Every square inch of the body was stripped and refinished to show standards and the sheetmetal is straight enough to calibrate NASA instrumentation.
How do you make one of the most dramatic cars of the muscle era even better? Add more EVERYTHING! This stunning 1970 Dodge Challenger is one of the finest pro-touring builds we've seen in a long time, and it has a rather interesting story behind it, as well. Initially a well-optioned 318-powered convertible, it was given a rather substantial makeover in the late 1990s to create a mythical "could have been" Challenger T/A convertible, complete with a 340 Six-Pack engine and all the graphics. Well, in 2008 someone got a little too frisky and ventilated the block using a connecting rod, so the whole thing was sent to the pros at Custom Musclecars in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a complete rebuild. Starting with a 6.1 liter Gen 3 Hemi from a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, they created this one-of-a-kind Challenger R/T that simply devours the competition. It's got everything that made the Challenger one of the most popular pony cars of all time, plus all the modern upgrades that allow it to make Corvette drivers sweat.
The stunning yellow paint is a bit more vivid than then usual Top Banana Yellow that Ma Mopar was using in 1970, and rendered in two-stage urethane, it simply glows. Every square inch of the body was stripped and refinished to show standards and the sheetmetal is straight enough to calibrate NASA instrumentation. There's really no evidence that this was ever a rusty car, but at this point does it even matter what it was in a previous life? During the most recent makeover, the sinister T/A snorkel hood was refinished in satin black to match the R/T stripes and deck lid spoiler, and that was totally the right choice. The doors open and close so easily that you forget this is a 45-year-old convertible and as you'd expect from a car at this level, the gaps are exacting. The little mini spoilers on the chin are a cool T/A look and billet hood pins suggest that you're more than serious about your performance. Sadly, from the driver's seat you won't be able to see the super-trick LED taillight display that uses sequential turn signals and brake lights for an awesome effect that's probably worth money to see. There's absolutely nothing on this car that hasn't been massaged or tweaked to add a few cool points.
The gorgeous suede interior was custom stitched by the previous owner's family upholstery shop, who specialized in cars just like this. The original buckets were retained but now wear diamond-tufted seat covers that are plenty grippy and very stylish. Please note the custom yellow stitching on things like the head rests, center console, and even the convertible top boot, meaning every one of those items was custom made just for this car. The door panels are brand new with matching yellow inserts and a custom color-matched pistol grip shifter was created as well. The billet steering wheel kind of recalls the Tuff Wheels of the 1970s and it has been fitted to a polished tilt column that makes it easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. Of note, this car offers factory power windows and rare power locks, plus A/C, which has been upgraded to Vintage Air hardware so it's especially effective today. The original Rallye gauges are gone, replaced by a custom panel and a full array of Auto Meter Phantom instruments that add to the custom look. You'll also note a switch just to the right of the steering column that says "Overdrive" which is linked to a Gear Vendors overdrive unit behind the A833 4-speed manual gearbox, giving you the best of both worlds. There's also a killer JVC entertainment system with a touch-screen and remote control, all feeding Infinity Kappas speakers stashed throughout the interior and in the trunk. The power convertible top is now black Haartz canvas, not vinyl, so it looks expensive and seals up extremely well thanks to new rubber seals throughout. And speaking of the trunk, it's just as well-finished, with a pair of Rockford Fosgate Punch subwoofers in a custom enclosure and two Boston Acoustics amplifiers beautifully hidden under a custom trunk floor. The battery has also been relocated to the rear area and hides behind a neat-fitting panel.
If you're not impressed yet, you're going to be after you see the specifications on the running gear. As I said, the engine is a 6.1 liter SRT Hemi that was factory-rated at 425 horsepower but has been substantially revised to push that number pretty close to 500. It's totally dressed for show with a chrome intake manifold, custom cold air induction system, and color-matched coils and covers proudly identifying the HEMI powerplant. As much of the OEM hardware was retained as possible to insure reliability and easy road manners, and it definitely delivers: turn the key and the sucker fires instantly and settles into an even idle without any prodding. On the street, it's docile and easy to drive until you really crack the throttle, at which point you should probably be sure that the car is aimed where you want it to go. With a giant aluminum radiator and twin electric fans, it never even hints at getting hot, even in traffic with the A/C cranking, and it happily drinks a steady diet of pump gas, so if you have the guts, this could be your daily driver.
The aforementioned 4-speed manual gearbox pushes all that horsepower back to a Dana 60 rear end with 3.55 gears and a Detroit Locker inside, so it's actually pretty comfortable on the highway even without the overdrive, but hit the switch and it just loafs along at 1200 RPM and pulls down rather impressive fuel economy at the same time. The front suspension is a full AlterKtion setup with A-arms, coil-over shocks, giant sway bar, and power rack-and-pinion steering, so it definitely doesn't drive like a middle-aged Mopar. Gorgeous custom long-tube headers feed a spectacular dual exhaust system that will make the hairs on your neck stand up and the heavy-duty Moser-built rear end hangs on another set of adjustable coil-over shocks with trailing arms. Big Wilwood vented and cross-drilled disc brakes live at all four corners, and even with 500 horsepower on tap, it's hard to get in over your head with these binders. Subframe connectors reinforce the tub and provide a solid foundation, and this is a vintage muscle car that doesn't mind hustling around corners. Gorgeous Billet Specialties wheels were just custom-plated in black nickel by the experts at Meclec Metal Finishing in California for a very sinister look and they wear staggered 235/40/18 front and 285/35/18 Nitto performance radials.
Fully documented with an original Chrysler Corporation broadcast sheet, factory invoice, fender tag (the one on the car is a repro, but the original is included), lots of original documentation, build receipts, manuals, and several large albums of build photos and paperwork, this incredible Challenger is one of those cars that just couldn't possibly be duplicated for the asking price. Recently appraised at $125,000, it's available for quite a bit less than that and with fewer than 2900 miles on the build, it's still very, very fresh. An uncompromising Mopar that delivers on its awesome good looks.