If this poor vehicle wasn’t something as desirable as a vintage E-Body, I’m guessing it would have been scrapped long ago, and it may still be best suited as a parts car. As I see it, the three possible saving graces are that it’s one of the 2 most desirable years for the first-generation Dodge Challenger, along with being a droptop. The seller also reports it’s a factory Plum Crazy car, but even that trio of positives may not offset the effort required to get this one back to even a driver. Whether you need a few parts or are highly skilled at saving basket-case projects, this 1971 Dodge Challenger convertible is in Epping, New Hampshire, and you can find it here oneBay. The owner has posted a buy-it-now price of $4,000, and there’s no option to make an offer.
To his credit, the seller seems to realize that this one may end up being picked apart, and mentions that the convertible top mechanism is still very solid. He also reports that all 4 side windows are present, and there may be a few other pieces here and there that could prove useful to transfer to another Challenger. The second owner reportedly painted the car blue, and it’s interesting that the inside left door panel was also painted, since many resprays neglect areas like this. However, a couple of photos show some FC7 Plum Crazy remaining, but at this point, I’m not sure how much a desirable factory color really matters.
Caretaker #2 also removed the engine, thought to be a 318, but there’s no explanation for why it was taken out. More than 4 decades have passed since this one was last on the road, with 1985 mentioned as the most recent possible year it was driven. It still has an automatic transmission, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up that it will function properly without a rebuild. Another surprising detail is that this is supposedly a low-mileage car, and the odometer photo shows 15,664.
When it was first parked, tarps apparently covered the exterior, but they’re said to have long since decayed, leaving the interior and just about everything else exposed to the elements. The condition doesn’t get much better down below, as the pictures from the underside also show extensive corrosion, so there may not be much hope of saving many of the rails. Still, a purple 1971 Challenger convertible is one highly sought-after Mopar, and it’s always possible it could be resurrected from the dead. Is this one worth the massive effort needed to restore?
Yeesh, parts car at best. It looks like the next wind storm, would blow what’s left away.
Lot of junk this week.
Ha! Well, it still beats Lambos and clearly other such unobtainables. All this shows is the desperation that this is even dragged out, and the last gasp before the shredder.
Desperation? It’s a flipper that picked it up cheap and is trying to turn a profit. If they were trying to save it from the crusher he’d be asking $500.
Steve R
N & O.
The seller better be willing to take offers. There isn’t $4,000 worth of salvagable parts on the car. I love ’70&’71 Challengers, but I wouldn’t think of trying to restore this one.