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In 1971, the all-new third generation Charger was launched. It was completely restyled with a new "Pontiac" grille and more rounded "fuselage" body style. Many people have compared the look of the 1971-1974 Chargers to the 1968-1970 Pontiac GTOs. The interiors now looked more like those of the E-body and were now shared by the Plymouth B-body. Concealed headlights were no longer standard, they were now optional. A rear spoiler and a "Ramcharger" hood made the selection lists for the first time. A special scoop was mounted in the hood, straight above the air cleaner. If the driver wanted to put fresh air directly into the carburetor, he pulled a small lever under the dash and the scoop popped up. This gimmicky (but original) device had been used on the Coronet R/T and Super Bees, but this was the first time it was used on the Charger. 
Dodge also combined its Coronet and Charger lines. From 1971, all four-door B-bodies were badged as Coronets and all two-door B-bodies as Chargers. This change would add the one-year-only Charger Super Bee to the Charger stable. The Dodge Super Bee made the move from the Coronet line to the Charger line for 1971 only, and then the model was discontinued. Quite a few other models were carried over from 1970, including the 500. However this 500 could be ordered with any engine and was not the high performance model it was in 1969. The R/T and SE versions carried over as well, but the R/T's popularity was declining thanks to higher insurance costs. Only 63 Hemi versions were built, and 2,659 were built with other engines that year. Swiftly rising insurance rates, joint with higher gasoline prices, reduced sales of muscle cars and 1971 was the last year of availability for the 426 Hemi "Elephant engine" in any car. 1971 also saw the end of the high-performance 440 Six-Pack engine (although some Dodge literature stated that this engine was available for 1972, it was pulled at the last minute). The 1972 Charger curved with a new "Rallye" option to replace the former R/T version. The SE model now had a more proper roof appearance than the others had. The 440 engines were still accessible, but now had to use the net horsepower rating instead of the gross horsepower rating. This would cause their horsepower ratings to go down considerably, although the net horsepower rating was actually more realistic. Another issue beginning in 1972 was all engines featured lowered compression ratios to allow the use of normal leaded or unleaded gasoline rather than leaded premium fuel as used in past years due to rising tighter emissions regulations. A low-compression 440 with a 4 barrel carburetor became the top dog engine (essentially the same engine you could get in your grandfather's New Yorker), and the use of the pistol-grip 4-speed Hurst shifter was limited to engines of 400 cubic inches. The 1973 Chargers sported new upright slatted taillights and a new nose (and no more concealed headlights, even as an option). The 318 was still standard, with the 340 (existing only on the Rallye), 360, 400 and 440 remaining as options. The SE models had a new roof treatment that had "triple opera window" treatment encircled by a canopy-style vinyl roof (hey, it was the 70s...). All other models had a new quarter window treatment, abandoning its Gremlin-style window in favor of a more conservative design. Sales this year were around 108,000 units, the highest ever for the 1971-74 Charger generation. 1974 was a virtual rerun of 1973 other than a slightly revised grille; the main news was that the Rallye option was dropped (along with the 340 engine option). All other engine options remained the same. Emphasis in these years turned to luxury instead of performance, hence the high sales figures for the SE model, but one could still option a Charger with reputable performance options if one were so inclined and turn in decent performance figures for the day. The Charger, however, was no longer considered a performance car, and was steadily turned into personal luxury car, because all manufacturers "saw the handwriting on the wall." The end of the muscle car era came to a close, and the 1975 Dodge Charger would be the final nail in the coffin.
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