If you’re an aficionado who looks at a 1969 Dodge Charger and sees a blank canvas, you’ve probably seen countless projects based on what is arguably the most famous iteration of the classic Mopar icon, but we’re ready to bet the one portrayed in this rendering brings something new to the game. How could that not be the case when this digital project adds a JDM custom twist to the muscle car?
Instead of injecting fuel into the good old import-vs-domestic fire, this creation brings the two worlds together, gifting the ’69 Charger with aftermarket bits you’d expect to find on a contraption representing Team Japan.
The retro lines of the Dodge are instantly recognizable, but the big coupe has been brought considerably closer to the road—this is what tuning enthusiasts over in the Land of the Rising Sun label as Shakotan, hence the nickname we used in the title above.
Then comes the rest of the JDM work, which involves stuff like the exposed oil cooler up front—this is more discreet than with other builds—the rather compact fender flares and others.
There are elements here that can’t necessarily be labeled as a Japanese fetish, such as the rear window louvers, along with a vast aero treatment involving the front splitter, the canards on the side of the front apron, the rear diffuser, the aero discs adorning the wheels and, of course, the wing.
As an extra layer of modding, the front and rear fascias have been brought up to contemporary design standards, LED lighting and all.
Now, there might be some American enthusiasts who love keeping their custom Charger work inside the borders. And what would be a better proposal of the sort if not a Daytona-style incarnation applied to this modernized Dodge?
Digital artist Marcell Sebestyen, who is behind the work sitting on our screens, has created just that. In fact, the man, who spends his business hours in the design service of Kia, has come up with multiple iterations of his Charger project and you’ll find the said NASCAR-born proposal in the Instagram post at the bottom of the story, while others await you on his account. And would you look at those steelies!
