This is definitely not a car for the shy and retiring. It is painted "TorRed" and highlighted by a black stripe down the body side that spells "Daytona" over the rear wheel. That decoration is joined by a flat black "Hemi" decal square on the hood. There’s also an "R/T" badge, trunk lid spoiler, front spoiler, and – for those who can’t resist a look under the hood – a painted engine cover (also "TorRed") with the word "Hemi" writ large. Very 1970s. Yet, in most every other way, the car itself is bang up-to-date.

This is, after all, Chrysler’s LX platform with its multi-link independent rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, five-speed automatic transmission, 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with cylinder deactivation, a full complement of airbags, ABS traction and stability control, and a whole lot of other things Chrysler engineers couldn’t even imagine back in the 1970s. And though they could not have imagined there’d ever be a Charger Daytona with four doors, they probably didn’t see the Charger-rich Dukes of Hazards in their crystal ball either.

Most of the external finery is part of a $2,500 preferred equipment package that also includes performance steering and suspension, a high-performance exhaust, P235/55R18 performance tires on aluminum wheels with black-painted accents, load leveling and height control, heated front power seats, adjustable pedals, and a dash-mounted badge that tells you where your particular car comes in that year’s Daytona R/T production. There’s also an electronic convenience package with $630 worth of items no one in the 1970s who wasn’t working on a sci-fi show could imagine. Finally, this mount has a $535 Boston Acoustic sound system, a $950 sunroof, $195 Sirius satellite radio, and a $675 destination charge baked in as well. All of which brings the $29,720 base vehicle up to a healthy $35,795. Bet those 1970s engineers couldn’t see that coming either.

They also could never have imagined a Charger – a four-door Charger – that could ride and handle so well, be as docile around town, and let out as satisfying a roar as this one. (The performance exhaust – shared with the SRT 8 model – is well worth the price.) Or one that would be rated at 17 mpg city/25 mph highway, and return 20 mpg in mixed driving.

The true measure of the Charger Daytona R/T, however, came on a drive through a construction zone. As I slowly came up on the men working in the road, heads began to pop up and guttural grunts could be heard. It took nothing more than a quick shift into neutral and a sharp step on the throttle to turn those into a single "Yeah!" that could be heard above the din of traffic. It was so very 1970s, like the Charger.