1971 brought about a few minor changes, but
these were changes that obviously had more impact
than intended as sales plummeted from 72,975
in 1970 to just over 30,000 in 1971. A newly
designed grille was present on all of the Challengers
for 1971, and the most obvious change of sorts,
was the aforementioned drop of the T/A, although
many of the T/A options could still be ordered
on R/T models. The R/T convertible was also
dropped, and the SE Luxury package and ragtop
options were only available on the base model
Challengers. The base model actually received
the most benefit for 1971, with the introduction
of the base model droptop, and with the addition
of an extra engine, the 318 cubic inch V8 which
offered 230 horsepower. The 225 cubic inch slant
six, and the 340 cubic inch engines were also
still offered, and of the roughly 30,000 1971
Challengers sold, over 25,000 of them were the
base model. The R/T model, while losing the
convertible option also lost some power. It
still came standard with the 383 cubic inch
engine, but due to new government standards,
it was 30 horsepower lower than the previous
year. The 440 6-pack was the only 440 cubic
inch engine offered, but it also received a
drop of 5 horsepower. The Hemi was still available,
and still offered 425 horsepower and 490 lb-ft
of torque, and 1971 brought the introduction
of the small block to the R/T lineup with the
340.
The R/T did receive a few cosmetic changes, such
as the option of color-keyed bumpers, non-functional
brake cooling gills in front of the rear wheels,
and new striping down the side, which was punctuated
right over the rear wheels with the R/T logo.
There was one special edition trim line offered
in 1971, which were Indianapolis 500 Pace Car
clones, and these were only offered by a few dealerships
around the Speedway. There were 50 of these Pace
Car clones made, and all of them were Hemi Orange
convertibles with white interior, and just three
had high-performance options; two 340 cubic inch
engines, and the official Pace Car, with a 383
cubic inch engine. The actual Pace Car was driven
by Eldon Palmer, who owned one of the dealerships
selling the special edition cars. When practicing
getting the Challenger up to speed, and braking
it gradually coming down pit road, he had marked
the appropriate point at which to start braking
with an orange road cone. When the actual race
began, and Mr. Palmer dove into the pit area as
the cars roared past, he realized that his road
cone, which indicated where he should begin slowing
down, was gone. Unfortunately, there was no where
for him to go as the car simply would not stop,
and he slammed into a crowded section of bleachers
filled with members of the press, and the car
was substantially damaged. After this incident,
the Pace Car trim line did not sell very well,
nor did the available aftermarket striping packages.
Read more about the 1971 Dodge Challenger
1964-1969 | 1970
| 1971 | 1972-1974
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and Beyond
