A rare 1970 Dodge Challenger that’s been left to rot in a barn for decades has a nice surprise hiding under its hood.
This classic muscle car is clearly a sign of its time, but its original V8 engine is still fully functional.
Beginning production in 1969 and first released as a 1970 model, the Dodge Challenger was an instant hit, with 77,000 sold in its first year.
Read more! A man drives to Arkansas to buy a rare 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A and makes a surprising discovery
The Dodge Challenger has been doing better than ever.
Sales slowed after that, with a slight uptick in 1973. But there are still plenty of these cars left.
Sadly, many of them end up in the same situation as this car, which spent years in a pole barn before being moved to a warehouse and is now up for sale on eBay.
After sitting idle for over 20 years, the car is in pretty bad shape: the Dodge Challenger’s panels are covered in rust and the original soft top is no longer there.
The interior isn’t in much better shape either, there’s a lot of rust and the dash is cracked.
But interestingly, under the hood of this car is a perfectly capable four-barrel 340 cubic inch (5.6 liter) V8 engine.
The seller also included a clip showing the engine starting without any issues.
This engine is not exclusive to this car, but is the original engine from a 1970 Dodge Challenger.
It’s actually a pretty rare model.
Not only that, but while your average 1970 Dodge Challenger isn’t all that rare, this one is a bit special.
Of the roughly 77,000 Challengers built in 1970, only 3,884 were equipped with a retractable top like this car, according to AutoEvolution.
Of these cars, 963 are R/Ts and another 378 are Slant-6s, making this car 1 of 2,543.
The car’s engine adds to its rarity, with just 2,157 of the 318 V8-equipped droptops being produced, and considering it comes with an automatic gearbox, production numbers are likely to drop to around 1,500.
The Dodge Challenger will have been produced for three generations before the last model rolls off the production line in 2022.
If you’re a car enthusiast, you might want to check out this Dodge Challenger concept car that breathes new life into a classic car — and it doesn’t have a speck of rust in sight.
# Tags – Cars, Dodge Challenger
