Dodge was the last to throw their hat into the pony car ring in 1970. Their entry was the E-body Challenger that would share the new platform with the Plymouth Barracuda. The Challenger would put up optimistic sales figures at first but would trail off in subsequent years thanks to market saturation and other factors. The seller has a first-year Challenger wearing its original Rallye Red paint and a rare bench seat. But it’s had an engine swap at some point in Woodburn, Oregon, and is available here on craigslist for $25,000.
Challenger sales would nearly top 77,000 units in 1970, the car’s best year out of five. Lower-level Challengers usually came with a 225 cubic inch Slant-Six or a 318 V8. Decoding the fender tag provided by the seller, this Mopar came with the latter when it left the factory, not the 383 Magnum that resides there now. The 383 was usually reserved for the R/T model, which could be upgraded to a 440 or a Hemi. The overall car has 79,000 miles, but the wear on the 383 isn’t mentioned.
Though far from perfect, the Rallye Red paint is still hanging in there. And the seller says there’s no rust on the Dodge anywhere. Purists would repaint the car, while others might opt to stay with the patina look and add some clearcoat. The black vinyl interior has really held up well, and the car has the rare bench seat with an armrest as opposed to bucket seats like most Challengers. That means the TorqueFlite automatic is column-shifted.
A posi-traction rear end was likely added to accommodate the 383, and a new heavy-duty sway bar is now up front (the 383 is much heavier than the 318). One downside might be the lack of a power booster for the brakes, making this a harder car to stop than the original 318. We’re told the Dodge has been well-maintained, and the asking price isn’t crazy money considering what these Mopars can go for. But numbers matching it isn’t.
No rust anywhere? What is that all around the back window? Hopefully that’s all of it, but doesn’t build confidence in the seller’s honesty. Overall it’s not bad for a car this old. This might be the first time I have seen one of these with a bench seat, but I like it, it lets you get closer to your riding partner. Price seems a little, but it is a Mopar so that’s par for the course.
Bench seat more common in the Roadrunner model Rusty. Agree w your assessment on price too 👍
The price is very reasonable for an E body. If it had the original 318, the value would not be much more. If this is the original paint, at least you know what you’re dealing with. This being a 318 car, it might have the 7 1/4″ rear, which was total junk and won’t last behind a big block. The ad mentions a limited slip rear, so maybe they slipped a 8 3/4″ rear in. If I was a MOPAR guy, I would give this a look.
Is the dragstrip still there in Woodburn?
Nice car! It would be a great driver 👍 just get the mechanical issues ironed out, maybe rebuild the brakes, exhaust, steering and suspension components and drive it! I wouldn’t touch the paint for now but eventually I would repaint it. I’d do as you mentioned, either polish it as best as I could and or clear it and preserve the patina. I also never saw one with a bench seat but the interior looks great 👍 nice car reasonably priced in my opinion
Wrong center caps on the wheels for 1970. 383-2 bbl Challengers, like the ones with 318s, also would have come with the flat hood and the V8 emblem on the fenders.
Apart from fixing what’s obviously wrong, I’d drive it as is. It’s nice to see one not festooned with latter day add-ons.
Note that the air cleaner cover is mounted upside down to get more horsepower. We all did that trick in the early 70’s. Don’t think it really worked.