Some of the rarest of the early Dodge Challengers are the T/A models from 1970. They were only built for one month in one year in support of the Challenger’s racing in the SCCA Trans-Am series. And only 2,399 street editions were produced to meet SCCA guidelines. They were also the only Challengers sold with a 340 V8 6-Pack carburetor set-up. This edition was treated to a ground-up restoration about 15 years ago and can be found in Tustin, California. It’s available here on craigslist for $94,500. Thanks for another cool Mopar tip, Pat L.!
Launched in 1970, Dodge would build 77,000 Challengers in its first year (which would also be its best year). The car shared its E-body platform with the revamped Plymouth Barracuda, but the Challenger had a longer wheelbase and shared no sheet metal with its corporate cousin. As the performance division of Chrysler, Dodge took the Challenger racing in ‘70 and built street versions of the car to keep the Sports Car Club of America happy. Called the T/A, it was one of the first production vehicles to offer different size tires, front and back; E60 x 15 in the front, G60 x 15 in the rear. All T/As came with power front disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension, side-exit exhaust, a fiberglass fresh-air hood, Rallye wheels, front and rear spoilers, and special graphics.
The T/As were super-fast. The 340 cubic inch V8 with 3×2-barrel carbs was rated at 290 hp, which may have been a conservative figure. They came with either a TorqueFlite automatic or 4-Speed manual w/Hurst shifter. They were known to do 0-60 mph in under six seconds, the quarter-mile in 14.5, and top out at 146 mph. The seller bought this edition around 2001 and began a restoration that took 2 ½ years. He has lots of receipts to back up this claim along with a history book, presumably a timeline of the car’s rebirth. It’s said to have been finished in B5 Blue Metallic, flanked by a blue interior and white vinyl top.
If it were me and I was going to try to sell a car for upwards of six figures, I’d take it outside for photos rather than leave it in a cluttered garage where stuff can fall on it. And we’re not sure why, but during the restoration process, the cowl tag was installed (or re-installed) upside down, which doesn’t help in verifying the credentials of the car. We’re told its numbers matching in terms of both engine and transmission and still carries its original blue California license plates. The mileage is said to be 28,000 but is that in total, since the restoration or 128,000. When I see a car like this that so few were made of, I always wonder how many of them can still be left. And in this condition.
I hope MOPAR man can enlighten us here. I always thought the cars with the fiberglass hoods had hood pins, no hinges. This is a nice looking T/A but seeing the hood makes me question some of this a bit. This was the best Challenger. YMMV.
Anyone know the truth? Thanks.
In the ad’s image #9 the pin hardware is barely visible on the passenger-side of the hood.
Thanks, had an A12 car. They came with 4 hood pins, no hood hinges at all. This car has hood hinges and springs, not sure this is a fiberglass hood on this one. Thanks.
IIRC, the 69 Super Bee/Road Runners had the lift off fiberglass hood, attached via four hood pins; the Challenger hood was fiberglass, and used lightweight hood hardware. Reproduction hoods in metal are available, as are reinforced fiberglass ones, pre drilled or not for hood pin kits. :-)
…and not all T/As had ralley wheels. All AAR Cudas did, but not T/As.
Factory hoods have typically bowed in the centre over the years
I’ve worked on one before. They have hinges. Edelbrock intake. dual point distributor with electronic rev limiter. Special heads with offset pushrod holes and matching rockers. The pushrod holes were moved so the heads could be ported. The heads were not ported from the factory. The gas tank was also very small on this car.
As I recall, the dual-point distributor wasn’t exclusive to the 340-6. The 340 four barrel engine was also so equipped, making the 340s the only engines to share that feature with the street Hemi.
They had hood pins and had hinges also. Were used on Hemi cars also when Dodge ran out of shaker hoods .
James….so they had pins and hinges on the same car?
only the ’69 1/2 A12 road runners and Super Bees had the lift off hoods. The T/As and AAR ‘cuda hoods had hinges.
thats the A-19 option on roadrunners and or super bees, ypu are thinking of.
No, it’s not, it was the A12 option code.
What a beautiful car. And what a lazy presentation.
Trying to sell this car for nearly $100K on Craigslist is icing on the cake.
Need more pics for that kind of cash . It seems questionable for that money. There should be a whole flock of pics & info on that ride .
Or, maybe if someone was genuinely interested in it, they would pick up the phone and actually, get this, call the guy! Maybe he just doesn’t want to waste his time on Lookie Lous. You know, all of the people that complain and whine about his ad…but couldn’t afford it anyway and have no intention of buying it? Maybe he’s advertising it exactly how it should be advertised.
Your Lookie Lous comment lacks logic. When someone runs an ad offering to sell something, anything, he’s trying to reach buyers. This presentation tells a lot of potential buyers that he may be trying to hide something. How is taking a variety of pictures out in the sunlight a waste of time…especially when you’re asking somebody to spend $93K? BTW..I didn’t know only real buyers were allowed to view and comment on the wide variety of vehicles featured on Bar Finds. Are everyday car enthusiasts no longer allowed?
I know if I was in the market for this car, the pictures would warrant a phone call. From what I see, It looks like a very nice restored car. You will never know for sure unless you at it in person. Even then you cant really be sure until you own it for a while.
First If the seller was Truly wanting to sell the car the info would be @ hand to attract the interested parties. It is on the seller & no one else to market the product to attract a buyer .
…or, maybe, he doesn’t want jerks to waste his time. He knows what he has and doesn’t really care what you think about his ad.
If a serious buyer does actually “call the guy”…like you suggested…I think one of the first things he or she would ask for is more pics. So the seller would have to back the car out into the open to take more pics anyway. He should have done that in the first place…might have attracted more interest. When you’re trying to sell something…especially on CL for $94k!…you should know you’ll have to sift through a lot of tire kickers before you find a buyer. He’s wrong for not presenting his car properly, and I believe your suggestion that he shouldn’t want “jerks wasting his time” is equally wrong. He’s only hurting himself if he does in fact have that attitude.
Jerks? Which commenter on this BF would you consider a jerk? And if he didn’t care what the readers thought, what would he perhaps be considered?
A jerk? Sheesh…..
I always thought the six bbl should have been an option on regular cars. I was told (correct me if I am wrong) that if you had a light foot, on the highway, the six pack actually had decent MPG. Of course, who could avoid the temptation? Being a more pedestrian guy, I was a standard kind of engine man, but even I pondered why a small 4bbl wasn’t offered on the 318. Same scenario, a gentle foot would have made little MPG difference, but the power would have been fun/needed at times. Don’t get me wrong, the 318 2bbl was reliable and just fine, but why not offer a little extra? That 4bbl and maybe a dual exhaust option would have made for an even nicer package, yet still have a low stressed engine that made for standard insurance rates.
My 70 challenger had a 318 with a 4 barrel carb. So they did have them.
Not from the factory.
Really? Was it factory? So cool. I seem to learn a lot here.
It was a 318 police interceptor with a 4 barrel.
Ed, was that a special order option in a Challenger? I remember that in those days you could often get unusual things when ordering, if you had an understanding and connected dealer. Police interceptor? You would thing that in those days there were better options for that then a 318. Of course, a 318 will do 120 (I di that once).
Chrysler Never made a 318 4-bl engine. Never crazy stuff on here
Chrysler did, once, build a 318 4 bbl. I have the manifold and OEM carb on the shelf in my garage, Bought in Colorado, sold for high-altitude use. But from a later model Diplomat…
Chrysler made thousands of 318 4bbl engines…Just about every Chrysler, Plymouth, and Dodge police car from 1981-1989 had one in it. (Thermoquads from ’81-’84 and Quadrajets from ’85-’89). Your Challenger definitely NEVER had one from the factory. They didn’t come out in the cop cars for 11 more years.
This is a gorgeous car. Your comments opened the door for a memory flashback. In ’79 I had a 69 Charger w a 318, a dual exhaust, and torsion bars. Boy, could that baby handle the road. Were either of these features original with a 318, pr was my car originally built with a big block?
All Chryslers had torsion bars, lol! And, no, 318’s NEVER came with dual exhaust.
We always unhooked two of the carbs from the linkage. We had to save our money for other things like racing 😎
I believe they have very light springs in the hood hinges with pins to hold it down. The fiberglass hoods warped badly.
If you remove the springs except for shows, the hoods will eventually relax back into shape.
That’s what she said.
Defiantly my favorite Mo par looks like a 69 pace car next to it one of my other favorite cars !
I bought a t/a new in 1970 still have it the t/a had hinges but no hood latch the pins were the hood hold down
All TA cars had hood hinges , if you note on most TAs and AAR Cuda s , the hoods were always bowed in the middle to the rear sides of the hood due to the hood hinges and springs . Some folks removed the hinges and over time the hoods settled back to shape. I had mine off . My hood was not warped.
They never put a 727 auto trans only a 4 speed in a AAR Cuda or a TA Challenger
Wrong the 727 trans was available in both the car and t/a cars. And also the 1970 Z/28 was the first year for the auto trans in the Z/28
yes they did.727 was avalible in the T/A and the AAR.
Actually, The majority of TA challengers came with the auto transmission. At least, the street versions did. The race versions were likely to be 4 speed only. The race versions did not come with a 340 engine. The engine was de-stroked to 305 CID to meet class rules.
Was ground clearance an issue with these mufflers? Are they loud?
http://images.craigslist.org/00000_76rXxMhWdrPz_0AU0rC_1200x900.jpg
& how did some police depts feel about the exhaust exit location?
Was the tuff wheel avail on these & Cudas from the factory?
http://www.classicindustries.com/product/4039fx9.html
T/As and AAR’s had taller tires in the back to give the car a rake and more muffler clearance. I once asked a T/A owner why many of the cars I seen at shows had the standard dash. He told me since the dealers were kinda all supposed to order a car to make the parts legal for Trans Am they didn’t add a lot of options–many dont have consoles either
Can one of you Mopar guys explain the exhaust thing here? It looks like it dumps out in front of the rear wheels. Is that stock?
Really, I don’t know.
I think the graphics are a bit much, but good looking car though.
Stock exhaust exited in front of the rear wheels. The mufflers had the inlet and outlet on the same end, and were located just forward of the rear axle, tucked up under the car. The rear tires were larger than the fronts to give it a slightly raked ride, giving a bit more ground clearance. Since it was from the factory there were never any issues with the police that I ever heard of.
Vinyl tops, what were we thinking? I recall my dad buying a new ’67 Chevelle, and had the dealer apply a SPRAY ON “vinyl” top! Anyone else remember those? At least you didn’t have to worry about rust with that version.
Not enough pedals! Needs a pistol grip and another pedal!
Buyers of highly collectible cars inspect or have them validated by expert so they don’t require 50 pix on craigslist.
I’ve bought a few long-distance cars and after talking to the sellers and getting a lot of pics, I flew out each time to look at the car personally but that’s just me.
Car is also on eBay–https://www.ebay.com/sch/6001/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=1970+challenger+t%2Fa
Something doesnt add up. The dust the 15 years owned and the ground up resto over the last 2 add half years.
Also curious of, the what appears to be 69 Camaro, present being um tarped in the first image here, last image in the Craigslist add.
And if the fender tag was installed the way the author says…it would be hanging over the inner fender…….
They never put a 727 auto trans in a AAR Cuda or a TA Challenger and Not in a 1979-70 Mustang Boss 302 or 1971 Mustang Boss 351 too or a 1967-69 302 or a 1970 350 Camaro Z28 everyone came with a 4 speed. They are Trans Am Racers. If you don’t believe me see “Graveyard Cars” on Motor Trend Marks states about all the Tran Am Races
Wrong the 1970 Z/28 was available with the 400 turbo trans. Google it to see it was the first year for it
Some of you sound like you need a nap!,entirely too much whining, bickering, and nit picking,this is a rare,freaking awesome car,and will sell for big money, regardless of advertising dynamics!
1970 Challenger T/A production numbers are 2399( 989 4-speed, 1,410 auto )
1) TA’s generally are valued $10K less than equivalent AAR’s
2) Auto cars bring 10% less than 4 speeds
3) If you are asking $99+ large, your car had better be concours. This one has a number of incorrect/ missing items. Witness no inflatble spare, incorrect/ mispainted items in engine compartment, completely wrong tires, etc. etc.
More likely a $60’s value than a $90’s value car in this condition and being it is a TA vs AAR.
and it better be out in the daylight, running, ready for a drive.
Unlike for the Cuda or Charger(oddly), there is a Dynacorn body for the Chally. I would think you could build a turnkey brand new t/a clone for lot less than $60k …
https://www.dynacornclassicbodies.com/1970-dodge-challenger-coupe/
No would never be able to build a car for 60k with one of the Dynacom bodies. More like 100k when all done
Keith, unless i guess u also had another beat up old Chally layin around & put its slant 6 or 318 & drivetrain & suspension & some cheap racing seats, etc. in the dynacorn & spray painted it flat black yourself. lol
Have to say Joe. I have never built a kit car and that is what you would be doing with the Dynacom body.A lot of choices are made in comports affecting cost greatly. Sending it out to someone to have done like a T/A would cost way more then 100k using date coded parts. But I can do 90% of the work to build the car. I am just not a painter and the flat black paint is for the hood only.I have restored a few cars and it is all over the board for pricking.
Lol,Steve,these ran on the center carb anyway, but I guess that was if the temptation to stomp the gas got too strong…
Is it me? Don’t misunderstand me love the colors love the car a 15-year-old restoration asking $100,000? What is going on in the world today? That’s it!!!I’m putting my 10-year-old restoration 69 GTS Dart convertible for sale for $100,000,This price is way out of line