Nice Rag Top Project: 1971 Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger was the last player to join the “pony car” movement – a full five years after the Ford Mustang stirred things up. The car was only in production for five years (1970 to 1974) before Chrysler decided to exit that market segment (the Plymouth Barracuda was retired, too). This 1971 Challenger convertible is one of only 1,774 built in 1971 with a V8 engine (another 83 came with a Slant-Six). It’s not running at the moment, with a different engine under the bonnet. Located in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, this Mopar is available here on eBay. $16,800 is the current bid, the reserve is unmet and the take-it-home now price is $32,500.
Dodge sold 165,000 Challengers overall in its five years, but nearly half that number was in the debut year. Muscle cars were beginning to fall out of favor in the early 1970s due to rising insurance premiums (and, later, fuel prices). The car was changed little over the duration except for bigger bumpers in 1973-74 and the exclusion of big-block motors after 1971. When the seller’s car was built, you could still get one with a Hemi, though the seller says this one had a 318 cubic inch engine when it was assembled.
We assume this Dodge is something of a restoration that has run its course with the seller. Bodywork has been done and all the floor pans are brand-new. As we see the interior with and without the seats installed, we don’t know its current status other than new interior pieces are included. The 318 was ditched in favor of a 383 which turns over but does not run (was it rebuilt?). Missing are the driveshaft and the exhaust system.
If you really wanted to go wild here, you could pull the 383 and drop in a freshly built 440 6-Pack that the seller will add to the deal for $9,500. We’re not sure if the red paint is going to need redoing, but it seems to be okay from the photos provided. If you’re looking for a rare ragtop project that has a lot of potential, could this Mopar be it?
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Comments
Superficially good looking. Some scary looking rust around the periphery. Potential buyers would be wise to check it out carefully.
The seller has a convertible GTX project for sale too.
Steve R
Seems like a whole lot of money for a car that not only has the wrong engine, but doesn’t run. As Steve R said, the body isn’t perfect either (look at the top edge of the driver’s door!!!).
Now here’s the Indy pace car crash, car. There have been several debates on why that happened. The driver, a local car dealer owner, Eldon Palmer, practiced the stunt a couple times, and placed cones where he should start braking. This is where it gets fuzzy. Some say, he underestimated the speed of the race cars, and had the gas mashed, resulting in a jammed throttle, others say someone moved the cones and reduced the stopping distance, plus he had 3 more people in the car. Apparently, Palmer, who died in 2016, kept that car for many years, the family recently selling it. For this price, may as well claim this is it.
You could go to the same junk yard this one came from and probably get a better deal. No drive shaft, no exhaust and he pretty much says it needs an engine. People have gone crazy with pricing these junk cars now days.
Overpriced yes but you don’t find them in junkyards anymore 🏎️