Some people spend years dabbling in the car scene, cycling through a series of vehicles before finally reaching the car of their dreams. Along the way, they might pass through vehicles like the Dodge Aspen, Opel Kapitän or Plymouth Valiant. Pontus Bergqvist, however, is more of a “straight to the point” kind of guy. He went directly for his number one favorite car from the start: a 1969 Dodge Charger.
“I bought my Charger in September 2013 outside the town Borås in southern Sweden. I had seen it on the marketplace Blocket earlier that summer. I had already decided in the spring that I would buy a car since I had reached the age where the kids had moved out and my finances had stabilized. I got a loan approval from the bank and started searching for a car, though I didn’t know then it would be a Charger I’d end up with,” Bergqvist explain.
He has always liked Mopar®, but at the same time has considered a fairly wide range of vehicles. At one point, he even considered building a hot rod from scratch.
That’s when the Dodge came up.
The Charger crushed all competition, and all rod-building plans were scrapped. Bergqvist instantly fell for the car.
“The color. The white vinyl roof. The wheels. The SOUND! The guy who owned it had it for about a year after importing it, but then he got the urge to build a hot rod. So, he sold the car to me. I arranged a truck to haul it up to Åsele and drove it home to Skellefteå one evening in late September,” Bergqvist says.
He adds that in the years he has owned the car, he has never regretted the purchase. Bergqvist’s affection for the car is so intense, you can almost see and touch it.
The Charger is Bergqvist’s first American car, largely because he had too much going on with his house, kids and work.
“The interest was always there. Why did it become a 1969 Charger and not a 1968 or 1970? As you might guess, it was a coincidence that it ended up being a ’69. But I do actually like that tail light design the most,” Bergqvist says.
Where does his car passion come from? Well, for example, Bergqvist has been a drag racing enthusiast for four decades. Since the 1970s, he has seen almost all the drag races in Piteå, a town in northern Sweden well known for its drag strip.
“As a spectator, I’ve hardly missed a single event at Piteå Dragway. Nowadays, I also help out as part of the SHRA Skellefteå crew with whatever I can manage. We have a great track in Fällfors, where I might test some straight-line racing this summer. I’ve prepared the Charger with what’s needed for that, just in case I feel the urge,” Bergqvist says with a smile.
He adds that all the work on the engine and rear axle has been done by himself. However, he hasn’t been shy about seeking advice from friends like Christer Alseryd at Autorep in Skellefteå and Mopar expert Kjell Svensson when questions arose.
As for the car itself, is it a real R/T? You bet.
“It’s got the correct 440 engine as well. The paint color, ‘T5 Copper’, is also correct. However, I’m not sure if the white vinyl roof is original. The number 46 on the doors was already there when I bought the car, and I believe it’s an attempt to make the Charger resemble a NASCAR car,” Bergqvist says.
When I take a glance under the hood, I’m dazzled by all the chrome. It’s stunning. After a while, my eyes are drawn to the canister in the lower left corner. There’s a small forest of air filters there…
“The aluminum canister with three breather filters is just an oversized crankcase ventilation system. But it looks pretty cool together with the braided hoses,” Bergqvist says with a grin.
Over the past winter, the engine was removed for some minor tweaks. At the same time, Bergqvist took the opportunity to fix the 727 transmission. But the tinkering didn’t stop there.
“I also installed a four-point harness, CalTracs, line lock, a new shifter, and a larger, better oil cooler with threaded fittings for the transmission this winter. Many of these modifications, as I said, are so that I can hit the drag strip this summer if the mood strikes,” Bergqvist says.
Right now, Bergqvist is saving up for a stroker kit. As they say, the more you have, the more you want.
“The kit should bring the engine to well over 500 cubic inches and, above all, provide a better compression ratio than today. After that, I’ll modify the rest of the car to handle more performance, but I’m also tempted to repaint it in the same color as it is now. We’ll see what happens,” Bergqvist says.
The days of scaring small children and elderly people in town with a beefy muscle car are over for Bergqvist – if those days ever really existed. However, he still enjoys cruising to various car meets and chatting with like-minded enthusiasts.
“And I’m always up for a cruise out in the evening to meet up with friends at the gas stations on the south side. A double Bure buger at the X-et in Skellefteå is always the right choice.”
This is something I can personally attest to, having tried this delicacy myself!
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