Created as a belated response to the success of the 1964 Ford Mustang, the Dodge Challenger arrived in 1969, and the original iteration lasted solely for model years 1970 through 1974. After that, it had a convoluted history.
The first Dodge Challenger was a premiere on the new Chrysler E-body platform shared with the slightly smaller third-gen Plymouth Barracuda. It competed with the Mercury Cougar and Pontiac Firebird in the upper echelon of the pony car sector rather than Ford’s Mustang. However, its stay on the market was rather brief.
Revived for the 1978 model year, the second-generation Dodge Challenger is not something that Mopar fans will remember fondly – it was a rebadged Mitsubishi Galant Lambda coupe, sold as a captive import, and Plymouth had its own variant called Sapporo. Yes, it still featured the frameless hardtop styling of the original Challenger, but everything else was not on par with the pony sector, let alone the muscle car market.
Luckily, the second iteration died in 1985, and the nameplate remained shelved until 2008, when the third generation was presented as one of the best interpretations of old-school muscle car design in new 2000s fashion. To many, it’s even better than the trendsetter S197 fifth-generation Ford Mustang, and it was refined over the years to the point of turning into a Hellcat monster or even a double-time Demon and Demon 170.
Sadly, its stint on planet Earth has come to an end yet again, as Challenger production ended in December 2023 with no perspectives for an all-new iteration because the eighth generation Charger has reverted to the classic two-door fastback coupe format in addition to sporting a new four-door sedan body style for the Daytona and Sixpack revolution.
Of course, that means there’s still inventory left at dealerships around the country. But not everyone wants a new Challenger – some love the old-school feeling of the original iteration. For anyone looking to go home in something that will not only attract a crowd but also stand out in it, PC Classic Cars, a Sherman, Texas-based old-school dealership, has an interesting proposal for the Mopar enthusiasts – a “rotisserie-restored” 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A.
Yep, it’s the ‘Holy Grail’ (Trans Am) racing homologation car – a special model that was only available for the 1970 model year, helping Dodge race in the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans American Sedan Championship Trans Am. It’s the direct counterpart of the Plymouth ‘Cuda AAR, and unlike the race cars which ran a de-stroked 303 cu in (5.0-liter) version of the V8 engine, street versions got a modified 340 ci (5.6-liter) fitted with a triumvirate of two-barrel carburetors sitting on top of an aluminum intake manifold, creating the (in)famous 340 Six Pack. Dodge rated it 290 horsepower, making it a direct competitor for the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and Boss 302 Ford Mustang.
Obviously, these cars are rare finds and came with options like the TorqueFlite automatic or the pistol-grip Hurst-shifted four-speed transmission and manual or powered steering. As it turns out, these guys have an example in their inventory, and it looks absolutely stunning. Of course, that’s allegedly due to a complete rotisserie restoration process, and the mileage on the odometer reads less than 3k miles – but there’s a catch because the “actual mileage cannot be verified.”
The engine is a correct, unstamped T/A 340 Six Pack V8, and the transmission is original with numbers matching pistol-grip four-speed manual gearbox. There are also stock mufflers, correct side-exit T/A tips, power front disc brakes and manual steering, and no air conditioning. The colors are supposedly original – inside, there’s an H6XW white bucket seat cockpit, while on the outside, this Challenger rides shiny and chrome with the FC7 Plum Crazy and V1W white vinyl top on 15-inch Rallye wheels in the dealership’s inventory.
While there’s no AC, one of the previous owners did install a Custom Autosound radio – and the dealership now feels entitled to ask no less than $109,500 for the car. What do you think?