RE: Original Paint Color '71 R/T?
There were definitely some chocolate brown Challengers made. I also remember seeing a chocolate brown T/A during the last ten years. I think this chocolate brown T/A was used in an advertisement in a Mopar magazine. That chocolate color was definitely not one of the more popular choices back in the daypeople loved green colors, just look at the color of furniture and kitchen appliances from the early 70s! Thinking back 35 years to my chocolate brown Duster's paint, it may have had dark metallic particles in the paint, if it had any metallic particles in it at all. It wasn't a bad looking color for a Duster, but it wouldn't do much to accent the lines and contours of a Challenger.
I really doubt that the chocolate brown color is the same color as Andrew's 71 Chall. R/T was originally painted. I mentioned that I saw (for the first time since 1974 when I got my liscense) a wierd brown/maroon color that seems to more closely meet Andrew's description of the original color of his car, on a Challenger convertible. The color had a definite maroon hew to it, but also looked somewhat brown (it had a burnt orange interior). I don't remember seeing this color on any other Mopar, ever. Unfortunately I can't find my 70 Challenger brochure at present which gives (at least) the advertised available colors for that year. I believe there were as many as 20 Challenger color choices for that year, though several colors were dropped and/or replaced for the 71 model year. I did take a color picture of this Challenger convert, which was at the Mopar Nats this past August, so if Andrew replies to my post, I would try and send a picture of this car to him or try to post one in this forum.
We all remember that various shades of medium and dark green were very popular in the mid to late 60s and early 70s (wonder how much Vietnam had to do with that!), but there were other colors. Bright red and medium blue metallic (especially on GM products) were two other very popular choices. I wonder how many 66-69 muscle cars (as well as pedestrian models) were painted maroon? While maroon wasn't that popular on Mopars of this vintage, it was pretty popular on Chevelles, Novas and Impalas made in those years. My teenage neighbor during the early 70s had a 67 Impala fastback that was maroon.
Andrew give me a holler if you want to see the picture buddy!