In addition to the iconic engines and body styles, Mopars are also well remembered for the wild “High Impact Paint” (HIP) colors offered from ’69-’73. Of these, perhaps none is better known that code FC7, a.k.a. Plum Crazy Purple. This ’70 Challenger R/T, which now also sports a few other colors as well, is located in Deer Park, New York and up for auction here on eBay with a current bid of $9,600 and reserve not met.
Clearly a big project, this E-body looks as though it has seen a hard life typical of early street muscle. Almost all areas of the car need a full restoration; body, mechanical, interior, paint, and glass. But it’s a real R/T model with the rare sunroof option, factory hood pins, Rallye gauges and, according to the seller, the numbers matching 383 engine.
The tinworm has been especially hungry on this one. Some major effort (or a fat wallet) will be needed to repair this damaged steel.
Looking inside, this crusty hole in the roof makes this a pretty rare specimen. According to the aptly-titled Mopar Sunroof Registry, only 82 sunroof-equipped R/T Challengers were built in 1970. Adding an extra $461 to the window sticker, this was a pricey option in 1970.
My references indicate the option code for a power sunroof in 1970 was M51, but the only M code I see here is M21 (drip rail moldings). However, a photo of the build sheet is included and the sunroof is listed there. Love that early 70’s Detroit quality control. Everything else here appears to agree with this being a Plum Crazy 383-equipped R/T. Speaking of numbers, the seller also states the dashboard VIN plate and registration are missing, although the door post VIN sticker is still there.
Assuming this is the original engine, its also dressed up in typical aftermarket go-fast accessories that were common back in the day. The seller remembers that when he bought the car in 1984, the engine sounded “radical” and found out later that the engine had been rebuilt by a local speed shop that specialized in Hemi engines. A second motor big block engine (as well as a pile of other parts) are also included in the sale.
With a healthy reproduction market surrounding the early E-bodies, bringing this one back isn’t the daunting challenge (heh) that faced Mopar restorers a decade ago. There are 18 bids as of right now and the reserve is not yet met it’s hard to gauge what the price of admission on this one will be. Would this be a worthwhile project or just plum crazy?
Poor Challenger looks very RusTy… IMHO, $10K is very expensive ferrous oxide.
Why would anyone let this car fall down like this. Saver but alot of WORK#
I wouldn’t blame someone with a lot of money and skill to buy it but the rest of us will have to just stand on the sidelines and cheer them on.
Finally a car where “rare” actually means something and isn’t an empty word thrown around by a seller just to drive the price higher.
It’s rough, the spare cowl included in the pile of spare parts might serve as a warning to potential buyers.
It’s a cool car, I wish the best on anyone that decides to tackle this project.
Steve R
Can’t believe that someone (Or at least 2 people) think that this thing is worth what it’s been bid up to. I’m sorry but I just don’t get it. For what your going to have into it to make it right, you could sure buy yourself one sweet turn key ride. As the previous owner of 2, 70 and one 71 Challengers, I’m blown away what people are paying for them. Their very poor handling. Brake mediocre at best. Straight line is another thing, but bend over and get cheek to cheek if something gets in your path.
Owned a 71 Cuda also. At least those, with having a shorter wheelbase handled a little better.
To each his own I guess.
I’ll keep my old Camaro and Mustang.
As of Saturday night at 11PM Eastern Time the bidding is up to $15,100 and the “Reserve is OFF” so this will sell when the auction ends Monday evening. Looks like this MoPar needs an awful lot of work so Good Luck to the eventual buyer.
Please keep your old Camaro and Mustang. I have driven enough of them to know poorly they drive and handle.
I will gladly keep my ’71 Challenger.
I can’t speak to Mustangs but I have had six Camaros of various years, mostly ’69 though and 5 Mopar’s of the ’69 to ’71 variety.. I would trust any of my Camaros in a high speed turn before I would trust that generation Mopar to even stop in a straight line and without losing control due to torsion bar suspension. only thing Mopar have going for themselves, even to this day, is power. Even their modern brakes really blow.
Poor handling is right on, but a small block or slant six up front is a totally different animal. That few hundred pound weight difference from a big block is quite noticeable. Then you get Duster type handling that was on par with the best of the era. Of course nothing from 50 years ago is ever going to handle or perform like a modern car, why bother with something like this? If you are just into it to look “cool”, show off your wallet, or pretend it will be a good investment in the future when the Baby Boomers are all dead, then you are a fool. But, if you enjoy fixing it up yourself, different story. To each his own when it comes to spending, but be careful how much you do, times are hard, and I see no better times in the future for us Average Joes. My money is spent on low end cars and new metal, but again, that is my choice..
Times are hard, and baby boomers are dead? That must be why everybody is buying and selling these old cars and fixing them up!
‘When’, Triumph. “When” the baby boomers are dead.
When the BBs are dead the value of 60s muscle cars will fall, just like the prewar cars restored and cherished by pre war owners who grew up with them.
Prices of Model As are reasonable once again.
No kid born in the 2020s, 2030s is going to understand or care about early 70s Challengers or Barracudas when he grows up and can afford to enter the hobby.
Both were always at the bottom of the pony car sales charts back then anyway.
@dweezliaz, you are right …No one in the future is going to give a rats a** about them. Just as I smiled when my own Dad would swoon over a 37 Plymouth like he had in school, my son just quietly smiles when I bring up how I would like my 1970 RR again (not that I could afford it in todays insanity, nor would the nostalgia be worth the price tag in lieu of other more worth while purchases) . He wants 1990s Japanese cars like I drove when he was young, his first car was a 98 Honda Accord that even now he regrets letting go and searches the sites for another. Oh, he thinks the old muscle was good looking, and kind of cool, but he never has had the visceral, deep in the gut love for them that we did as we all drove them and so did all our friends when we were young. He has driven my 1983 Dodge Mirada that I cherish, but he is not impressed, points out the lack of power, crummy handling, and even crummier steering. We all want to relive our youth and be reminded of all our good times and cars do that, but only if we can easily afford to do so. Why another generation would want to relive our youth Is beyond me. I do not see these prices going up for much longer, oh the high end very rare ones spit polished and sold at the big name auctions might, because the people who buy those don’t work by the hour as you and I do, and money means nothing to them, but even those will soon lose value as the whole market drops with the death of us Boomers. Any middle income person who buys this as an investment better flip soon, or lose his shirt, my opinion and I am sticking to it. @triumph1954 I think a lot of this is for flipping, not buying and holding. Is that bad? No, but sooner or later someone is going to be left holding the bag when the market bottom falls out.
dweezilaz, I am not sure about that because it is not the Baby Boomers that are keeping the mystic alive.
The ’60s muscle cars are featured in countless movies and TV shows as being the hot cars to have and I don’t think that is going to change.
We will have to see how it goes, but I think muscle is universal.
Right on. Balstic has never driven a 340 Cuda/Challenger or Duster /Demon. The big blocks wallow around as does every other company’s big block offerings. The torsion bar suspension is much better imo. They handle just as well as any other Detroit offering, inc in my opinion the same era Vette. I’ve owned two 340 4 speed 70 Dusters, a 72 340 automatic RoadRunner, 68,69 and 70 Charger R/Ts and others and they were not terrible. the 70 HemiCuda on the other hand was best kept in a straight line. My 75 Vette handled decently but not all that great. They are all almost 60 years old guys, be glad they are still around, not made into modern junk cars.
Thought all RT models were 440 or 426 c i. Right or wrong?
Wrong, RT’s were available with 440 Six Pack, 440, 426 Hemi, 383 and 340 engines.
Steve R
You couldn’t get the 340 in a 1970 R/T, you had to order the A66 package to get what was effectively a 340 R/T, it did not have R/T emblems. It did have sway bars, better suspension, 15″ wheels and front disk brakes and some other mandatory options. In 1971 you could get a 340 R/T.
Nick, thank you for the correction.
Steve R
She’s rough baby 👶
Needs frame swapped or repaired and other panels .
I guess at ten grand and more some say RT= (risk taking + 💰 💰 💰)
To me it’s a “rare” car Vanishing Point of my wallet at this bidding war 😏
The body is the frame.
No frame, unibody construction, same as all Chrysler models. Couple that with a propensity to rust easily & you see the end result above.
60-80k car when done and done correctly. It will cost that much to have a professional do it but, there are a lot of backyard guys that can do at least as good a job , if not better.
Bet you your wallet goes from 60-0 before this goes 0-60…
$15,100 reserve is gone. I thought the R/T would have front disc brakes.
They were optional, as were power brakes, disc or drum. They built HEMI cars with manual 4 wheels drums. Think about that.
😯😫😬😵
You couldn’t get the 340 in a 1970 R/T, you had to order the A66 package to get what was effectively a 340 R/T, it did not have R/T emblems. It did have sway bars, better suspension, 15″ wheels and front disk brakes
What “you” say sounds quite familiar.
Same exact words too!
Why does every piece of crap Challenger or Cuda end up on Barn Finds?
I was looking for a ’68 Camaro a few years back in the 15-18 grand range and 8 out of 10 of them were so rusty I almost gave up. But they rarely show up on BF. Only rusty Mopars. I really believe it’s because they know people are passionate in their love or hate of all things Mopar and will get lots of comments. I’m commenting, so it must work…..though I’m Mopar neutral.
Plymouth called the paint C7 ‘In Violet’ Dodge ‘Plum Crazy’ , they originally wanted to call that purple ‘Statutory Grape’ but their Legal department told them no ..
Needs crushing badly
Around every barn you could find piles of cow and horse crap, just saying.
The last barn I owned we had one, until one day an organic farmer bought it.
To me it was a pile of brown, to him it was gold.
What the organic guy paid was plum crazy, and I got rid of a pile of s..t.
I am GLAD I didn’t have mine long enough to see the tin worm get mine.Bruce.
Ahhh, back in the days when you could buy this for a grand, drop on some Cragars and be happy as a clam in it’s shell. Love the color . Thanks Bruce for the great picture!
Was just thinking about my whining buddies…..just no match for youse guys….
Ended: Sep 03, 2018 , 7:32PM
Winning bid:US $18,441.00
[ 29 bids ]