacturing (two shifts at 60 cars per hour) and deemed profitable by finance. Based on these projections, the E-body program received the green light.

Reality Bites: Sales Miss the Mark

Despite the confident forecasts, the reality of the E-body program fell dramatically short. Annual sales never reached even 100,000 units. The compact specialty car market plateaued below 1,000,000 cars per year, and Chrysler’s market share failed to hit the crucial 15% target. The result was significant financial losses, leading to unhappy management. Compounding the issue, the cars suffered from build quality problems, which understandably led to unhappy customers.

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What Went Wrong? An Executive’s View

Reflecting on the failure, Bouwkamp attributes it primarily to an unrealistic market forecast coupled with the inability to produce high-quality vehicles consistently. He maintains that the styling, specifications, and pricing of the E-bodies were generally sound. One specific decision Bouwkamp regrets approving was the use of polypropylene for the door trim panels. While innovative, these panels were hard to the touch and suffered from dimensional inconsistencies, creating assembly headaches. Assemblers could often force the flexible material to fit, but the Chief Engineer of Car Assembly, Bob Steere, remained highly critical of this application.

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Career Impact and A European Turnaround

The E-body’s struggles had personal repercussions for Bouwkamp. His job security felt threatened, recalling instances where seeing an E-body seemed to anger company President John Riccardo. Instead of an expected promotion, he received a new boss when George Butts was appointed Vice President of Product Planning. The challenging chapter concluded in 1974 with the discontinuation of both the Barracuda and Challenger lines. Feeling his career had stalled in Highland Park, Bouwkamp sought and secured the top product role at Chrysler Europe. This move proved successful, marked by two European Car of the Year awards within four years, ultimately restoring his confidence.

Designing the 1970 Icons: Barracuda and Challenger

Decades later, the E-body cars, particularly models like the Dodge Barracuda 1970 (‘Cuda variants) and Challengers, are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts, often receiving glowing reviews in the automotive press. Bouwkamp notes the irony, wondering where this appreciation was back in 1970. The design process involved significant evolution from the original A-body Barracuda. Experience showed that achieving competitive sporty proportions and accommodating optional big-block B-engines required a new approach. The inclusion of the B-engine option necessitated a wider car, which also allowed for larger wheels and tires. While adding weight and cost, this additional width contributed positively to the cars’ aggressive stance and overall appearance. The plan always involved sharing the platform, cowl, and windshield between the Barracuda and Challenger. Initially, door outer skins were also planned for interchangeability (similar to A-bodies), but during clay model development, the decision was made to give the Challenger unique door skins to enhance its distinct identity. Consistent with the plan, the Challenger featured a 2-3 inch longer wheelbase than the Barracuda and was positioned at a slightly higher price point.

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Another Planner’s Perspective: Roger Struck

Roger Struck, who worked in Advance Product Planning and later as a Dart/Challenger Product Planner, offers further insights into the E-body’s development. He recalls the project starting with the concept of a “light and nimble ‘secretary’s car’,” guided by Cliff Voss. However, the peak of the muscle car era heavily influenced the planning cycle. The push to accommodate large ‘B’ engines resulted in the cars becoming significantly heavier, eventually leading to a “forced semi-marriage” with the larger ‘B’ Body platform architecture. By the time the E-bodies launched, the muscle car era was already in sharp decline, driven by soaring insurance rates and increased focus on vehicle safety. Struck often wondered if sticking to the original light-and-nimble concept might have yielded greater market success and profitability, even if it meant foregoing the “Cuda Cult” that exists today.

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Styling Details and Trim Troubles

Struck shares an anecdote from the styling studio where Elwood Engle, VP of Design, suggested raising the main character line on the Challenger clay model to avoid a “dragging appearance.” He also highlights the Challenger’s distinctive rear wall-to-wall taillights as a feature they believed was cutting-edge, possibly an industry first. Echoing Bouwkamp’s sentiments, Struck recalls the problematic interior trim panels. Colin Neale, Chief of Interior Design, favored the sculptured look achievable with molded plastic. Despite attempts to mitigate the hard feel with texturing, the panels remained unfriendly to the touch. While offering cost advantages and design flexibility, they lacked sound dampening qualities, potentially exaggerating rattles within the doors.

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On the Production Line: The Weight of Assembly

Adding a perspective from the factory floor, Bill Wetherholt provides a vivid detail about the sheer heft of the E-body components. He recalls the doors weighing a substantial 87 pounds even before hardware and glass were installed. Early in production, before overhead assist cranes were fully operational or reliable, workers had to manually lift and maneuver these heavy doors onto assembly racks—a task later handled by automation.

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Conclusion

The story of the 1970-1974 Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda, as told by key figures like Burton Bouwkamp and Roger Struck, is a compelling case study in automotive product planning. Born from high hopes of dominating the pony car market, the E-body program faced significant hurdles, including inaccurate market forecasts, manufacturing quality issues, and shifting market dynamics. Despite their commercial struggles during their production run, cars like the Dodge Barracuda 1970 and its Challenger stablemate eventually achieved iconic status. Today, they are celebrated symbols of the muscle car era, cherished by collectors and enthusiasts worldwide, embodying a complex legacy of bold design, ambitious engineering, and challenging market realities.