Every now and then, a classic will pop out of the woodwork and generate some pretty significant interest amongst enthusiasts and collectors. That is most certainly the case with this 1970 Dodge Charger 500. Its cause is no doubt aided by the fact that it is a one-owner and unmolested rust-free classic. The 81-year-old owner has decided that the time has come for it to head to a new enthusiast who will love and cherish it as much as he has for the past 50-years. The Charger is located in Los Angeles, California, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. It is no real surprise to learn that this is a car that has generated plenty of interest since it came onto the market. Some fairly frenetic bidding (113 bids) has seen the price reach $35,100 in what is a No Reserve auction. In addition, there are also 213 people who are currently watching the listing. Interest? Yeah, just a bit!
This is a pretty stunning looking car. It is finished in Lime Green Metallic with a Black vinyl top. The paint isn’t original, with the Charger having been treated to a repaint around 30-years-ago. Judging by the quality of the paint today, it would seem that this repaint was completed to a fairly high standard. All of the sheet-metal is said to be original, with the vehicle never suffering any accident damage. The combination of life in California, meticulous ownership, and the fact that the Charger has always been kept in a garage, means that this is a classic that is rust-free. You will find a photo of the Charger’s underside in the gallery at the bottom of this article, and it as clean as you are ever likely to find on a vehicle of this age. The external trim and chrome presents just as well as the rest of the exterior, and the only thing that I can really fault is some minor wear and discoloring on the grille and headlight doors. The Charger rolls on a set of Magnum 500 wheels and these also look like they are pretty close to faultless.
While the interior presents well for a survivor, it couldn’t be classed as perfect. It is all original, which makes issues such as the fading of the black carpet quite easy to understand. The fit of the lid on the console also isn’t great, but it isn’t clear whether something has broken, or if a simple adjustment would return it to its rightful place. Otherwise, the rest of it looks to be quite astonishing. The vinyl upholstery on the seats is generally good, although there is a single seam separation and some outer edge wear on the driver’s seat. The door trims are close enough to perfect that it really doesn’t matter, the headliner is perfect, while the dash and pad are free of any cracks or issues. Apart from the bucket seats and console, optional equipment includes Rally gauges, air conditioning, and an original and working AM radio.
The owner purchased the Charger when he was 31-years-old, and it would seem that he decided that he wanted a Charger with a reasonable level of performance, but didn’t want to find himself lumbered with a potentially temperamental muscle car. To that end, he chose to order the vehicle fitted with the 290hp version of the 383ci V8. He also chose to tick the boxes on the options list next to the heavy-duty A-727 automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. As a combination, this was capable of pushing the Charger through the ¼ mile in 16.4 seconds. That isn’t outstanding, but it is by no means slow. This is a full, numbers-matching car, but it has recently been treated to some work to ensure that it is in tip-top shape. There was a leak from the power steering pump, so this has been rebuilt. The fuel system was flushed, and the original carburetor was given a rebuild. All of the fluids in the vehicle have been flushed and changed, and new tires have also been fitted. The car retains its original-spec single exhaust, and it sounds smooth, with a nice edge to it. The Charger now starts, runs, and drives perfectly. Below the photo gallery for this article, you will find a YouTube video. This provides a walk-around of the vehicle, showing just how nicely it presents. You also get to not only hear that glorious 383 running, but you get to climb inside the Charger and go for a ride. It sounds smooth and clean, with no hints of any rattles or squeaks. You would be hard-pressed to believe that you are sitting in a 50-year-old car.
Parting with a car that you have loved and cherished for half a century has to be a tough call, but that’s precisely what the sale of this Charger 500 represents. It is a decision that I personally would not like to make, so I hope that this classic goes to a person who will really care for it. I’m pretty sure that we would have plenty of suitably qualified people amongst our Barn Finds readers, so I will be interested to see whether we have any who would be willing to join the bidding war.
A few little niggling items to fix (headlight motor, clock, tach) to make this a perfect time period grocery getter. What an amazing piece of automotive history! Currently $37,000+, this should bring a nice piece of change to the owner, who appears to have really cared about and for this car. It’d be a sweet one to own, no doubt.
Yep, they all don’t need to be firebreathers to be enjoyed on a regular basis. Many of the cars seen here aren’t and that’s why they survived.
I recall the advice about taking care of a bicycle years ago…treat it like a toy and it will last like a toy. Treat it with care and it will last.
Love the MOPARS and the bidding is up to 45 grand. I hope folks understand this is NOT a muscle car. Derated 383 with only 290 horses.
Got a feeling he’s going to have a heavy dose of sellers regret here, that’s a very long time to own something and the condition it’s in tells me a few things about the long time owner.
Not a hot rod Dodge but it will move out in traffic just fine, hills are no problem with the 383, the split pea soup green color works well with the more civilized power train, if it was an RT 440 it wouldn’t look right. Keep it dude.
I doubt much sellers regret at 81. Sometimes things happen for a reason.
I really hope you’re right, for the sellers sake. Someone took great strides in keeping her very sharp for the past fifty years. That’s a long time.
81?! I hope to be on this side of the grass by then but family history and Deathclock.com are not in my corner.
What in the WORLD am i looking at here?!
I KNOW i never seen one in the flesh, let alone a REAL ’69 500.
1st i thought the owner put those 500 emblems on the car to fool people.
Then i thought maybe they were put on by some [regional] dealer(s) trying to fool pedestrians & its customers(& make more money) by “creating” a “homologation special” of a car that was made only in 1969!
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a29285/dodge-charger-500-nascar-history/
For ’70, where is the unique “flush” front end & the flush rear glass?!
& it’s the 1st “homologation special” i’ve seen with whitewalls!
But no – it’s indeed a dodge model !!
https://www.classicnation.com/charger-500/
Maybe DODGE had a whole bunch of those 500 emblems left over from 1969 & THEY tried to fool(& make more money off of) the public? Could you even get a slant 6 ’70 charger 500?! lol
Why would dodge DO that(CALL it THAT) in 1970 or 1971!!!
I could see doing it in 1975 when there were pinto based lame “Mach 1s”, etc.
Apparently, tho, for ’70 Dodge ran out of rear wrap around ’69 500 decals that said 500 on the quarter panels.
I sure hope i don’t find out there was a front driver(or 4 door) charger 500!
Friend of mine had a 68 Coronet 500. The designation was the trim package. This car had a nice trim package, 383 2 barrel, four speed.This Charger is obviously a high end trim package, like the R/T’s had, but minus the muscle.
Dave’s right. The 69 500 was a very special car, but the company moved on to build the Daytona when it didn’t perform the way they wanted. For 70 and 71, the 500 was a more “luxurious” trim package and nothing more. I have a 71 500 and have always wondered what a flush grill from a 68 Coronet would look like in it…
I was thinking the same thing when I saw “500” mentioned – flush grill and backglass.
Thanks for researching it and posting that it was just a trim package on the ’70.
What a beautiful Charger…amazing original condition! Most Chargers (and muscle cars especially) were trashed by their 2nd, 3rd and 4th owners. A lot of them eventually fell into the hands of high school kids or the production crew of the Dukes of Hazzard…which thinned the herd considerably. New or original car owners do tend to take better care of what initially represented a considerable investment.
I thought a 500 had a flush front grill, and flush rear glass?
1970 500 models was a luxury model as 69’ 500s was all about performance.
I will never forget the first ’70 Charger 500 I saw in the local Dodge dealership; it had a 318 with a column shifted automatic and a bench front seat. (It was also Burnt Orange in and out).
I was appalled – they should have called it a “Charger 440” if they were going to equip it like a Coronet 440. But it was a harbinger of what was to come in ’71…
got it, thanks
That was in 1969, not 1970
I have the 69 version of this Charger in F5 Green with an F8 vinyl top & F8 green upholstery. Mine is pretty much in the same condition as the one in the photo but I don’t have the stripe. I have been associated with my Charger since Sept. 1970, as the original owner was a colleague & we both started working at the same location at the same time. Mine still has it’s original CA black plates as well as the original dealer license plate frames. I have been tempted to sell mine but I know I would have a lot of regrets. However, one of these days, I know that I will have to let it go.
The term survivor is being used way too much for cars like this. Yes, it’s nice but since it’s been repainted, it is no longer a survivor.
Pretty car. Over $45,000 now with 1 day 8 hours left. Do I hear $50,000???!!!!!
I should have kept the ’68 Black over Red with black guts!
One sweet slushbox. Props to the owner for caring so much for it. It looks amazing.
Captain Kirk to Scotty: “Warp speed to 1970.”
Amazing how nice and elegant these look in once undesirable colors like this. Nice that it was decently repainted in the original color, and not some Earl Scheib job in a hue that would’ve appealed to some greasy haired, pimple faced, pencil neck geek, circa 1977.
People used to dis my Charger for being green all the time. However, all that has changed & green seems to be in. Look at the resurgence of F8 Green being offered by FCA & other manufacturers who offer a similar green.
I resemble that remark 😁😊🤣
I love to see the small amount of wear under the hood on the air breather,compressor etc. I have had my Iroc 26 years and do find one becomes extremely attached to a car. I would much sooner have this car than most of the over restored stuff floating threw the auctions. I hope it hits 60 grand.
At $45,000. I predict $56,000 to buy. So few of these beautiful cars left in this condition. I knew in 1986, most 16 year old cars were rotted beyond belief here in southeastern PA, where they dump salt by the thousands of tons. I was looking for a 70 GTO. All had rust. I went to California. Found a perfect rust free GREEN 70 GTO hardtop. Convinced the owner to sell it to me. $5,500 was the price. Did not have it long. Like a dumb bell sold it. I remember driving it to Carlisle for the big spring meet in 1987. Parked it and some guys said, “Man that car is really dry” referring to the perfect GM sheet metal. It pays to buy southern CA cars. The 70 Charger is my least favorite of the 68 to 70 beauties, but it has the best seats of those three years. I owned a 70 Road Runner in 1973, with the same black buckets. Super comfortable. I am jealous of the new owner.
The “500” destination goes back to the mid 50’s when the first Dodge 500 paced the Indy with it’s little hemi red ram. It became the D500 package thru the 50’s and then became a model 500 on the Polara’s…..then Coronets got a 500 and then the Charger got the 500…..
Up to $45,800 so far. I had a 69 Dodge Charger, loved the styling and lines on it. Ohh those cars I should have kept forever…
The ’69 Dodge Charger 500, the 500 stood for the number of cars required to be built to make the modifications legal for NASCAR racing, that’s all it meant. I’ve even read somewhere Dodge didn’t actually make 500, more like 370 or so. The Torino was all over it, then Dodge came out with the Daytona, a winged freak machine, and the top drivers refused to drive it at first anyways, fearing for their lives. This ’70 model had no ties to NASCAR. As racy as the ’68-70 Dodge Charger looked it was screwy at high speeds….Ford followed that trend with the 70-’71 Torino, another loose cannon at high speed.
“The top drivers refused to drive it anyway..”? So Buddy baker really didn’t become the first NASCAR driver to break 200MPH with his 1969 Dodge Daytona? Richard Petty didn’t really come back to Plymouth from Ford because they made the Superbird he wanted? Wow! Sounds like the same folks that faked the first US moonwalk perpetuated another fake news story!! It’s a conspiracy! 🙄
Not at first, that’s what I heard, the debut of the car. Petty wanted to race it and it was No, you race the Plymouth, that’s why he went to Ford, ,,he wanted to win! If it’s all heresay, I stand corrected.
To be fair, you’re right about wanting to race the Dodge, Troy-he wouldn’t race the Plymouth that had been built for him because the Dodge Daytona was so much faster. He went to Ford because they were building their own competitor, a step up from the Ford Talladega called the 1970 Ford Torino King Cobra (https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15354827/this-king-of-classic-ford-muscle-cars-looks-to-fetch-nearly-half-a-million-dollars/).
When Plymouth relented, he returned, they built the Superbird and the rest was NASCAR history..
As an aside, Ford never put the Torino King Cobra into production as NASCAR said no more super aerodynamics.
What a nice example!! Clean, original and drivable!! Much better than what we have seen here!! The price is worth it compared to the rusty junk that sells for half this and needs twice this price to look this way!!!
2/5/20-Up for sale again!!!