Sometimes you only need to look at the bidding history to establish just how desirable a particular classic car is. Take this 1971 Dodge Challenger Convertible as an example. This vehicle is a stunning survivor, and it has already attracted 29 bids since it was listed for sale here on eBay. It is located in Glendale, Arizona, and while the auction action has pushed the price to $50,099, that remains short of the reserve.

Once it has been wheeled out into the light of day, this Challenger reveals itself to be a stunning survivor. It has been in the possession of its original owner until recently, and she chose to order the Convertible in the dazzling combination of Plum Crazy paint with a White power top. The paint still shines beautifully after all of these years, while the top is in as-new condition. A life spent in a drier climate and a history of being garage-kept means that this classic has also managed to remain rust-free. The more that you look at this car, the more there seems to be to like about it. The panels are as straight as an arrow, the chrome and trim are in excellent order, and the glass appears to be flawless. The original owner ordered the Challenger with Rallye wheels, and these remain as immaculate as the rest of the exterior.

One of the greatest disadvantages of owning a convertible is that it gives you nowhere to hide if the interior begins to look shabby. Well, the person who buys this Challenger won’t be hanging their head in shame because its overall condition is as impressive as everything that we’ve seen with the exterior. The interior is upholstered in white, and while there is some very slight discoloring on the seats, they still appear to be in excellent order. The covers show no rips or tears and have minimal wear and wrinkling. The door trims are, if anything, better than the seats, while the carpet, dash, and console all present perfectly. Not only did the original owner want this Challenger to look good, it seems that she was also partial to her touches of comfort and luxury. As well as the power top and console, the Convertible comes equipped with air conditioning, power windows, a woodgrain gauge cluster, and twin remote chrome racing mirrors.

Now is the moment where we reach the business end of proceedings, and while the drivetrain combination might not have been the most potent on offer in 1971, it still offered enough performance to satisfy your average motorist. The original owner ordered the Challenger with a 318ci V8, a 3-speed TorqueFlite transmission, power steering, and power brakes. Those latter two features would make this an effortless classic to drive, while the 318 would give the driver 230hp to play with. The result is that this Dodge should cover the ¼ mile in 17.6 seconds, which was a respectable number when it was new. The owner says that the vehicle is numbers-matching and that it has a genuine 27,000 miles showing on its odometer. It isn’t clear whether he holds evidence to verify this claim, but judging by the amount of documentation that he includes in the sale, I wouldn’t be surprised if there is evidence hidden in that collection somewhere. It includes the original Broadcast Sheet, Owner’s Manual, all of the factory paperwork, and the original title.

With a few exceptions, every manufacturer manages to produce at least one model in their history that has that indefinable “wow” factor. For me, the 1971 Challenger Convertible is one of those classics. Its styling is sharp and muscular and has managed to avoid looking dated 50-years after it rolled off the production line. This one is a low-mileage survivor, and its overall condition is a long way above what you might expect for an unrestored vehicle of this age. However, I don’t need to say much more, because the bidding history to this point speaks volumes for this car’s desirability. Astoundingly, the bidding soared by an incredible $4,000 in the time that it took me to write this article. It seems that there are plenty of people who’d like to take this classic home. Are you one of them?