Historical '70s one-of-four muscle car found in Washington after 45 years
- A Washington content creator is restoring a 1970s muscle car
- The barn find had been parked for 45 years
- The 1970 Plymouth Sport Fury GT V Code 440-6 was one of four
Published on Apr 18, 2025 at 11:54 AM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Mar 27, 2025 at 2:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
A US-based content creator who specializes in restoring old Mopars discovered a historical 1970s muscle car barn find that had been hidden away for 45 years.
The 1970 Plymouth Sport Fury GT V Code 440-6 was a rare one-of-four barn find.
It had been parked there since 1981.
After a little TLC, however, it was left looking like new.
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US muscle car barn find
Tom Hergert from Rocket Restorations in Olympia, Washington is no stranger to restoring old Mopars.
The car was originally owned by ‘Dan’ in West Virginia who subsequently passed it down to his son, Brent, who in turn contacted Hergert for the restoration.
The car had 36,000 original miles on the odometer and a surprisingly clean interior, despite being stored in a barn for 45 years.
Turns out that it’s the V-code 446 six-barrel engine coupled with a high-performance variant from Plymouth’s Rapid Transit System that makes it so rare.
Only 66 V-code cars were made in the U.S. in 1970, and this car is one of the very few known survivors, with only 13 known to be left in existence.
The six-barrel engine includes special performance parts like high-performance camshafts, valve springs, and heavy-duty components for more power and torque.
“This is pretty much my dream car,” Hergert said.
The restoration
The engine is stuck after decades of inactivity, so Hergert is forced to remove and fully restore it to get it running again.
While some components, like the alternator, have been replaced, the car still retains many original parts, including the exhaust manifolds and the voltage regulator,
The car has some accident damage on the body and bent suspension components, but the restoration goal is to preserve as much of the original body and history as possible.
Hegert and his team plan to carefully restore the barn-find gem while documenting the process, while preserving its authenticity for the future.
“I don’t want to ruin any of the history on this car or any of the original paint,’ Hergert said.
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London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness, and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the senior content writer and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms, and coveted brands. When her OOO is on from writing about cars and heading up on-site SEO you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym, or exploring the city she loves.
