Michigan muscle car graveyard has very rare Dodge Challenger

  • This Michigan muscle car graveyard held some very rare vehicles
  • YouTuber Auto Archaeology paid a visit to check it out
  • One item of particular interest was a Dodge Challenger from 1970

Published on Sep 25, 2024 at 4:34 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson

Last updated on Sep 26, 2024 at 2:57 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

This muscle car collection left a classic car expert stunned, as a rare Dodge Challenger was found tucked away.

Ryan Brut, the host of the YouTube channel, Auto Archaeologist, paid a visit to his friend Jerry to check out his enviable collection.

It was spaced out over a two-story garage in Michigan, US.

The car that really got Ryan’s attention was a 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A.

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The curious case of the 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A

What does the T/A in the name stand for?

Trans Am, which was the name of a racing series held in North America from 1966 onwards.

Cars that fall under this category can often turn up in surprising places – like this Pontiac which spent years being owned by a ‘little old lady’.

Several cars have been featured, including big names from Ford to Chevrolet.

To qualify for a race, the car would need to be road-legal and the manufacturer would need to produce a certain number of units.

When making this 1970 Challenger, Dodge produced the exact number required to qualify – 2,399.

If fully restored, this Challenger T/A would sell for approximately $92,600 according to Classic.com.

As reported by The Sun, the most the car has ever gone for was $110,000 in 2022.

Jerry has had the car in his possession for over 20 years, having acquired it in 2000.

He said: “I bought the vehicle in 2000.

“It’s a lemon twist with a saddle tan interior, which makes it pretty unique… One day I was Googling the VIN, and a newspaper ad from California popped up, this car was listed for sale for five weeks.”

Auto Archaeology

Fortunately for Jerry, the car was legal to drive in California as a fitted ‘Emissions package’ made it road-approved.

Cars that don’t have the required changes – a closed, non-atmosphere-venting fuel system, a fuel vapor storage canister, and a smaller fuel tank – faced fines from the state.

At least it wasn’t banned from fifty states, like this car.

Other rare gems in this Michigan collection

This wasn’t the rare car in Jerry’s collection.

A convertible 1970 Plymouth Barracuda was also included, one of 2,501 units produced, so slightly less rare than the Challenger.

There is also a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner, one of 1,815 that were made with a 390HP engine.

Despite that, there’s still one Road Runner which managed to be rarer, thanks to something on its dashboard.

Needless to say, there are a lot of impressive names under Jerry’s roof.

To check it out for yourself, head over to Auto Archaeology’s YouTube channel.


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Ben Thompson

Ben got his start in journalism at Kennedy News and Media, writing stories for national newspapers, websites and magazines. Now working as a freelancer, he divides his time between teaching at News Associates and writing for news sites on all subjects.