The seller is this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible’s third owner. He purchased the vehicle in 1983 and used it sparingly before placing it into dry storage for thirty-two years. It has emerged from hiding, and he has returned it to a roadworthy state. It wears its original paint and has the makings of a rewarding restoration project. It offers the buyer an excellent combination of stunning good looks and impressive performance. Located in Tampa, Florida, you will find the Challenger listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set his auction to open at $50,000, but there had been no bids at the time of writing.

Decoding the Fender Tag for this Challenger makes interesting reading. The owner believes that around 70% of the existing Bright Red paint is original, although it has seen better days. He regrets that he attempted to remove the White longitudinal stripe from the driver’s side. However, since the car needs a repaint, this should not be an issue for the buyer. The panels are pretty straight, with no significant bruises or marks. The white soft-top is a recent addition, and its condition is excellent. The car emerged from thirty-two years in dry storage in 2019 and has limited amounts of rust. There is some in the rear quarter panels and trunk pan, plus a small amount and some Bondo in the trunk filler panel. Beyond those problems, this classic appears to be rock solid. In 2019, the owner sent the original Rally wheels off to be stripped and refinished in their factory Argent as part of the revival process. He has wrapped these in a fresh set of BF Goodrich tires. Some trim may require restoration or replacement, but the glass is in good order. The limited rust means that whipping this body back into shape should not be a difficult or expensive undertaking.

When the original owner ordered this Challenger, he equipped it very nicely. He chose front bucket seats, a console, Rally gauges with a tachometer and 150mph speedometer, air conditioning, a 5-watt AM/FM radio, and White vinyl trim. Sadly, one of the previous owners either repainted or replaced the white vinyl with black, which was a retrograde step. The driver’s seat is badly torn, so the R/T will require new seat covers. That will leave the buyer with the choice to buy a trim kit to return the interior to its original shade of white or leave everything black. For the sake of originality and to maximize the potential value of this classic, I would be returning the interior to its original specifications. When the owner purchased the vehicle in 1983, he replaced the cracked dash pad with a NOS item. This remains in excellent condition, as is the dash and console. As part of the revival, he also fitted a new carpet set. The wiring harness is new, but the AM/FM radio is missing from the dash. The air conditioning system is complete, but it doesn’t function. Overall, returning this interior to a fully functioning and factory-fresh state is a task the buyer could tackle in a home workshop.

Buyers in 1970 faced the choice of three engines to slot under the hood of their new Challenger R/T. The original owner selected the 383ci “Magnum” V8 that produces 335hp. Bolted to this mighty V8 is a three-speed A727 automatic transmission. The car also features an 8¾” Sure Grip rear end, power steering, and power brakes. Performance figures are all that you might expect from a drivetrain of this caliber. The journey down the ¼ mile would take a respectable 14.7 seconds, which represents some pretty rapid wind-in-the-hair motoring. For potential buyers, the news here is all pretty positive. That 383 is a numbers-matching motor, as is the rear end. The transmission was replaced by a previous owner early in this classic’s life, but it is in good condition. When the owner purchased the vehicle in 1983, he pulled the engine and transmission and sent them off for a complete rebuild to their factory specifications. Because the car has spent more than three decades in hiding, the components have only clocked around 1,000 miles since the work was complete. When the owner decided to return the car to a roadworthy state, he rebuilt the brakes, replaced the master cylinder, sourced and installed a new wiring harness, flushed and replaced the fluids, and performed numerous other tasks to ensure that this car was safe and roadworthy. He says it runs and drives well and could be enjoyed immediately by the lucky new owner.

This 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible is not a cheap car as a restoration project. However, returning it to its former glory looks like it could be a pretty straightforward process. If a competent buyer were able to perform many of the required tasks in a home workshop, it could also be a relatively affordable proposition. Returned to a flawless state, it should be capable of commanding a value beyond $80,000. Dodge produced a mere 692 examples of the 383-equipped Challenger R/T Convertible in the 1970 model year, making this a reasonably rare classic. With those thoughts in mind, is this a project that you would be willing to tackle?