CLASSIC CHALLENGER COLLECTING

I’m a collector. Car stuff mostly. Stuff pertaining to cars I own especially. Recently I reviewed my collection of 1970 to 1974 Dodge Challenger literature and memorabilia, and share these observations.

1. Chrysler publications of the day include several issues of “Dodge Magazine” from fall and winter 1969 with articles on the newcomer 1970 Dodge Challenger. Only a half dozen different magazine ads appeared in many publications. Most common are two page color ads found in the color magazine supplement of the local Sunday newspaper. Most always an attractive young woman or couple posed with the car. Challengers most often dressed in red/orange and purple colors. Scat Pack, Dodge Boys, Rapid Transit Authority and the Sheriff are common themes.

2. Automotive publications of the day paid great attention to the newcomer, Dodge Challenger, in the fall of 1969. Every automotive publication and some popular genre magazines dedicated at least one cover or photo on cover or headline to Dodge Challenger. Fewer articles appeared for the 1971 model and a nearly empty basket is had for model years ‘72, ‘73 and ‘74. All sorts of Challengers were provided to the automotive media for review. Base coupes and convertibles, 440 RT’s and 6 packs and even SE’s and hemis were put in the media reviewer’s hands. Reviews were universally positive with the most common complaints of austere interior, and poor steering control of the front end heavy, big block equipped cars. In retrospect, the ABS interior foretold of the use of plastic in today’s cars, and sports like handling was of little consequence in a go fast, go straight Mopar muscle car anyway.

3. Looking through the magazines of 1969 and 1970, consider these products vying for a man’s attention:
Hai Karate after shave
electric razors
weight loss
cigarettes
8 track players for home and auto
Dry look hair spray
work at home opportunities

4. Accepting the gentle waft of mildew from a 35 year old magazine consider these groundbreaking innovations chronicled as “new”, with some evaluated as “never to be seen on a modern automobile”...
Air Bags
the NEW Boeing 747
Color keyed bumpers (not chromed)
Smog and emissions controls.

The pavement pounding, high class, 1970 and 1971 Dodge Challengers wrote their own history book over 35 years.

1. The Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. An orange convertible with white interior was driven by a guest celebrity who parked it nose first into the pit wall after losing control. Professional drivers have superceded celebrity guests behind the wheel of subsequent pace cars.

2. Vanishing Point. The original 1971 and remake (1997) have earned cult classic status for followers of Kowalski on his cross country drive. Enthusiasts note that, a dime a dozen, lesser car, a Camaro, was used for the climactic crash scene.

3. Muscle and Mopar genre magazines have given ongoing credence to restored, modified, race worthy and clone Challengers for 35 years. They persisted even during the dark gas shortage days and intervening lost generations. One article compares the performance of a Plum Crazy 1970 Hemi Challenger to a 1994 Viper. Muscle learns new lessons.

4. Scale model dealer promotional models and scale model kits from Johann, AMT, Revell, Monogram and Palmer graced store shelves in the 1970's. After a lag in time, die cast cars in scales 1:18 TO 1:87 by Ertl, Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Johnny Lightning represent various model years 1970, 1971, 1972 and have been in the pipeline for distribution for 20 years. Currently Johnny Lightning, Maisto and Dub are offering 1:24 scale issues.

5. Big cars for big boys. Currently Chip Foose and XV Motorsports are setting the stage to rebuild 1970 and 1971 era Challengers as resto mods with up to date suspension and handling and crate Mopar engines.

6. Did anyone say “Barrett Jackson”? For the past several year