From Georgia to Stockholm

1968 Dodge Charger. It’s hardly a stretch to say that this particular model year is the crown jewel for many Charger enthusiasts. That’s certainly the case for Richard Berg, who, 11 years into Dodge ownership, is just as smitten with his car today as he was back in 2014 when he bought it.

Do you remember that life-altering moment when you became a car fanatic – helplessly and hopelessly drawn into a passion for old-school muscle?

Berg does. Even if it’s been nearly 50 years now.

“My interest in cars was sparked by my older sister’s boyfriend, who was three years my senior,” Berg says. “It was 1978, I was 14, and he was into drag racing. He would always show up in different cars – Chevy El Caminos, Corvettes and so on.”

That’s when the fascination began. But love truly ignited when the sister’s boyfriend started restoring a 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible.

“It had a 440 Magnum V8, bored .030 inch over. One day, he asked if I wanted to go for a ride, and of course I said yes,” Berg says. “I made my way to the garage, which was just below Sofia Church in Södermalm, Stockholm. Just riding in a convertible was something special. There weren’t many of those in Sweden back then. Compared to the family’s Ford Taunus, it was on another level…”

“We cruised slowly down toward the Viking Line ferry terminal. At a red light, Mikael [the sister’s boyfriend] turned to me and said, ‘You ready, Richard?’ ‘Ready for what?’ I replied with all the indifference of a 14-year-old,” Berg says with a grin.

Then the light turned green.

“The rest is history. The way I was sucked back into the seat, the roar of the engine – it felt like my cheeks caved in,” he says. “Suddenly, we were at Slussen, several kilometers away. That’s when my lifelong love for American cars, muscle cars and V8s was born.”

It was a celebration every time a new issue of Bilsport (Sweden’s leading car magazine) landed in the mailbox at the Berg residence. His first dream car was a Wimbledon White 1966 Ford Mustang convertible with red pony interior. Berg longed for that Mustang for years – until he read an article about a 1968 Dodge Charger. The dream car changed, and stayed a dream until just three weeks before his 50th birthday.

“Like many others, I missed a few great cars along the way. When I was 18, a dealer in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, had a Shelby Mustang 500 KR listed for 50,000 SEK (about $5,000),” Berg says. “I called immediately, but the dealer had just hung up with another potential buyer, who was given until noon the next day to arrange financing.”

At the time, Berg had saved 18,000 SEK ($1,800). He pleaded with his parents: “Sell Grandma, sell my sister – do whatever it takes, just help me get the remaining 32,000 so I can buy that Shelby.”

“Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. The other guy managed to get the money by the next day,” Berg says with a nervous chuckle. “It was a tense 24 hours, though.”

Years later, when the opportunity finally came to own a true American classic – a Dodge Charger, he had to choose between paying down the mortgage or parking the money in the garage.

“The garage won,” Berg says with a laugh. “So I started looking around for a Mopar_®.”

He found this Charger at Nians Classic in Vaggeryd, a tiny dealership in a tiny village in southern Sweden. But it wasn’t a snap decision.

“I was lying in bed every night, showing my wife Anna this stunning Triple Black ’68 with a 440 Magnum. Every night. For almost three weeks,” Berg says. “Fortunately, I have a car-loving wife. Eventually, she’d had enough of me ogling the car and muttering, ‘I can’t believe no one has bought this yet.’ Finally, she snapped: ‘Richard, I can’t look at this damn car one more time. That’s it. Tomorrow we’re going to Vaggeryd.’”

So they did. Berg called Nians Classic and told them they’d be coming to see the car the next day. Once there, the car looked just as good in person as it did in the photos. The painted racing stripes impressed him even more.

“When I started the V8, Anna and I just looked at each other and said…

“‘That’s it. We have to buy this car.’”

After five days of tough negotiations, the Bergs and Nians agreed on a price.

Back home in Stockholm, the couple’s sons waited excitedly in the street. The youngest, Lucas, jumped around shouting things like, “Wow, what a badass ride!” The older son, Oliver, walked around the car silently for several minutes, studying it closely. Then he looked up and solemnly declared:

“Dad, this car never leaves the family.”

“And it hasn’t,” Berg says. “I try to do something with it every year – upgrades, maintenance. The V8 has run like a clock and gets serviced annually. The only addition to the engine itself has been a fan shroud.”

A fair bit of other work has also been done during the Charger’s 11 years with Berg. Four-wheel disc brakes have been installed, along with thicker anti-roll bars. The leaf spring pack is now seven-leaf, and new hi-jackers have been fitted. The rear gear ratio has also been changed from 2,76:1 to 3,55:1.

“It launches better at red lights, but it’s a worse getaway car now,” Berg jokes.

So, how is it to drive? How fast has he taken it?

“I’ve tried 140 to 150 km/h (about 87–93 mph) at most. Sometimes I wonder how people dared to race these at 200–300 km/h back in the day,” he says. “But overall, the Charger drives beautifully – straight and smooth. On a good road, you can even let go of the wheel without worry. But if the road has grooves, those wide rear tires will make the car start to wander.

It’s tame if you ease into it, but there’s plenty of power when you put your foot down.”

Berg adds that it’s impossible to be low-profile in the Charger. The car stirs emotions in everyone who sees it, young and old alike.

“There have definitely been times at red lights where someone pulls up next to me in a Porsche or whatever, and then floors it when the light turns green.”

But Berg is happy with the car in every way. Especially where it lives.

“It’s still pure love every time I walk into the garage,” he says.