Dom's Charger in the First Fast and Furious Had a Fake Supercharger

The only thing that's real is movie magic.

By: Anthony Alaniz

Mar 23, 2024 at 2:00pm ET

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TV and film have left deep impressions on the car community. They helped turn simple machines into icons that are now beloved and coveted around the world, but many of the vehicles we have fallen in love with were the results of movie magic.

Dominic Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger from the first film in the Fast and Furious franchise is just one example. Its unforgettable supercharger is actually fake. Craig Lieberman, a technical advisor on the first two Fast and Furious films, revealed in a new video on his YouTube channel that the massive, attention-grabbing blower was a replica and not even attached to the engine.

The big motor filmed in the Charger in Dom's garage, a 445 cubic-inch beast, was a stand-in that wasn't intended to power the muscle car, and it went back to the engine shop after filming. Eagled-eye moviegoers would have noticed that the Charger at the end of the film had a blower belt cover to hide the fact there wasn't a belt, but it wasn't the only bit of cinema sleight-of-hand used in the movie.

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The film used five Chargers, converting 1969 models into 1970 R/Ts. Two of the five were stunt cars with heavy-duty dual roll bars that are easily noticeable once you know where to look. The hero car easily stands out with its replica roof support and single bars.

Many movie cars we have seen on the big screen have been lost to time. They get recycled, sold, or scrapped before the film even has the chance to make a cultural impact, and the early Fast and Furious cars went on some wild journeys around the world before finding permanent homes.