Man drove to Arkansas to buy rare 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A, but made a startling discovery when getting there
- The collector was hoping to buy a ‘T/A’ Dodge Challenger
- Only around 2,400 Dodge Challenger T/A models are known to exist
- This one appears to be a standard Challenger with a T/A engine
Published on Jul 15, 2024 at 12:23 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jul 15, 2024 at 8:31 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
An American muscle car collector drove all the way to Arkansas, hoping to buy a rare iteration of the 1970 Dodge Challenger, but it was a wasted trip.
Once he got there, he found out the car wasn’t what he hoped it would be.
It wasn’t even in good condition.
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A collector and muscle car enthusiast who goes by Mopars5150 was hoping to find a Challenger T/A, but instead he only found a ‘normal’ Challenger.
The 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A is a rare beast
T/A stands for Trans Am, as in the race, and Dodge only built 2,400 of those.
Some sources say 2,399 while others say it was to 2,539 but, either way, it’s a rare car.
The T/A was the only 1970 Challenger to use a six-barrel 340 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) V8.
Unfortunately for the buyer, this one is probably not a T/A, as it doesn’t have the right badge on the front grille and no T/A-specific stripes on the sides.
There are two more things that look a bit dodgy.
First, the VIN plate was missing, and the owner had no idea what happened to it.
Second, there was a home-built air cleaner under the hood.
There are red flags everywhere.
Basically, this was probably just a ‘standard’ R/T with an aftermarket 340 Six Pack engine.
A short history of the Challenger
Here’s an interesting fact about the Dodge Challenger: there have been only three generations to date.
Even though the Challenger has been around since 1969, only three generations exist.
But this is because there was a huge 25-year hiatus during which Dodge stopped selling Challengers.
The second-gen Challenger was discontinued in 1983 and the third generation was only unveiled in 2008.
Unfortunately it looks like something similar might happen in the future.
The last upgraded model was unveiled in 2022, and it has already been discontinued.
Earlier this year, the last ever Dodge Challenger left the factory.
The future is uncertain.
Dodge is apparently considering replacing its best-selling muscle car with an electric one, the Daytona (above), but this isn’t making fans particularly happy.
We’ll probably know more soon.
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