A burnt-orange1968 Dodge Charger R/T parked in front of a grassy field.High-performance Dodge vehicles have been displaying the R/T badge since the late 1960s, when it debuted on the 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T that muscled up with your choice of the 440-cubic-inch Magnum V8 with 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque or the 426 Elephant Hemi good for at least 425 horses. The letters were a way to signal the car's performance, sort of the way GTO did at the start for the Pontiac Tempest. All that said, the Charger welcomed an R/T trim the next year, for 1968, so folks have had some 50 years to figure out what those letters mean.First off, R/T doesn't refer to Rapid Transit, although gearheads can be excused for the confusion. The Rapid Transit System was used to advertise go-fast models from Dodge's corporate cousin, Plymouth, in the 1970s. Nor does it have to do with Racing Technology. Again, there is the somewhat similar-sounding SRT badging for select Stellantis models — signifying their origins in the Street and Racing Technology department, now being revived by the new leader of Stellantis North America. Rally Touring, Racing Team, and various scatological explanations are off the mark as well.The definitive answer comes from Dodge itself. Right in the FAQs section for the 2026 Charger family — now showcasing the Dodge Charger Sixpack R/T 4-Door — it says: "On Dodge Brand muscle cars, R/T stands for Road and Track, highlighting that the vehicle in question has the performance features needed to compete in street and track racing." Of course, you can be sure that's only referring to legal street racing events like the Dodge-powered Roadkill Nights, right? What made the original Charger R/T so famous?Dom Toretto's Dodge Charger from The timing for the Coronet and Charger R/T editions was no accident. Dodge had been using the Coronet name as far back as 1949, and when the latest model arrived in 1966, Dodge borrowed its platform to develop the first Chargers. The first-gen Chargers, however, had a fairly short two-year lifespan. And when the Charger was redesigned for the 1968 model year, it borrowed the Coronet's R/T badging for its most powerful trim.It was plenty powerful, too, as the Charger R/T also shared engine options with its Coronet cousin. The standard power plant for the 1968 Charger R/T was the Magnum V8 and the 426 Hemi was an option. With the latter installed under its hood, the car could leverage 425 horses and 490 lb-ft for a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds. Keeping the pedal to the metal would then take you up to an estimated top speed of 156 mph. But it wasn't just performance that made the second-gen Charger R/T so legendary. The sleek, menacing exterior, with its Coke-bottle flanks, complemented its on-road excitement with a number of iconic on-screen roles. For instance, a second-generation Charger R/T went tire-to-tire against Steve McQueen's Mustang in "Bullit" — which, honestly, was and still is a pretty bad movie. Moreover, it was the escape vehicle of choice in "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" and caught modern attention under the hands of Dom Toretto in "The Fast and the Furious." (At this stage, the less said about the Duke boys' General Lee, adorned with a flag favored by white supremacists, the better.) Does Dodge still sell the Charger R/T?A blue 2026 Dodge Charger R/T kicking up snowYou bet. For 2026, the R/T is the base level trim for the Charger, featuring a suggested price of $49,995 (not counting $1,995 in destination charges) along with standard all-wheel drive. Now, this is a far different animal than past models, not the least because it relies on a twin-turbo I6 instead of the traditional V8. Dodge, to be clear, has confirmed a new V8 Dodge Charger Hellcat will be part of the 2027 Charger lineup, but there's no word on a V8-powered R/T.Not that the 3.0-liter Sixpack motor is lacking in muscle. It serves up 420 horses and 468 lb-ft, which, paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission, is enough to propel the 4,741-pound car from 0 to 60 in a brisk 4.6 seconds. As Dodge is quick to point out, that gives the Charger R/T output advantages of 50 horsepower and 73 lb-ft over the 2025 models with a 5.7-liter Hemi — helping it shave half a second from the previous R/T's 60 time.Additionally, the 2026 Charger R/T is offered in both two- and four-door configurations to attract fans of all previous generations. The original Chargers were all coupes, remember, and the late-model ones were all sedans.Dodge also sells a Charger R/T Plus. The upgrade adds $4,995 to the R/T's suggested price, and while it doesn't affect engine output, it does bundle a sport suspension with luxe cues such as heated/ventilated front seats, premium LED lighting, a 360-degree camera system, and a 16-inch driver display. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and follow us or add us as a preferred search source on Google.
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