The days of buying a car that runs and drives for $500 seem to be in the rearview mirror. Thankfully the days of buying a car for that price, in general, is still possible. The catches are abounding though. That is the circumstance on this 1983 Dodge Shelby Charger with 66,174 miles that is for sale for $500 located north of Portland, Oregon. Thank you, Miguel, for the tip. You can find the car listed here on Craigslist.
The engine would have the Shelby tuning, good for 107 horsepower. Revised gear ratios were also tuned on the transmission. Other Shelby mechanical tunes were shorter springs, special wheels, stronger brakes, and a quicker power steering rack. A better exhaust was also equipped. The car’s title is missing. It has been left on the property that it currently sits on with no indication how long that has been.
As for the interior, there is nothing known about its condition. The only picture is of the dashboard, which seems to be in decent condition. The aesthetics of the car were modified by Shelby back in the day. Those included a racing stripe and a new nose. There is some debate on whether that work actually happened at Shelby’s shop, or if the aero parts were shipped to the destination to be installed.
It certainly is a unique vehicle, with an incredibly iconic name attached to it. Then there is what to do with it? Drifting is out of the question because it is front wheel drive unless you wanted to do a major conversion. One option might be to drag race it. At that price, there would be plenty of money left over to drop serious money into an engine that could keep up with the best of front wheel drive imports.
Who in the heck leaves a car like this sitting around for years? I just don’t get it.
No title
I had the torismo model of this same body style but certainly not Shelby power. Mine was a 2.2 L 5 speed, I bought cheep and drove it for about 5 years it actually was a good car and fun to drive. This car here is going to have lots of rot in it, it looks like it’s been parked next to a water fall for about a decade and in a way it has, you don’t grow redwood in a dry climate. I’m afraid this poor Shelby is a lost cause.
Did someone dig up a grave here …this casket looks rough..
Cheap for parts…
X2
Steve R
gone
It sounds like it would be a fun project but… it’s only 107 hp at the most if the engine isn’t completely worn out. Remember there’s a reason this thing was dumped here, I bet transmission or/and cracked head.
there is one of these sitting about 15 miles from where i live, the guy has a bunch of mopars, but the one he has is a turbo car.
Amazing the engine is redlining after years of being parked.
This is an ’84, not an ’83. The tail lights on the ’83 charger were different.
Raced one of these in SCCA for a number of years. Usually ran in the top five in class (Showroom Stock B and ITA). Great handling machine with enough oomph to get you in trouble.
This ones junk put it where it belongs! Head gaskets were common problem on these back in their day. Just a glorified omni . I worked on them for dealership in 80s. The seats were comfy but they drove like a turd . The turbo was only saving grace till it blew up ! Not much of a value today
Here’s a little first lap action at Mid-Ohio.
does anyone know the location of this car… would like to have this car
A perfect candidate for a Hellcat conversion utilizing an Art Morrison or Roadster Shop chassis.