Here’s why three Dodge Challengers were locked away in a Texas barn since the 90s

A man discovered not one, not two, but three 1970s Dodge Challengers that had been locked up in Bridgeport, Texas, since the 1990s. 

This trio of Dodge Challengers had interesting histories attached to them which went some way to explaining why they were off the road. 

With so many years in storage, the three classic motors were ripe for restoration to return to their former glory.

Thankfully, it seems as though the perfect candidate for the job arrived just in time.

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The three Dodge Challengers had an interesting past

The Dodge Challenger was launched all the way back in 1969 and quickly went on to become one of America’s most beloved muscle cars. 

The first-generation Challengers were made between the model years 1970 and 1974 – the cars were a hit, with 165,437 units sold during that time. 

The car’s popularity means you still see examples of them today, such as this early 1970s model that still had its original V8, or this 1973 Dodge Challenger that was in need of some TLC. 

Luckily, in this case – the Challengers were discovered by car enthusiast Richard Rawlings, the owner of Gas Monkey Garage and star of the Fast N’ Loud TV series. 

Rawlings and his team specialize in restoring old muscle cars, so these three might get a whole new lease of life. 

The man selling the Challengers, introduced as Landy, arrived at the barn to talk through the cars. 

The purple RT Challenger earned itself the nickname ‘Trouble’ from Landy. 

We’ll let you have a guess why. 

The cars had been parked since the 1990s

The owner explained that he had to spend two weeks working on the car as soon as he got it, and even after he managed to get it up and running it would throw another problem in his face at random intervals. Not ideal.

Landy nicknamed the black Challenger Night Thing and admitted that it was a personal favorite. 

Finally, there was a 1971 orange-colored Challenger that had belonged to Landy’s wife. 

Explaining why the cars ended up in storage, Landy says that after a few run-ins with the police, local cops made a note of what vehicles he and his wife drove and would regularly pull them over while out and about. 

This was enough to put them off driving the cars and they’ve been in storage ever since. 

In the end, Landy sold the three cars for $38,000 – a sweet restoration project for Rawlings and a fresh start for the cars.