Dodge waited until 1970 to get into the “pony car” market that Ford had dominated with the Mustang since 1965. The all-new Challenger sold nearly 77,000 copies in the first year, and one of the rarest may have been the 340 convertible. One source indicates that just 264 were built, 178 with an automatic transmission like this one. Factor in Plum Crazy paint (if the car’s original color but also see glimpses of yellow), and this could be a rare machine. But it has no engine although a new transmission comes with the dealer. This roller is in Joliet, Illinois and just the opening bid of $25,000 has been cast here on eBay. The next hurdle is to break through the seller’s reserve.
The Challenger arrived just as the market for pony and muscle cars had reached a plateau. So, sales of the Challenger (and the Plymouth Barracuda which shared the new E-body platform) would go into freefall until Chrysler got out of the pony car business in 1974. We’re told this 1970 Challenger has been off the road since 1984 and the VIN provided (but not shown) says it once had a 340 cubic inch V8. But that has taken flight, perhaps part of an extended restoration process that went on hiatus.
The body is solid, from what we can tell, and the Plum Crazy (or some variation of purple) paint appears to be new. But no trim tag is provided for us to tell if this were the car’s original color, which would put it into really rare territory. The floorboards and trunk floor look new or newer as they would normally offer telltale signs of the car’s color under the skin. But what about the yellow in the doors? Once the paint was applied, R/T decals were added, but if I’m not mistaken, the R/T had to have at least a 383 V8.
We assume the Dodge is complete but the interior is filled with parts and pieces, so it’s hard to determine the condition other than assuming no work has been done there. A new windshield will come with the car, and it does have a Shaker hood, original or otherwise. If these numbers are correct, the bidding on this automobile, even without an engine, may take a wallet filled with cash.
I would say based on the driver’s door inside this car was originally yellow
Or brown based on the passenger door?
Looks like a F8 green car judging by the pinch weld around the door opening and the trunk latch bracket. If it were mine it’d go back to green with a tan interior, gonna need body and paint anyway.
Looking at the dash, it appears to have come with AC. Even more rare??
The eBay listing is now cancelled “because the item is no longer available.” 1970 Challenger convertibles are beautiful cars and very desirable. But over 4,000 were made so not super rare. But when you look at the photos on the eBay listing you see something in the background even more rare: a 1970 Road Runner convertible. Only about 850 of these were hatched in the 1970 model year.
It’s gone, bought outright from owner to avoid ebay fees.
eBay doesn’t charge anything on cars beyond the listing fees.
Rebuilding a classic from a 25K starting point lf that’s what we’re doing and you have the money and you fill good about it then I think it could be a good project.