Whether it’s details about a travel destination, stock market advice, or even wondering who won the first World Series, it’s a rare occurrence when this old kid can’t find more than enough information on the internet to satisfy whatever my curiosity is craving at any given sitting.  However, digging up any specific information on this 1974 Dodge Challenger has proven beyond my online sleuthing skills, so if anybody recognizes it, please share the details with us!  If you’re an E-Body and a Richard Petty fan, this one’s located in Los Angeles, California, and can be viewed here on Facebook Marketplace.  So far, the asking price of $15,500 hasn’t attracted a buyer.  Rocco B., thanks for your fun tip here!

Based on the listing plus what little I could locate from Google, this one is said to have been previously owned by the president of the Richard Petty Fan Club.  In 1974, search results indicate it may have been a man named David Carter, who married his fiancée at Pocono International Raceway in August of that year, with Richard Petty serving as best man.  This Challenger is claimed to have been on display at the Daytona Firecracker 400 NASCAR race a month earlier, a memorable event where Petty took second place after being passed unexpectedly by David Pearson during the final lap.

The seller is also including a photo of Richard posing with the car, but either the exterior received a new paint job after the picture was taken, or at the very least, the decals have been changed, as they don’t match those currently on the driver’s side fender and door.  Few details about the vehicle are provided, and even though the finish is now somewhat faded, the body appears to still be solid and nicely preserved.  Interestingly, Petty never raced a first-generation Challenger in NASCAR and was driving a Charger in ’74, so it’s a bit odd that this tribute was based on an E-Body instead of a B-Body.

By this time, all big-block availability had been eliminated for the Challenger, with a 360 being the largest powerplant that could be had.  However, this one’s equipped with a 318 and an automatic transmission, and while that’s not a bad combo, I would have expected the top of the food chain for this period.  Fortunately, this one’s said to still run and drive, though there’s no additional information about its mechanical condition.

While the dash is cracked and the front buckets need recovering, it’s nice to see this one’s still got the factory radio intact, plus there’s also air conditioning, a comforting feature that wouldn’t have been found on any of Richard Petty’s vintage race cars.  I’m not sure if this one should be left as a historical artifact, or if a complete restoration back to factory specs or a Restomod is the better option here.  I’m curious if anyone here remembers this 1974 Dodge Challenger, and if so, what additional details can you share with our readers about it?