By 1969, everyone knew Ford’s Mustang tapped a sleeping giant market for nimble and sporty 2+2 rides, aptly anointed Pony Cars. Watching from the sidelines, Chrysler Corporation saw the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, and American Motors Javelin slice through the corners of the 1969 Trans-American road racing (Trans Am) series, drawing rabid fans to every showroom except theirs. That pain would soon subside. This 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A and others like it offered gearheads and racers a potent and beautiful dose of Mopar magic. The Challenger’s high-powered small-block V8 with triple two-barrel induction, sport suspension, and superb styling made a splash at dealers and tracks alike. This Springfield, Oregon specimen is rough and rusty. Though not roadworthy, it starts, runs, drives, and stops, according to the seller. If the claimed original A53 Trans Am package car checks out, its siren song would draw buyers to defy rational thought and logic. Some things are more important than profit.
Bright white paint and the lipstick red H6E4 vinyl interior made this one flashy T/A. Someone may have attacked black parts with red spray paint, but we’ll let that slide on what could be an original A53 Trans Am package car. The automatic transmission will be a sad record-scratch moment for corner carvers. Despite its intended purpose, the T/A made a potent contender at the drag strip or Stop Light Gran Prix.
A black vinyl top matched the black racing stripes and lettering for maximum contrast on the stark white body. Despite the aftermarket look, chrome exhaust trumpets exiting behind the doors came from the factory and shipped in the trunk for dealer installation. Thanks to MotorTrend for some details.
This 1969 340 cid (5.6L) sits under the claimed original motor’s six-pack of Holley carburetors, delivering a whopping 1020 CFM of induction, according to DodgeGarage. Rated at 290 HP, racing versions pumped out over 400 despite being de-stroked to slip under the 5.0L Trans Am limit. Delight your senses and experience track laps in Sam Posey’s high-strung Challenger here on YouTube. Check your pulse if that doesn’t make you want to bid on this rough A53 car here on eBay. At least eight bidders have this racing relic’s market value over $20,000. The automatic is a deal-breaker for me, but we’d love to see updates from the buyer in the comments below. What’s your favorite Trans Am road racer?
This is well out of my price range but I love it! A while back, the guy who managed my last storage situation showed me a red ’70 T/A that was sitting in one of the barns. It had been there for decades and the mice had gotten to everything, but it was clearly an original T/A. I geeked out enough that he probably regretted showing it to me.
Well, if you are asking about favorite trans am homologation cars; in order:
AAR cuda
67-69 z-28 (especially with RS)
T/A Challenger
Cougar Eliminator Boss 302
70-73 Z/28
Boss 302 Mustang
Trans Am Javelins
Pontiac Trans Am
This would have been a beautiful car when new. It will be again, someone will restore it. Someone will eventually pay a premium just to have some sort of association with the seller, regardless of who restores it.
Steve R
If it’s a ’69 block, did they at least save the T/A heads from the original engine?
There’s no reason for an auto to be a deal breaker on TA’s and AARs. Many people pull the original tranny: auto or 4 speed, crate it up and put in a more modern tremec 5 speed manual. It actually increases the value of the auto based cars, as long as you keep the original tranny with the car.
The Springfield Oregon location would lead to suspect that Mark Worman took a pass on this one.
He owns it.
And sadley Barn Finds is pushing it…..
The buyer will likely commission Mark’s shop for the restoration.
Another overpriced Mark Worman EBay auction.
I honestly don’t know why he bothers putting anything up.
I love his show, BTW, just not his sales ability. If he wants to move metal, he easily could by being more realistic.
My theory- Mark’s formula is to dig up the carcasses, then hunt for buyers with deep pockets who then commission Mark’s shop for the complete restoration.
I used to watch the show, he certainly knows his stuff. He doesn’t have to possess a great deal of sales ability, his name alone moves the metal, and I’m sure financially he is doing well, really well.
I stopped watching his show a long time ago. He is very knowledgeable, but I just couldn’t stomach his behavior. Acting like he’s boxing, making stupid rat like faces, general douchiness.
I could barely make it through one episode. I hate the contrived drama of reality TV, their childishness in front of the camera has got to drive away a lot of potential customers, I know if I ever needed to have work done by a shop it wouldn’t be by one that was so unprofessional. Hopefully for them they make enough in merchandise sales and appearance money to make up for it.
Steve R
I’ve noticed something over the last couple of seasons of this show. There is now an urgency to get cars through the shop. From what they say, it used to take 5 – 10 years to get a car done, and now they are cutting back on the shenanigans and focusing more of the cars getting finished.
My take on it is that they never had to worry about being profitable because the show and the merch paid all of the bills. Now that the show has been around for so long, they probably aren’t getting the type of money from Motor Trend (or whoever carries the show) that they used to.
That’s not to say that Mark isn’t loaded. In a recent episode, they made a big out of one of his employees “discovering” Marks new McMansion being constructed.
Comment on Mark Worman’s tactics. I’d say he’s one smart guy. People with deep pockets pay big money for Mopar muscle. For years, the T/A and AAR didn’t fare so well at auction. Now, they are regularly six figures if done right. The problem with this one, the restoration costs are gonna get close to six figures.
Higher than that. Thousands of hours of labor. Plus parts. That car is going to start the process with an acid dip and then metal replacements from bumper to bumper.
The transmission issue should not be , replace with an 8 speed with buttons on the steering , both hands to control the car , press the go pedal and enjoy
New autos are way superior to stick when you are road carving !
Thank you, Claudio. “Superior” technically, perhaps. What if the car just scanned the road ahead and took you through it more rapidly than your skills could ever manage? Would that be even more superior? I know some people have made the transition, but for me the lack of a clutch pedal makes the car like one my Grandmother would have bought, only faster. I should not disparage those who are happy with buttons, though. Each person should enjoy their favorite technology. I don’t see an 8-speed showing up in this particular car, but it could happen, and it would probably make it faster albeit less authentic. At 1200 lb lighter than a modern V8 Challenger, the old one will always have an advantage in performance.