The R/T (Road/Track) edition of several 1960s and 1970s Dodge products indicated you were in the company of a muscle car. The Charger R/T and Coronet R/T came with a 440 cubic inch V8 as standard equipment, while the smaller Challenger R/T started with a 383 but could be optioned higher. The seller has a 1970 R/T convertible for sale, one of just 692 built with the 383 Magnum engine. He/she has owned it for 20 years and it looks great, but with no mention of originality or restoration. Another fine tip brought to us by Mitchell G.!
Dodge shared the new E-body pony car platform in 1970-74 with the Plymouth Barracuda. And both saw some hot cars built during the day. The Challenger had the misfortune of appearing just as muscle car sales had started to decline, so first-year output of 77,000 units would never be bested. Only 165,000 Challengers in total were built in five years before Chrysler decided to exit the pony car market, leaving most of it to Ford and Chevy.
We’re told this Challenger is a numbers-matching automobile and it has a shaker hood which was added later. But we don’t know if that hardware is functional as no photos are offered under the hood. This is odd for what appears to be a “car guy” and the limited number of photos seem to be from the car show circuit. The seller has owned this Dodge for two decades and it’s been well-kept, regardless of the status of originality.
A quarter of Challenger production for 1970 was for R/Ts. But most of those were coupes, so convertibles are quite rare today. This one has 85,000 miles and the car doesn’t look as though it’s been driven hard with its original automatic transmission. The buyer will get to take home the car’s factory non-shaker hood should a swap to stock be desired. From Providence, Rhode Island, this sweet Mopar is available here on craigslist for $95,000 (19 times what it probably cost new!).
Nice Mopar ragtop. Personally, i’d replace that spoiler on the trunk, with a more practical luggage 🧳 rack 🙌
Four measly pics and a brief write-up seems to be SOP for many sellers these days. No effort for a car they’re asking almost six figures for. Not sure if people are simply getting lazier or if they still think the next caretaker lives only three miles away like when they used to advertise in the classified section of their local newspaper.
I never owned a mopar until two years ago I bought a 68 charger,nice looking car,my friend worked on it for months,after that he told me to never buy another one because they’re junk!
I always liked the looks of these mopars but i think they were just cheaply made. now days when you restore them they would be more solid.. I would like a 383 4 speed superbee myself and Im a GM GUY…
Anyone remember the 1971 Indy pace car crash? Unreal, John Glenn, goes for the ride of his life in space, and comes home to that.
You know what they say about opinions.
I find the original Challenger production numbers interesting. 165,000 over 5 years. I would bet they have sold over 1 million of the current generation. You can’t walk through a parking lot without seeing several. I would also not be surprised if over 165,000 of them (current generation) have been wrecked in high speed pursuits by law enforcement. Can’t go a day without seeing another video of a Challenger being spun out and crashed.
Friend of mine from HS always talked about how he was going to get a 7′ Challenger RT Coupe, 440, 4 Speed, sort of a big talker as he drove his dad’s hand me down VW Beatle. Few years later I ran into him at the Auburn libary, “Ever get that Challenger?” I joked, he led me out to the parking lot, a well worn, (this was 1982) dark green 70′ Challenger RT Coupe, Pistol Grip Shifter, he popped the hood, big 440. I asked if it was fast
“It gets me around” he said.
Didn’t see him for another 30 years, we were both in Kuwait, 91′ never ran into him there.
He’s driving an SUV now, of course, said he sold the Challenger not long after he dropped out of Auburn, they were just interesting used cars back then
BF ya hurting me 💔
Which ones did you have? Must have been straight six or 318 cars?
You call the 1970 AAR Cuda or TA Challengers cheap junk? I try to be respectful of all opinions but there has to be a place for such a tasteless surmise of what I believe was the greatest era of styling and power. There has to be a place for such a statement and it’s not a jail but an institution all the same.