Ripped from the pages of the now-shuttered Car Craft and Popular Hot Rodding magazines, this 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T in West Plains, Missouri led an interesting life! Born as a real 440 six-pack R/T, the powerful pony car entered service through the hallowed halls of Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge, Chicago’s legendary home of high-performance Mopar muscle. According to the seller, the Challenger became a big-tire Pro Street car way back in 1981 when that transformation often took place for mostly cosmetic reasons. This Dodge seems to have the engineering to back up its show with plenty of go. The former automotive pin-up star can be yours with a click of Buy It Now and $45,000 here on eBay, or try a lower number via Make Offer.
Holy orange crush, Batman! Tufted orange upholstery covers the interior, only interrupted by black carpeting and instrument panel. Wide racing belts and a roll cage punctuate the potent performance potential of this pimped-out performance car.
One blurry engine shot is all we get, either from a time before the yellow paint, or showing a yellow that’s nearly lost its color due to sun exposure or a fade-to-white paint job. While the factory 440-6 is long gone, the current 440 setup should make this yellow E-body stand at attention. Nothing in the description suggests anything less than ferocious straight-line acceleration. With 440 cid (7.2L) of displacement, 12:1 compression, solid lifter cam with 0.625″ lift, built automatic transmission, and 4.56:1 gears, you better have the steering wheel pointed straight ahead when you lower the boom on this sonic yellow show car.
As many shortcut-takers will tell you, 32″ ×14.5″ slicks and a built 440 will definitely find the weak link in your drivetrain engineering, sending bent, busted, and flying parts in unpredictable directions. If everything holds together, though, whoa Nelly! You’re in for a ride.
Many gear-heads spend their money and time making a car either a. super-fast or b. super-shiny. Accomplishing both in a single build takes commitment and vision. Sometimes, as with this car, you end up with something magazine-worthy. Some of this jewel’s luster may have faded, but you’re sure to draw a crowd with this Challenger’s combination of power, engineering, and sumptuous orange interior. Retro or not, this Dodge demands to be noticed. Would you take this monster for a cruise or straight to the track?
A padded dash if I’ve ever seen one.
It’s a furrin car…and one I certainly remember from the rags we’d read in HS when this was new.
I had completely forgotten about Car Craft Magazine.
Wait, Car Craft is gone? So much for my lifetime subscription. Guess that’s $12.95 Ill never get back.
wish I hadnt looked at the interior. 45 Large?? Surely you jest. Good luck and happy motoring.
Cheers
GPC
That interior is ok but my 69 charger with red, white and blue shag was something to see, I would post some pics but I don’t want to be accused of making people sick.
holy Avocado green and burnt Orange 1970s designer Faux Paus BatMan!
Remember those magazines and reading them back in my day. Also remember this 🍊 nightmare of the interior and almost lost my lunch.
But as to the cruise or track how about cruising to the track instead plus you give the others fair warning that a monster MOPAR was on the way to rule the night
I think it’s prefect.
And your comment is nearly perfect.
I had often heard that back in the 70’s Liberace was a drag racer. I guess that interior proves it.
Not sure about racer, but I believe the drag part!
Looking past the velvet, it looks to be 1 of 121 V-code automatic cars from ’71. Probably no harder a resto than a lot of other rust bucket Mopars you see going for stupid money these days, and near 100K potential if it’s done right.
Any big-balled bruiser such as this one which packs so much show plus go is the equivalent of a much feared and fabled gunfighter showing up in town wearing a rhinestone suit.
Nope. Let that monstrosity be somebody else’s problem. 45k will get you a pristine unmolested example, perhaps even a numbers matching one.
Being a “Mr Norms” and super low 1 of 121 production, featured in Car Craft etc. That car has some serious provenance. Drive it, restore it, put it away for years you can’t lose.
First drive for the new owner should be to a trim shop. Second drive to a local foundry to burn the existing interior.
Still has its uber rare console mounted cassette player/recorder. I’d love to see the broadcast sheet on this one. It might still be hiding under one of those glistening velvet clad seat bottoms.
Love that truck on the lift in the back ground. Must of been a tow rig for that car I wonder.
Viewing the exterior made me drool. Looking at the interior made me spit up.
Looks like vin tag may have been removed for the shaggy interior. A person has to wonder what pedigree the body really is. Yes, these things do happen.😎
Very cool! (except the interior) Why does it look like there is a hole in the differential cover?
Wayne,
That black “hole” is actually a black painted steel bracket to help hold the back diff cover in place [or keep it in one piece!]
Nothing here a paint job and new interior can’t correct!
Like it or not, this is a snapshot of automotive history that needs to be preserved.
I hope that someone who appreciates what this represents will buy it and bring it back to its former show car glory.
It’s funny how many people go ga-ga over custom vans from the same time period but can only poke fun when comes to the same treatment done to a car.
Glen, your animosity and arrogance are far worse than what ever custom touches you dont like with this car.. clearly you lack something to put your energies to; beside your violating the ‘RULES’
Its a car, an old car, that you dont own or will likely ever see in person, settle down.
As for the comments on automotive history and preserve, YES, it is, and if preserving is possible sure, but if not, ya, easy to remove the interior customizing.. no big deal, and if the striping bothers you, probably also reasonably easy to chemically or sand off.
My opinion, the cars rad :)
Thanks Bill!