Introduced in 1970, as insurance rates for muscle cars were going through the roof, the Dodge Challenger was surprisingly successful and moved almost 77,000 units in its first year on the market. Based on this number alone, it’s anything but rare. However, certain variants of the Mopar are actually pretty hard to find nowadays.
The HEMI is arguably the rarest because Dodge made only 356 of them. While 287 were R/Ts, only 60 were ordered with the SE package, and just nine left the factory with a convertible top. Some Challengers fitted with the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) six-barrel are also scarce. Dodge made only 296 SE cars and just 99 convertibles.
Now I could go on listing all the drivetrain/trim variations that left the factory with three-digit production numbers, but they aren’t as rare as those fitted with a sunroof. Yup, Dodge offered an optional sunroof in 1970, but it wasn’t a very popular choice. Only 197 buyers got one, and, not surprisingly, far fewer than that are still around today.
So it’s one of those options that many Mopar enthusiasts are chasing around fervently. And when they find it, they through big bucks at the said Challenger. Of course, it all depends on the car’s condition and drivetrain. Back in 2019, for instance, the only 1970 Challenger HEMI with a factory sunroof in existence changed hands for a whopping $660,000.
The Mopar you see here does not have a 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8 under the hood, but it’s by far one of the most interesting 1970 Challengers of the barn find variety. Not only because it has a sunroof but also because it’s a numbers-matching car with low mileage. It has only 18,500 miles (29,773) on the clock.
But even though it’s quite rare (possibly one of fewer than 50 ordered with the 340-cubic-inch/5.6-liter V8), the Challenger failed to sell a couple of times since it came out of the shed. It was first listed on eBay in March 2022 and then auctioned off for a second time in May. It remained with the seller due to the reserve not being reached.
The current owner probably has it since October 2021 because that’s when we saw it emerge into the light at a yard sale. The video footage shows the car dirty, just like it came out of the shed, and gives us a peak at the bottom side of the roof. That’s important because while the seller claims “someone put a sunroof in it way back in the 70s,” the video reveals what appears to be a factory job.
Either way, the Challenger is now back for sale via eBay’s “barnescoredrilling” and bidding has reached $15,100 with four days to go. There’s no reserved price in sight this time around, so I guess the third time is a charm. How much do you think this shed find is worth?