The Dodge Challenger entered its fourth year in 1973 with few changes. The most noticeable were huge black front bumper guards to adhere to beefed-up federal safety standards. The 340 cubic inch V8 was in its final year at Chrysler and would find itself in the Rallye edition, which we assume the seller’s car is. Sporting a two-year-old restoration, this ’73 Challenger presents well, although they may have gotten carried away with the Candy Apple Red paint (look under the hood). Located with a consignment house in Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin, this sharp Mopar is available here on eBay for $38,500 (though you can make an offer). Thumbs up to “Curvette” for the tip!
Demand perked up a bit in 1973, with nearly 28,000 Challengers produced rather than 23,000 in 1972. But demand was way off from the 77,000 copies built in the debut year of 1970. V8 power was the only choice, and buyers only had two to pick from: 318 vs. 340. With demand on the decline in the pony car segment, Chrysler got out of that business in 1974 (including the Plymouth Barracuda), as did AMC with its Javelin. The Challenger name would be applied to a captive Japanese import a few years later, and a full rebirth occurred in 2008.
We’re told this Dodge was treated to a full restoration in 2024 and has had the same owner since the turn of the century. The 340 V8 has been rebuilt with “performance enhancements,” but we don’t know what they are. And we don’t know if the engine is numbers-matching, as this Challenger could have also originated with a 318. The transmission is a 3-speed automatic. The entire vehicle, which started out in Florida, has 76,000 miles, and the tires are brand new.
The paint is beautiful, but we don’t know if that’s the original color. And the black interior has accents that match the paint, which may be why the seller says the interior is “custom.” The rebuild shop got quite active with the red paint as several pieces under the hood were sprayed to match the outside, including the engine block. That was probably at the instruction of the owner, but that does not help improve the value of the automobile. The seller will consider trading the Challenger for a pontoon boat. Here’s a video taken by the seller. Would you take this over an original one?
Get rid of those what the **** front and rear bumper guards and you’ll probably get another $1,500.
Joe.. I agree on the big black guards got to go!!! Also whats up with the wrong exhaust tips. There are plenty of companies that make the Challenger exhaust tips. Do it right!! Also what year is the 340? Do you have a picture of the fender tag? The engine color is all wrong. 68 to 71 Hemi Orange 🟡.. 72 73 Corporate blue. 🔵 Otherwise the Challenger looks real good. If you fix some of these issues you could get more money 💰!! Good luck..🇺🇸🐻
Exactly. It’s not all original anyway, so lose the worst looking parts on the car. Other than that, it’s sweet.
I like the front and rear bumper guards because they are part of the 73 and 74 look.
However, they made them much uglier by painting the mounting brackets black instead of keeping them chrome. Every single one I have ever seen has been chrome.
Not quite sure why they painted the area around the grille and headlights black. That looks awful.
lots of poor cosmetic choices made when this was redone
Whoa, holy moly! Apparently the guy that did the engine sweetener was the same person with the paint brush.
There is something to be said about color blindness. Not kidding. I was married to one. Key operative term is “was”.
I would come home never knowing what was going to be color matched to something completely unrelated to each other.
Not going any further about that time on the rock.
Looks interesting, but yeah, I agree. There’s some questionable things done when the repaint happened.
Don’t know what engine was originally in this car without seeing the VIN number or something. If we had the VIN number, the fifth digit if it was a G would be a 318 engine. An H would be a 340 engine. Fender tag would tell more of the story.
But my best guess is that this is a base model 1973 Challenger and it had the optional 340 engine. Reason why I say that is because if you look at the rear valance panel, if that is original, it has the cut out for the dual exhaust. The 318 engine I do not believe came with the bright chrome tips and cut outs in the valance panel. Also, because it doesn’t have the performance hood or the rally gauge panel, this is not a Rallye car but a base model. Which is fine as it does present well. For 1973 all Challenger VINs start with JH and Rallye cars had A57 code on fender tag. 1972 was last year for JS “Special” designation.
I like on ebay moparfan2673 Red Challenger better, more my classic taste. This one just too much red and black in the wrong places for me to straighten out. Cost too much money to do that.