Well Balanced: 1972 Dodge Challenger Rallye
What’s up with all of these sweet Mopars lately? So if you read the recent post about the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, you’re up to speed on how these were slow-to-sell when new. You may not have known that Chrysler lost money because the volumes never materialized and with new EPA regulations coming, management canned this model by 1974. In the current market, you’ll see that the 1970-71 Barracudas and Challengers demand far more money than the 73-74 models. This particular Challenger, which you can find here on eBay in Jackson, New Jersey, came with the biggest engine available for 1972 which is the 340 c.i. V8 with 240 horsepower. By ’72, the big blocks were gone and the smaller engines were down on power due to emissions controls.
This isn’t all bad though since the 340 was a healthy engine and was also much lighter than the larger engines which helped handling. The R/T trim level was renamed Rallye for 1972 which gives this car the optional performance hood. This was also a comfortable cruiser with the Torqueflight automatic transmission and air conditioning.
This Challenger has been stored in a garage since 1990 and is said to be completely numbers matching including every component in the drivetrain. It also has a decent interior assuming you like brown, tan and cream!
The 340 under the hood looks crusty but the owner says it runs and drives after installing new plugs and cleaning the carburetor. I’ll bet the A/C doesn’t work but at least all of the parts are there if you want to try to keep yourself cool in the summer. This car has some rust around the front and rear wheels but replacement sheet metal is available. Oh and one other thing: the seller claims that the build sheet is on the bottom of the driver’s seat. My Duster had it on the bottom of the back seat. Do the Challenger’s have them in a different location?
Auctions Ending Soon
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1Bid Now9 hours$7,100
2003 Porsche Boxster SBid Now10 hours$6,250
1966 Lincoln ContinentalBid Now12 hours$500
2000 Jaguar XJ8LBid Now4 days$1,250
1977 Datsun 280ZBid Now5 days$275
Comments
Nice
Build sheets could be found in a number of places including on top of the glove box, top of the gas tank, behind the rear seat back rest, under the rear seat cushions, behind the door panels, and elsewhere. Often you may find more than one in a car and even one from some other car.
From another car? What’s the point?
They were thrown in on the line… if one was forgotten it often got put in the next one. It’s no big deal to have that as they are marked with the VIN, but it does mean that some don’t have them. These days you may also have the wrong one due to someone swapping parts at some point in the last 40+ years.
bill of sale car…………………………………………..it had to be registered somewhere. any help or ideas.
If New Jersey is one of the states that only requires a bill of sale it’s no big deal, your states DMV will let you know what it needs to transfer the car into your name. It’s something you, the buyer, needs to look into before purchase.
Steve R
I always considered these to be one of the better looking muscle cars from that era, and much better looking than the new one they build today. When it comes to performance, however, I’d give an edge to the 340 Duster or equivalent Dodge Demon 340 compared to a 340 Challenger, although it makes little difference now days since it’s all about bucks. These were late comers in a saturated market and never sold as well as expected, unfortunately.
They were 100 pounds lighter, hence, better performance. Plus, they cost a lot less, easier to insure too. Not as sexy but still pretty nice compared to the Valiant, I can see why they stole sales away from the E Bodies.
I don’t get it or understand it! This car is not disassembled or suitable to be buried in back yard like a Corvette or Porsche and reasonable 👀
Someone throw the wheels away or disassemble as I am thinking it’s reasonable and a real project car to restore that runs and has potential 🤓
Am I dreaming or is yellow crime tape and dismembering folks in it 🤣 kidding
I had av71 with a 318 auto an ac. It ran good but it ran a helluva lot but with intake carb n exhaust..i always liked the 70 n 71 but i just cant take the front ends of 72 to 74..but i would love to have either one of the early 70s challengers…i miss mine…
I’m cool with any year E body and actually dig the earthy color scheme…classy and understated. In my world, a 340 is the one to have. Nice that it escaped being painted in the usual plum crazy or sublime with 70-71 RT graphics.
The 340 was the better motor to have but not the biggest. You could get a 360 in the 72 to 74 challengers.
These cars could be had for $500 or less in the early 1980s.
Having driven both, I would much rather have this car with the 340 than the 70 with the 383.