Once someone determines a car will become a classic, they go out of their way to maintain it in as good condition as possible. For most, that means making sure they are kept in climate-controlled facilities and started as often as possible. For others that means using a hoist in a bid to keep the car off the ground altogether.
That's how this amazing 1970 Dodge Charger R/T spent a good portion of its life. And let's face it, it shows, as the vehicle is as shiny as it was when it rolled off the assembly lines 54 years ago. Sure, a lot of work performed at various moments during its life helped with that too.
The ICE-powered Dodge Charger needs little introduction as it is still one of the pillars of the American automotive industry today. Or, to be more precise, an icon Americans will not let go of not even after the model switches to electric drivetrains.
Proof of that is the flood of Chargers of old that continuously sell at auctions across the nation for sums that make our heads spin. And this here example will probably do the same when it goes under the hammer at the end of the month.
The car you're looking at is not your average Charger, if there ever was such a thing, but one that has at least two levels of rarity. The first is the fact it is one of just 112 HEMI-powered Chargers assembled in 1970, the last year of the model's second generation.
The second, and even more important, is the fact it's one of just 56 examples to pair the said engine with the 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
The car was born into this world all those years ago with the A32 Super Performance Axle Package that enhanced the capabilities of the ride with pieces of hardware like a Dana 60 rear end, Sure-Grip differential, power steering, and power disk brakes.
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
That's an impressive setup, one that was made even more so during the several overhaul procedures the car went through throughout its life.
The first time the car went in the shop for a major overhaul was in 1990, when a Pennsylvania-based garage called Rick's Auto Body stripped all the original paint, including on the underside, and refinished it.
The Charger now wears a body color called FF4 light green metallic, and tops that off with a VF1 green vinyl roof. During the overhaul, the two bumpers were chrome-plated.
Mechanical work on the Charger was conducted in 1997, also in Pennsylvania. It was then that the car's engine and transmission were taken out to be rebuilt. They are still there, in matching-numbers form, only in modified form.
The engine for instance now rocks custom-made oversized pistons, the crank was undersized and rebalanced, and a hydraulic lifter cam was fitted. The HEMI now uses a new high-volume oil pump, but also a set of new Carter carburetors, which is the brand original to the car. Breathing needs are handled through a complete stock exhaust system, only reworked.
The above-mentioned underside setup of the car suffered some changes as well. At the front there are now TRW parts and bushings, new shock absorbers were installed all around, and the braking system now relies on a new Mopar master cylinder. As a touch of class, a new Mopar NOS power steering box and pump were fitted in place.
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
As for the transmission, it too was tweaked. Although it remains the original one, it was rebuilt and fitted with a HEMI torque converter.
Then, in 2006, the Charger was gifted with a Mopar reproduction battery, and a new electric fuel pump with multi-spark ignition was added. These changes, the owner says, were required because the car was almost never driven.
The interior of the Charger has that original feel to it, but work was conducted here as well. The main areas of focus for the car's handlers, were the wood grain dashboard, the leather bucket seats, and the vinyl roof.
The 1970 Dodge Charger R/T with a HEMI heart has not left the garage since 1999, although people were able to admire it as part of something called the Frank Tiegs Collection since 2006. The collection comprises no less than 28 muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s, including this Charger, but also Camaros and Oldsmobiles.
For most of this time the Charger was displayed on a hoist in a heated garage, making it one of the most pampered such cars in existence.
The car is going under the hammer at the end of the month in Scottsdale, Arizona. Auction house Barrett-Jackson will try to find a new owner for it in a no-reserve sale, making it impossible for us to estimate the exact value of this HEMI beauty.
We will of course come back on this story once the hammer falls and update you with info on the sale price.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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