All right! I finally found a Dodge Charger to review that’s not in pieces or has been horse-whipped. It’s actually a rather nice, seemingly original, 1971 Charger SE and it qualifies as a barn find of sorts, more on that later. Located in Sylvania, Ohio, this Charger is available here on eBay for a current bid of $9,600, no reserve, two bids tendered as of this writing. Thanks to Russ D. for this great tip!

The Charger wore new clothes in ’71 with its “fuselage” design exterior, it looks nothing like its ’68-’70 predecessor. Six trim levels were available including a Charger Coupe, Charger Hardtop, 500, Super Bee, R/T and SE or Special Edition like this example. The seller states that it’s a barn find having been parked for years in a sheet metal barn-like structure (not a literal barn) complete with a concrete floor. Sitting since 1978, this Dodge has experienced 76K miles of use which the seller believes is an accurate measure.

Advertised as a 383 CI V8 engine equipped car, the VIN bears that out. It is a two-barrel carburetor version, however, good for 275 gross HP. There have been questions posed to the seller regarding the matching number status of the motor. He has tried to make the verification but hasn’t been able to get a good look at the engine ID pad. That said, he has no reason to believe that the motor has been swapped as all of the small things, clips, clamps, etc. under the hood appear untouched.  The seller further states that the engine turns over but he has not tried to start it. It seems that it would take more effort to manually try to roll the engine over than it would to put a fresh battery in, hook it up and see what happens. Perhaps the concern is over old fluids and fuel, hard to say but it is a very common claim, encountered regularly with cars that have been sitting for an extended spell.  Gear changes are handled by a TorqueFlite, three-speed automatic transmission.

The body, chrome, trim, B5 Blue finish and white vinyl top all present themselves well. The trunk lid is where the most substantial exterior problem can be found. The seller states that this Dodge was parked with the lid pressed up against wet insulation and thus the steel perforation. The seller thinks it is not salvageable but I wouldn’t count it out yet. The worst-case scenario will be the need to find another trunk lid, not a show stopper. Beyond that, the seller adds, “ The floor pans, trunk pans, and all other sheet metal are good…see pics. There is some minor surface rust here and there but nothing concerning.” The accompanying images back up that claim, they don’t reveal anything questionable beyond what the seller has identified. As a final finishing touch are this Charger’s road wheels, they perk up any Mopar.

Inside continues the trend, nothing would appear to need sorting out. The seller states, “The all original blue interior could be perfect with time spent.” It really doesn’t look like it needs any attention. True, the dash pad is split but the upholstery and carpet show no signs of stress or wear; perhaps just a good cleaning is all that is needed. Nice to find is the original radio, it, fortunately, wasn’t replaced by a Kraco AM/FM cassette player somewhere in its past. This is an A/C equipped car but there is no mention of its operational capability.

Well, they’re only original once and this Charger appears as original as it gets. The seller even mentions that one of the tires has a 1971 manufacturing date and he has also found the broadcast sheet under the driver’s seat.  The fact that this Dodge is so unmolested, sets it widely apart from every other example that has turned up recently. The ’68 to ’70 Dodge Charger’s lines are iconic; the ’71 to ’74 probably can’t live up to that claim but they are not far behind. This Charger SE is very tempting, don’t you think?