Is It An R/T? 1970 Dodge Challenger
This Mopar has some great things going for it and some that aren’t so great. It’s a 383 with a Hurst shifted 4 speed car, with the high performance 4 barrel carb and 335 horse. The back half of the car is wearing it’s original paint, but the front half appears to have been rattle canned. The seller states that it is an R/T, but it lacks all of the R/T badges. It does have the S code stamped in the VIN, but it could also be a Special. Whether it’s an R/T or just a Special, it is a sweet Mopar and would be worth saving! You can find it here on eBay in Cave Creek, Arizona with a current bid of $17,600. So do you think this one is an R/T or just a Special?
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Comments
Trim plate has partial VIN and shows “JS” which indicates an RT.
JC
JS does mean it is an R/T. I know there was an optional package for V8 Challengers to make it look like an R/T but I think it was the smaller engines. Maybe they were going for a sleeper look
Cave Creek ,Arizona! There is a little micro brewery down there that puts hot peppers in its beer. I know…a little off subject. However, nothing like a cold beer to heal busted knuckles.
Cool car. The pictures were not taken in Cave Creek, AZ though. I live about 5 miles from Cave Creek and the landscape is not typical of what you would find in the desert. It’s too “green” with too much grass. The trees are wrong too for the desert.
Your right, i go to cave creek almost everyday.
Cave Creek is also known as home Hells Angels chapter for Sonny Barger, I have a friend who lives near there, and rides motorcycles. (He is not in the HA) Kind of a infamous place.
With the bidding at over 17k, I’m guessing the people bidding have done their homework…so my guess it’s the real thing….
Given the options I would rather have a ‘Cuda, and came close to owning a challenger and a Cuda but missed out. Now any of these command such high prices i doubt it will ever happen. But IF I won the lottery??? Personally, Id love to have this one. Small block and 4 speed would be my choice. Also the color is gawd awful, just like the Boss Mustang recently. But painted Plum Purple, or the Orange or Yellow?…Plus rally stripes.
Oh well, nice barn find but isnt going to end up in my garage
fifth letter in the vin is the motor on mopars…..and should be found on the fender tag also
wow that’s a nice fender tag and he is careful not to show the vin…..still pretty sure the dash pad should have the R/T on it or the door panels….the outside I can go with them being gone….it’s been since the 80’s that I owned mine….could be a special that was order with all the R/T stuff but plain jane it for insurance purposes/
70 challenger 383 four speed .it would be lots of fun .and prob rust free.I had a 71 challenger one time from Arizona it was rust free as well .I hope mine comes from out west on my next Mopar it would be nice to have a solid one.like that.
Every MoPar I looked at in AZ in the 80’s had rusted out trunks
Indifferent build quality when new equaled leaks and water sitting under plastic trunk mats which then (back in the early 80’s) equaled rotten trunk floors.
I did find a couple that weren’t rotten but that was the rare exception to the MoPar trunk rot rule …
Yes it has a RT side stripe looks like.front fender stripe should have a RT into the stripe but looks like its gone or might be another fender .if you walk up to the car personally you can tell if that’s the original stripe or not on the rest of car .things to look for front swaybar .ralley dash.heavy duty susp.cool exhaust tips.and the 383 mag.can suck the tailights out of just about anything out there.
Look for build sheet under rear seat or above gas tank. This will tell you if it has R/T package
Its not an SE, it doesnt have the smaller rearwindowinsert and no leather seatcovers.
I had a 1973 Dodge Challenger. It was 1st tan .Then I put an R.T. hood on it headers and duall exhaust.Then painted it metallic blue.It had the 318 and slap stick auto. I lost it to the 1st ex wife in court. Boy do I miss that car.I think I still have a picture of her. Bruce.
In the mid 80’s,I had a 70 RT/SE and was strangely optioned.It had a 383,automatic on the column,cloth inserts,no leather.I believe most SE models had an overhead console with low fuel,door ajar lights.Mine also had factory air conditioning which previous owner removed,probably because the plugs were hard enough to change (usually from under the car.It also had a vinyl top that was a alligator skin pattern.Man I miss that car.
Simply stated… ALL challengers that have JS at the beginning of their VIN are official R/T’s.
It is definitely an RT, the data tag confirms that.
The S code was only used in 1970 and 1971 for the RT and then in 72 for the Rallye.
No sale at $21,600.
I think I found a picture of mine before the ex got it.Bruce.