Man tests out how much horsepower his 57-year-old Dodge Charger can make now
Published on Aug 09, 2025 at 7:37 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Aug 08, 2025 at 6:28 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
A British YouTuber and automotive journalist has tested how much horsepower his 57-year-old Dodge Charger muscle car can make in 2025.
Jonny Smith from The Late Brake Show has owned a 1968 Dodge Charger for many years. He has spent a lot of those years restoring the American muscle car.
Under the hood is a huge big-block V8 engine. But Jonny wanted to know how much horsepower it currently makes after it was imported to the UK in 2008.
In a video for The Late Brake Show, Jonny took the muscle car to the dyno to see what it was packing under the hood.
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The 57-year-old Dodge Charger needed some extra tuning
Jonny has made the Dodge Charger the official mascot of his YouTube channel.
Yet despite this, he rarely features the muscle car, and that’s something that he wanted to change.
Jonny has owned the car since 2008 after importing it, and it is a very original, numbers-matching car in a patina finish.
The car needed some tuning, following the fitting of carburetors a few years ago.
Under the hood is a massive 383ci big-block 6.3-liter V8 engine with a four-speed manual transmission.
The engine was fully rebuilt, and the latest video on the car was about giving it the power it deserves.
Jonny took the car to Project Heaven to give it a tuning and see what power it really produced.
How much power does Jonny’s Charger produce?
The video allows us to hear some truly amazing V8 goodness.
Like this stunning Shelby Mustang, the Dodge Charger certainly makes a nice sound.
The only real issue with the car was that it was running a bit rich on the dyno when it came to the fuel.
After the first run, the peak power was 231hp, which is a solid number for an engine needing more fettling.
In the period, the car produced a gross 335hp, but it’s not the most accurate of measurements.
The Dodge received some extra work to fine-tune it and went back on the dyno for some more runs.
After all the work that has taken place, Jonny sees what his muscle car now produces
The final horsepower number is 244hp, up from the first run, and it’s now running beautifully and no longer too rich.
Jonny was so happy with the car as he drove home, after it finally got the tune it deserved and needed.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
