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Ura-Ki wins.I don't have the cool stories you guys have. But, back when I bought my Challenger, muscle cars were dirt cheap and everywhere! I had pick of the litter back then, A 71 Nova SS, a 69 Camaro SS, more Chevelles then I care to remember, and Big blocks coming out of every corner, take your pick! I decided I was a Mopar guy, and I wanted a 1964 Plymouth Fury big block car, or a 66 Charger Big Block. Spent all school year and summer looking, but didn't find a one. Two blocks from home was this horrible looking Challenger with it's Crager Coke Bottles and flat tires sitting under a tarp in the drive way. I had walked past it hundreds of times and only ever thought of it as an old busted up muscle car never knowing what a absolute gem it was. One day I saw the old man who lived there outside and decided to ask about the car, and he told me the whole story of how it came to be, and why it was sitting there, and that yes, he would sell it if I wanted it! We agreed on the price and he would help me load all the spare parts he had gathered and move the car to my home.
What I had bought turned out to be a super rare package delete car. The local Dodge dealer was famous for special ordering high performance cars and beating the factory's package rules. Turns out my car was ordered as a base model and outfitted with all the Drag Pack and R/T goodies, but was only really a base model, however, as a big block car, the factory had to make it offically an R/T to get the books to add up for the bosses! My car arrived at the dealer with the 360 Hp 440 with 4 speed hurst pistol grip shifter, Holly 835 4 Bbl carb, HD radiator, Hd front suspension and brakes, and stiffer bushings. It has the famous dana 60 rear with 3.93 gears and full locker with the scat pack drag shocks and springs, and bars and it was factory narrowed 4 inches each side. It has the factory drag pack side exhaust, and one of the super rare factory screw ups, the T/A rear valance with no exhaust cut outs, which makes my car super rare! It is also a stripe delete and vinal top delete car, and no performance hood! It was also ordered forest green metallic with the full black interior with the SE trim and center console! Lastly, the stock wheels wouldn't work, and the Rally's were not wide enough, so they fitted it with the Police Interceptor Wheels (15X8 fronts and 15X10 rears) and hubcap's from one of the pickups, it looks amazing like that! It actually only cost $360 more then the standard R/T, but because it was never listed on paper, the insurance companies didn't know what it was, and the buyers would be saving a metric ton in premiums!
Stock, she would rip through the Quarter in just a hair over 11 seconds @ 122 mph, with actual slicks, drag tuning and the front bars loosened up, she could break into the 10s pretty easy, and hit 130+ in the 1/4! She is fast, real fast. That big 440 will out rev all other big blocks, and while it never had the torque of some, it would out pull most. In fact, the only ones that could beat it was the Buick 455 stage 1, the light weight Hemi Cuda, or the 69 Vette 454! There were a few that came close, like the Super Cobra Jet Mustang and Thunderbolts, but very few! There were rumored to be a couple of factory light weight Hemi race cars roaming around the streets the Dodge dealers sons would creep around and get races, and then when the poor schlub lost, they would tell him all about the dealerships abilities to get you a winning car, and thus drive sales! Seemed to have worked, they were well known for selling these special order hotrods!
Back when I got this old beat up Muscle car, no body wanted them, no body cared, they were too expensive to drive, to expensive to insure and too expensive to maintain! They were loud, obnoxious, smelled like fuel, oil, and burning rubber, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!
That car sounds amazing....sounds like you still have it, too.
Smart of you not to sell it. Most Chrysler products from that time are worth a mint now.
Dean
