It’s often hard to fathom how quickly things can change in just one year for a particular model, but the difference in performance options for the 1972 Dodge Challenger is a prime example of how fast the muscle car market was declining in the early seventies.  The upper-echelon engine choices for 1971 were a 383 or a 440, both big blocks, or even the famed 426 Hemi if you had lots of extra cash.  However, these all disappeared in ’72, and buyers now had to decide whether a Slant Six, a 318, or a 340 would best suit their needs.  Fortunately, this 1972 Dodge Challenger Rallye is equipped with the latter, making it the best that could be had for the period.  This one could use some work, but it’s a complete and unmolested original example, so it’s probably worth checking out if you’ve been looking for an E-Body.  This cool Mopar is located in St. Louis, Missouri, and can be found here on eBay, where the current high bid is $19,720.  Our thanks go out to reader Mitchell G. for sending in the tip here!

For 1972, the Rallye model replaced the R/T in the Challenger lineup, adding non-functional but sporty-looking vents to the front fenders.  The Rallye also included tape stripes down the sides, with the seller telling us the exterior here is all original, and that there’s never been a respray.  He also mentions that the car bumped the back of a pickup truck in 1979 and was put away after that, not to re-emerge until just this spring.  The next owner will have a few dents, scrapes, and some quarter panel rust to contend with, but compared to most unrestored E-Bodies, it all seems fairly minor by comparison.

Also new for ’72 was the changing of horsepower ratings across the board from gross to net, with the 240 HP the 340 was making sounding pretty good for the time.  Other than the seller mentioning that the drivetrain consists of the original components, few other details are provided, but the small block must be running since he indicates the car was driven this spring.  Everything in the bay appears mostly stock and seems to still be in decent order.

It’s not perfect, but the interior looks pretty good overall, with a couple of non-serious issues spotted, such as a cracked dash and at least one tear in the driver’s bucket seat.  This one’s got a column-shifted automatic transmission, and while a console would be cool to find, I’d probably leave things inside alone and focus on keeping this one as close to original as possible.  However, I could also understand the desire to make a few upgrades, or maybe even turn this 1972 Dodge Challenger Rallye into a Restomod.  What would you do here?