As one of the most sought-after Chrysler offerings of its era, almost any 1970 Dodge Challenger is desirable because of its broad appeal. Other factors make some more special and valuable than others, such as high-performance engines or examples with so many options that it took 2 fender tags to list all the codes. This 1970 Dodge Challenger here on eBay is unusual for the opposite reason: it’s about the most basic, bare-bones E-Body you could get. If restored to stock specs, it will likely draw plenty of attention at shows and spark lots of interesting conversations. This one’s in Fairview, Tennessee, and the current bid of $5,800 still isn’t enough to lift the reserve-not-met status.
Readers old enough to remember when newspapers were the primary choice for dealerships to advertise vehicles may also recall certain cars were shown at a ridiculously low price, known as a “bait-and-switch” ploy. This lured an eager buyer to the lot, then a salesperson quickly tried to upsell them a fancier automobile when the price leader (aka “stripped-down” model) disappointed most customers. The seller thinks this Challenger was one of those cars, since it came with so few options, including no radio. However, that also means it has a Slant-6 engine and a 3-speed manual transmission, which is cool in its own right nowadays. Both are reportedly original and said to be in good working order.
The seller says he’s owned this Challenger for a few years and mentions it had some rust when he acquired it. Still, it’s described as far better than many projects out there, and several corrosion repairs have already been tackled. A few remain, along with additional bodywork, including a few areas under the primer that appear to show filler. The quarter panels may be the biggest culprits overall, but replacements are readily available, so this may be the best route.
A fender tag is still intact, but it isn’t shown, and I’m not sure what to make of those seats. No headliner is present, and the dash is cracked, so some additional interior work is still needed. Fortunately, the rails seem solid, so hopefully most of the remaining repairs will be above the frame. I sense that some potential buyers probably can’t wait to swap the Slant-6 and 3-speed for more satisfying components, but I’d probably keep this one as-is and restore it as close to original as possible. What would you do with this very basic 1970 Dodge Challenger?
Can you imagine the outcome if Kowalski drove this car? I think the ending would have been a lot different. Aside from the stick, I like it. We almost expect seeing a car like this, to be some snarling beast, totally out of kilter for today, yet,,with this car, you can LOOK like you are going fast, and still have a shred of responsibility. Not so in 1970, however, as I read the base Challenger here was about $2700. The hemi added almost $870. With the lack of options, I suspect the hood was added later. A total of 9929 of these were sold. Out of the almost 56,000 Challengers sold in 1970, it’s a safe bet most went with a V8. Okay, the 6 may be a bit lean for us throttle junkies, but for the future, we may as well get used to it. It’s a really cool car to be seen in, we just don’t need big V8s anymore. Nice find.
Howard. With this powertrain, not only would the ending of the movie have been different….
It would’ve Ended a LOT sooner too!!!😆 🤣 😂.
It would have ended with a whimper, not with a bang. But at least this one doesn’t have a column shift, which would have been really…unusual.
Talk about bait and switch. Bait us with 2 stunning Challengers, then switch to this homely thing Lol. I hope the reserve isn’t too high because I don’t think it’ll bring what they want imo.