First Glimpse: 2005 Dodge Charger die-cast

One of the most popular models in automobile history is returning to the streets and speedways this year.

The resurrection of the Dodge Charger is presenting die-cast collectors with their first totally new model since Dodge returned to NASCAR in 2001 with the Intrepid R/T.

All of NASCAR's top die-cast manufacturers -- Action Performance, Team Caliber, Racing Champions and Hot Wheels -- have affiliations with drivers who will be racing the new car. Each is tooling-up to bring collectors the most exacting replicas possible.

Die-cast companies have kept images of the new car under wraps in deference to Dodge's official unveiling of the actual race car at Daytona on Tuesday. However, Action Performance Companies has allowed us to share some of the first available images of this new collector car.

"Since it launched as a 'fastback' muscle car in 1960s, the Dodge Charger has been an important part of the Dodge Motorsports lexicon," said Action President, CEO and Chairman Fred Wagenhals.

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"The 426 HEMI engine made the 1966 Dodge Charger a racing legend. Now, a new generation of gearheads will learn about the racing advances inspired by this classic Dodge, and, as fans see it roll out on the NASCAR stock car circuits, they will understand why reviving the Charger moniker was so important. I anticipate that the new Dodge Charger will continue to fulfill the racing potential started by its 1960s-era counterpart, and I will not be surprised to see the car in victory lane really soon. I also expect that 2005 Dodge Charger die-cast collectibles will be a hot property among collectors."

When Dodge unveiled the first generation Charger in 1966, company officials could have scarcely imagined the new model would have such a profound impact-both in the showroom and on the race track. Riding the crest of the muscle car era, its sleek lines and powerful engine made the Dodge Charger an instant hit with both racers and performance minded consumers.

The Charger made a rather auspicious debut in NASCAR, with Kentuckian Earl Balmer piloting Ray Fox's ever-sanitary white No. 3 to victory in one of two 100-mile qualifying races leading up to the Daytona 500. David Pearson went on to win the 1966 NASCAR championship in Cotton Owens' mount, dividing his time between the fastback Charger and the boxier Coronet body style.

The Dodge Charger rolled into the winner's circle 124 times over the next dozen seasons. The list of winning drivers reads like a Who's Who of NASCAR's all-time greats: Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Bobby Isaac, Buddy Baker, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Dave Marcis and Neil Bonnett, to name a few. Petty and Isaac joined Pearson as drivers who won NASCAR championships in the Charger.

Petty even goes as far as to say that the 1974 Charger was "probably the best overall car we ever had. Sure, we had it about five or six years and had a lot of time to work on it. Back then we didn't have specialty cars. The car was just good on everything. It didn't matter if it was a short track, superspeedway or road course. It was just a good overall car. This was a real universal car."

Chapter One of the Charger saga came to a close when Bonnett -- driving for enigmatic car owner Jim Stacy -- gave the model its final victory in the 1977 season finale at Ontario, Calif. Chapter Two begins in less than a month.