Kimberly V. Althage – February 11, 2022
The 1970 Dodge Challenger made its debut in the fall of 1969 when Chrysler decided to compete factory backed cars in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-American Championship racing series. Since SCCA rules required Dodge to sell production editions of the track car, Dodge finally got a legitimate pony car built for the street that was wilder than the competition model. For one the Challenger T/A had a bigger engine than its racing counterpart. This first-generation Dodge Challenger arrived a bit late to the muscle car scene, but its entrance was dramatically successful, and the lasting effect of those efforts made are still seen in vehicles of today.
Original 1970 Challenger T/A models are incredibly rare due to heavy financial losses in both the racing program and in the production of the assembly line cars. Dodge could not sell enough cars to reach a break-even point to cover research and engineering cost of the project, let alone the assembly line hassles and costs. Therefore, the model was dropped as quickly as its introduction making it one of the most legendary and short-lived models in Dodge history.
This Challenger T/A is powered by a “period correct” 340ci V8 engine and what is believed to be the original 4-speed manual transmission. Both were rebuilt about 500 miles ago. This 1970 Challenger T/A has been restored was originally restored in 1991 with original parts for the most part, then refreshed once more in 2016. It handles curves well and is fast in the straights. Its distinctive appearance and being mechanically unique makes it unlike any other E-body.
More than 50 years later and the 1970 Challengers are as desirable as classic muscle cars get. The Dodge Challenger T/A (Trans Am) may have been limited in production, but it reminds us of an era where true performance and handling were first successfully combined in an American muscle car. Simply it is Dodge’s best-looking creations to date.
If you would like to learn more about this distinguished special edition with high-performance contact our team in the Detroit Showroom. They can answer all your questions about this gorgeous Challenger T/A.
Gateway Classic Cars sells and consigns hundreds of vehicles each month. Do you have a classic car for sale with a story to tell? We’d love to hear about it, please email us at news@gatewayclassiccars.com to share it.
Comments