When it comes to American car engines, the Mopar 426ci Hemi rates up there with the best of them, and any car that wears its original Hemi engine is going to be a desirable car that will command a pretty impressive price. This 1970 Dodge Challenger ticks both of those boxes in no uncertain terms, and it will be very interesting to see whether this is a car that flies, or if the seller is going to crash and burn. If this Challenger really grabs you, and you just have to have the car in your garage, you will find it located in Gardner, Kansas, and listed for sale here on eBay.
Before I get too in depth with this Challenger, I’ll address the issue of paint color. The owners purchased this Challenger in 1979, and at that time it was still wearing its original paint, which was Sublime Green. They chose to have the car repainted in Plum Crazy to match a Hemi Hardtop that they also owned at the time. As part of the process, the original fenders, passenger door, and decklid were replaced, but the owner held onto these components, and they are included in the sale. So, if the new owner is striving for complete originality, the car will require a repaint. The owner says that the paint is showing signs of wear. Well, it is 40-years-old, but the car has spent its life garaged, and the only rust in the whole car is three small spots in trunk valley trays. One other positive is the fact that if the original decklid is fitted to the car, we can wave goodbye to the luggage rack. What a shame!
It’s under the hood where things start to get really serious with the Challenger. In 1970, a buyer could walk into their local Dodge dealer, plonk down $4,488.20 (or about $29,500 in today’s money) and drive away in a Challenger R/T Convertible identical to this car. In that year, 1,070 people decided to purchase a Challenger R/T Convertible, but only nine of them decided that the Hemi was the way to go. Those nine people joined an exclusive club, but of those nine, only four decided to also tick the box beside the automatic transmission option. Of those original four cars, only three are now known to exist. This car is one of those three. The story of the engine in this car is quite long and confusing, as the engine and car went in very different directions at one point. The engine appears to have been removed from the car very early in its life and served an extended period in a Satellite. In 1984 it was removed from the Satellite and then spent the next 30-years sitting in a corner of a shed. The owners of the Challenger knew where it was, and in 2015 they were able to convince the owner of the engine to part with it. After undergoing a full rebuild, the engine has returned home to the engine bay of the Challenger. It appears that the remainder of the drive-line is original to the car.
As befits a car of this rarity, the interior is essentially unmolested and original. All of the upholstery is the original material that was fitted to the car when it left the factory, and only the carpet has been replaced. There are a few marks on the steering column, but the rest of the interior presentation is close to perfect.
Owning this Challenger would give you access to an exclusive club, but of course, access to that sort of club will always come at a price. For all of its rarity, I find it quite a coincidence that there was a Sublime Green Challenger R/T Hemi Convertible that went under the hammer at Mecum’s in 2016. It was a completely original car which was also equipped with an automatic transmission, so it was mechanically identical to this one. I was able to confirm that the Mecum’s car eventually sold for $1,650,000. The owner of this particular Challenger is firm on their asking price, and they will not haggle or negotiate. If the new owner wants to return the Challenger to 100% original condition, it will certainly require a bare-metal repaint, and will also need to have those small rust holes repaired. So, is it going to be worth it? If you consider the final sale price of the Mecum’s car, then the asking price of $1,225,000 for our featured car would probably justify the time and expense.
Leave a Reply to Jay E. Cancel reply