Magnum

This nameplate first appeared on a rear-wheel-drive two-door hardtop coupe introduced for the 1978 model year, part of Dodge’s late-1970s effort to give its midsize performance cars a more aerodynamic, NASCAR-friendly image. That original run was brief and ended after the 1979 model year, making it a short-lived but memorable entry in Dodge’s muscle-era history. After that gap, the name returned decades later on a very different vehicle: a large four-door wagon launched for the 2005 model year on Chrysler’s LX rear-wheel-drive platform, sharing its basic architecture with other modern performance sedans of the period. The revived version stood out because it brought a long-roof body style back to the brand’s U.S. lineup at a time when traditional wagons were largely disappearing from the market. It was offered as a practical family hauler with a distinctly performance-oriented character, and later performance variants helped it develop a following among enthusiasts. The revived wagon lasted through the 2008 model year, after which it was discontinued. Because the nameplate was used in two separate production periods with a long gap between them, the model history should be treated as a revived nameplate rather than a single continuous run.