Chrysler launched its line of optional High Impact paint colors back in the summer of ’69, with some radical finishes available at not much extra cost if you really wanted your Mopar to stand out in a crowd. Choices at your Dodge dealer included such names as Sublime, Plum Crazy, Hemi Orange, plus a few others, but nothing made a higher impact than ticking the FM3 box which got the buyer Panther Pink. Known as Moulin Rouge on its Plymouth counterparts, this pigment made its debut in the spring of ’70 and stuck around until ’73, and while it was unusual not very many customers selected this color so to find a factory FM3 car is pretty rare. If you’re into the pink scene, this 1973 Dodge Challenger Rallye may be a good car for you to check out. It’s located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and can be found here on Craigslist with an asking price of $48,500.
We’d like to thank Barn Finds reader T.J. for spotting this one and sending it our way! While this is one fine-looking E-Body and I do want to find a place for it in my garage (I’d fib and tell the neighbors it’s my wife’s car), there’s really not a whole lot of information provided about the car’s history and some of the claims that are made seem to be a bit ambiguous. For instance, the seller says this Challenger has only been driven 1,986 miles since new, but other than a photo of the odometer nothing else is mentioned about the mileage.
I may be in the minority here, but those angled lights in the rear are my favorite look for the back of a first-generation Challenger, even more than the sleek appearance of the ’70 and ’71 lenses. But one thing I don’t remember on the Rallye models was the black stripe around the quarter panels and trunk lid or the black front and rear bumpers, so maybe one of our readers can clarify if these were indeed factory options or if this particular Challenger has just had them added. The seller says that this car has been kept in a climate-controlled garage since it was new, and while the body, paint, and vinyl top present well from every angle we can see there’s no word on the originality or age of the paint
For the first part of the 1973 run, the Challenger Rallye was equipped with the 340 V8, but those manufactured in the later days of the production year received the 360. The seller says that this car has been upgraded from a 340 to a 360, but no explanation is given as to why. The car is said to have been pulled out of storage, but no mention of how long it was stored or the circumstances, and I thought it was maybe a bit odd that a car with less than 2,000 miles would have a different engine. But in any event, things under the hood look like they mean business and the engine has LAX heads, ported, polished, balanced, and blueprinted. There’s also a Mopar high-rise intake with an 850 CFM carb on top, MSD ignition, Hedman headers, notched pistons, and a positraction rear end out back.
There’s a lot of the interior we can’t see, but what is visible looks tidy plus it’s a factory A/C car which is always nice. There’s also a new set of tires, new front calipers, a new fuel pump and gas tank, and a new sending unit. The seller says his E-Body is in incredible condition, which seems like a reasonable assessment, although I’d like to have seen a couple of pictures from underneath. What are your thoughts on this 1973 Dodge Challenger Rallye?
That’s a awesome color and to many in the Mopar community the holy grail of colors. I reached out to the owner and while he can’t validate the miles on the odometer as the titles didn’t list any mileage he is the 2nd owner and said just looking at the car you will see it’s hardly been driven. He has the VinData sheet showing the upgrades and the fact that it was special ordered in M3 panther pink with factory A/C. He also noted the A/C blows cold.
I think the engine upgrades were to unlock the true potential that was taken away in 73 to comply with tightening emissions. The owner has several other cars he’s selling like a 68 Torino GT Cobra 429 and a 72 Chevelle SS
Holy grail to many Mopar lovers? Maybe weak wristed ones.
Loved their cartoon colors. Brightened up what was becoming a 3 or 4 color automotive environment. Nice car here.
360 engine is not an upgrade I do not believe
This Challenger didn’t come with a 340 since the last ride of it was in 72. I wish I saw the vin number to see if it came with a 318 or 360. As for the bumpers they would have been chrome. No bumblebee stripe on the rear. The rear spoiler could have been a dealer up grade. Also the grille would be argent gray color. Otherwise it’s a cool ride. Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸
1973 did have a Ralley 340 Challenger 1974 was the 318 and 360 Challenger.
Black bumpers are when you are too cheap to get your bumpers rechromed.
I was not a fan of this color when new, but now I do like it, especially on a Duster.
Looks like a straight car but if you’re looking for correct and original, move on. Especially at that price!
I call total BS on this color being original on anything after ‘71. Let’s see the fender tag!
And the 340 was alive and well in ‘73!
Looks great, not the best interior photos.
i would say the mileage has gone over,360 only came out in 74.73’s came with side graphics ralley edition,the rear stripe is from earlier models,as for the bumpers they were chrome why would he paint them
1970 only on Panther Pink
You could special order a special paint color until 1976. 999 would be on the fender tag where a normal paint code would be. It did cost extra and couldn’t be a normal color. Several of the 1970 Chargers and GTX’s my Dad ordered in late 1969 were A4 and all had the 999 paint code on the fender tags. He also ordered 2 FC7 340 Cudas and Challengers in 72 and 2 FC7 Challengers in 73. He also special ordered 2 Q5 Seafoam Turquoise D150 trucks in 74. So, never say never with Mother Mopar.
Changing a 340 for a 360 is not an upgrade. The 340 was one of the best engines Mopar had in the late 60’s and early 70’s until the feds took away everyones fun
360 was a better over all engine. It had more low speed grunt. The 340 needed to be wound out to get all that power, not always a good idea on the street. Actually, your best choice was a 318.
Nope ! Nobody who wanted performance would take a 360 over a 340 , and no one would take a 318 over either of them unless you wanted a daily driver
Had a 1973 Dodge Charger SE that i added an RT stripe to. And this looks to be the case here too. Plus these cars never had black bumpers, so that’s an add on to. Looks nice…..but hardly original. Looks like the vinyl roof was either painted or shoe polished. lol
Saw tons of 1970’s cars while working as a teen at a huge Drive-In Theatre and then a couple years later jockeying cars around at a Sears Auto Center and can’t say I remember this color, other than on AMC Javelins.
Indeed rare.
AMC never used this particular shade of pink/magenta, only Chrysler, and only in the spring of 1970, except by special order. Moulin Rouge/Panther Pink was never a high volume color, but it looked good on Dusters, Barracudas/Challengers, and Road Runners/GTXs/Super Bees/Coronet R/Ts and Chargers.
Yea I know the AMC Javelin color wasn’t exactly the same….it was more of a purple. If you read it again,,,,,i typed i only remember it on Javelins.
Never saw it on any of those mopars you listed.
Peeps in Pittsburgh generally weren’t into pink/magenta cars.
Maybe it was more popular in say….SoCal or Frisco.
I have a very hard time believing the mileage/color claims on this car. Top Banana/Lemon Twist appears to be the only high impact color (imo) offered in 73. While a 999 car is possible I would think it would have been Sublime, Plum Crazy or Go Mango. Possible but without a fender tag /vin number/ build sheet it isn’t near 50k in my book. The add on tailstripe, wing, Rallye sticker, painted bumpers and taillight panel, engine work etc scream something, but not a original car. If it really is a 999 Pink car it likely is a one of one and would have been given a proper restoration. I know a doctor who bought a “original” 68 Hemi Charger. 318 vin number, 69 quarters and front fenders, 66-67 Satellite Hemi emblems attached to the doors, just a cobbled up car that looked nice. He did however also have a 20,000 mile dk green four speed 69 GTX convertible that was a all original (paint , interior, top, motor, trans, tires etc) absolutely gorgeous car I still drool over. At least he didn’t get screwed on that one.
I totally agree – With 16-18 colors available that year, why would someone specifically order one in a 3 year old color that was unpopular ? Not too mention few would know you could order a car in a certain color , and I think the colors would have been limited to whatever colors were available in the Chrysler line up that year.
This car has been cobbled together, and I hope any buyer would do his homework before buying a “rare” car like this.
By the way – Lemon Twist was available in 1973, but only at extra cost. all the other 16 or so colors were standard. Its odd, because I’ve seen plenty of Lemon Twist cars.
Two other colors are somewhat high impact colors that year, but not true ones would have been Basin St Blue and Mist Green