1970 Dodge Challenger R/T - Vanishing Point

Gosh, movie theaters. Remember them?

I first saw Vanishing Point when it hit theaters in 1971. My mother took me, and I couldn't have been more than six years old. Suffice it to say, between the drug use, gratuitous nudity, anti-authoritarian attitude, romanticized CB radio culture, and that thunderous 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, it's no surprise the movie left a permanent impression on both my conscious and subconscious.

My mother didn't do much for me growing up, but I'll always give her credit for dragging me along to see Vanishing Point. Thanks, Mom. 

A vanishing point is the point at which parallel lines, viewed in perspective, appear to converge. Why the movie is called Vanishing Point is open to interpretation, but the film itself is straightforward enough.

Released in 1971, it follows a car delivery driver named Kowalski—who I'm almost certain is called "Mitch" in one scene—whose job is to transport a brand-new Dodge Challenger R/T from Denver to San Francisco.

Why the customer couldn't simply buy a Challenger in San Francisco is never explained. There are vague references to the car being "supercharged," so maybe we're meant to assume the owner wanted work done by a favorite Denver speed shop.

Bueller? 

Kowalski has an entire weekend to make the roughly 1,300-mile trip, but instead decides to do it in just fifteen hours. Why? Because he bets his drug dealer that if he makes it on time, the handful of bennies he swallows before leaving will be free. Otherwise, he pays triple.

Now that's incentive.

His troubles begin almost immediately when a motorcycle cop signals him to pull over for speeding. Instead of stopping, Kowalski floors it, setting off one of cinema's longest police chases. Before long, law enforcement from four states—possibly five if he passed through Wyoming—is after him.

Along the way he encounters an unforgettable collection of oddballs: a Jaguar E-Type driver he drag races nearly to death, a pair of would-be hitchhiking robbers, a naked woman riding a motorcycle who practically throws herself at him, and a snake charmer he meets after blowing out one of his Goodyear Polyglas tires.

Whether it's the amphetamines or simply artistic license, Kowalski is also plagued by flashbacks to earlier chapters of his life: racing motorcycles and stock cars, serving as a police officer, fighting in Vietnam, and mourning a woman who apparently died in a surfing accident.

Oddly enough, despite being in a desperate hurry, Kowalski always stops to make sure anyone he nearly killed is still breathing. He may be strung out, but he's also a genuinely decent guy.

He's a Vietnam veteran, somehow finds time to check in with blind radio DJ Super Soul throughout the chase, and still manages to cover 1,300 miles in fifteen hours.

Brother gets a lot done in one day.

I'm no film critic, but after watching Vanishing Point again recently—for the first time in roughly fifty years—I can confidently say it's pure, unadulterated, exploitative nonsense.

Fortunately, it's glorious exploitative nonsense.

More than anything else, the movie is a shameless ninety-minute commercial for Dodge's brand-new Challenger R/T.

And honestly, that's enough for me.

Although Chrysler technically beat Ford to market with the pony car by introducing the Plymouth Barracuda two weeks before the Mustang debuted in 1964, Dodge didn't enter the segment until 1970.

When Dodge finally arrived, though, it didn't exactly show up empty-handed.

It rolled into the party carrying fresh kegs, a case of Jack Daniel's, a pound of marijuana, several strippers, and enough pizza to feed the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, the police showed up before the night was over.

People are still talking about that party.

Between 1964 and 1969, pony cars accounted for an astonishing thirteen percent of all new vehicles sold in America.

The original Barracuda never seriously challenged the Mustang or Chevrolet Camaro, and by 1970 Chrysler decided to start over. Dodge wanted its own version, so the Challenger was born.

Mechanically, the Challenger and Barracuda were very similar, with the Dodge riding on a slightly longer wheelbase. Their styling differences are subtle enough that many enthusiasts still confuse one for the other.

How did the Challenger drive?

I've never had the pleasure, but Car and Driver wasn't exactly impressed when it tested a 426 Hemi Challenger R/T in late 1969.

The magazine criticized the car's weight, pronounced understeer and oversteer, and even complained that the mighty Hemi idled poorly and felt sluggish at low RPM.

Well...it was basically a street-legal race engine. What were they expecting?

Ironically, Car and Driver found the smaller-engine Challengers to be better balanced, but those cars lacked the horsepower to keep up with lighter rivals from Ford and General Motors.

At least everyone agreed the styling was gorgeous.

Watching Vanishing Point today, you can actually see the Challenger struggling through corners.

Four cars were reportedly used during production, and in many scenes they're bouncing, leaning, and fighting for grip. Barry Newman spends much of the movie sawing away at the enormous non-adjustable steering wheel just to keep the car pointed in roughly the right direction.

Sporty?

Not exactly.

Chrysler supplied the filmmakers with four Challengers. Three were 440 Magnum R/Ts equipped with four-speed manual transmissions and Sure Grip differentials. The fourth carried a 383 V8 backed by an automatic.

Rumors persist that as many as eight cars—including a few Hemis—were ultimately used during filming, but little evidence supports those claims.

Barry Newman himself reportedly said the 440 was almost too much engine for the chassis.

The producers chose white because it photographed best against the Southwestern desert. One of the cars allegedly arrived green before being repainted for filming.

Sadly, none of the movie cars survived.

Every Challenger used in production was heavily damaged, and Chrysler reportedly scrapped them afterward rather than repair them for promotional use. Company executives allegedly weren't thrilled about having their newest muscle car associated with amphetamines and anti-establishment behavior.

You have to wonder...

Didn't anybody read the script first?

For all its flaws, Vanishing Point does a respectable job maintaining continuity. Dents generally stay dented, and damage accumulates naturally throughout the chase.

Then comes the ending.

When Kowalski's Challenger slams into the bulldozers, the exploding car is very obviously not a Challenger.

It's a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro.

Seriously.

I understand budgets and production schedules, but couldn't someone at least have swapped the steering wheel before blowing it up? That stunt car is pure General Motors.

Kowalski deserved better.

Contemporary reviews of both Vanishing Point and the Challenger itself were mixed.

Personally, the movie still feels like a collection of disconnected ideas stitched together with one question guiding the writers:

"What happens next?"

Yet somewhere along the way it became an art-house cult classic. I've never quite understood why. The entire premise rests on a highly intelligent, fundamentally decent man deciding that fleeing police across half the western United States is somehow the logical response to a speeding ticket.

Then again...

Drugs.

Perhaps appreciating Vanishing Point requires the same mindset as appreciating a 1970 Challenger R/T.

If someone doesn't understand why these cars stir the soul, no amount of explanation will convince them. They'll simply see an old car with soft suspension and plenty of body roll. The rest of us see one of the greatest-looking muscle cars ever built.

If you've never seen Vanishing Point, track down the original.

Even if the story doesn't make much sense, it's a fascinating time capsule of early-1970s America—fast cars, hippies, drugs, CB radios, anti-establishment attitudes, and wide-open highways.

Some things change.

Some never do.

There was also a 1997 remake starring Viggo Mortensen. Despite featuring a genuine Hemi-powered Challenger R/T, it's almost entirely forgettable.

Spend your time on the original instead.