Challenger T/A history
 

With the SCCA's Trans Am wars in high gear Dodge build a car for the occassion.

The T/A is a better balanced-package with less eight over the front wheels unlike its big-block counterparts therefore it was more nimble and had better handling.

The high revving 340 V8 engine with its triple carburetors and the Torqueflite transmission gave awesome acceleration. It was originally designed as a road racer
but it became a factory street rod. One of the most common colors of this Challenger was Pink Panther Pink.

So would you prefer a T/A or R/T version of the Challenger.

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

Didn't the R/T have a faster engine? Which ever one is faster is the one I would go with! The T/A is nothing to sneer at by anymeans. It was a sweet car to say the least.

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

where did you get that review? or did you write it?

the challenger TA was limited to around 2,400 units, and the 340+6 made an advertised 290hp, but it was proven to actually make around 350. Yes, the high end big block made more power, but they also weighed more which affected handling. a hemi or 440+6 challenger RT will likely beat a stock TA, but in the turns the TA would aceel against the RT. a 3.55 was stock, but you could get a 3.91.

the TA was great for high speed cornering and road racing, but the suspension setup made for a bad daily driver, evidently. it was one of the first cars (if not the first car) top feature bigger tires under the back end...it also came stock withj a fiberglass hood, side exit exhaust...

the only thing that im not sure about (and i cant verify this, im just curious) is that panther pink was one of the most popular colors?

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

RT, but like RLSH700 said the TA is nothing to sneer at, my dream car is a '70triple black RT/SE Challenger with a 440 Six Pack, 4speed, Dana 60 with a 4.10.[8D]

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

anyone can go fast with a big block...:D

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

Patrick were you talking to me or Jeremiah, I'm guessing Jeremiah. The 340 was underrated big time and was amazing, I just prefer if money is no object to have the HEMI. If money was an object then the 340. The T/A was one tuff package and demanded major respect. How did the T/A package compare against their competition from GM and Ford, (did they kick the other two's behinds).

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

from what i understand, they only made the TA for one year because it was not competitive. im not sure why that would be, as the 290hp engine actually put out about 350, and the camaro and mustang were also rated at 290...however, keep in mind that the actually SCCA TA challengers had destroked, and much higher performance engines...to look at the challenger compared to the 70 camaro and mustang, it just looks to be bigger, which wouldnt help for TA racing.

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

So did the T/A street models beat the Camaro and Mustang equivalent models? Did the 340 kick those cars' behinds? What engine sizes did their competitors have for the street models.

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

because of the suspension on the TA, they were not good cars for street driving, as the back end sat high to clear the big tires and it is said that they understeered badly...

its direct competition from ford was the boss 302, which also built at advertised 290hp...and a few sites said that the "camaro and mustang had the same hp" but everything that i can find for a 70 camaro says 350hp...however, the 327 powered 69 camaro made 275hp...

RE: Challenger T/A history
 

This guy was at the right place at the right time to get this beauty.

Parts for '70 Challenger T/A were tough to find

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, June 24, 2006


Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski
Walter Baker of Harrisville didn't really know what he had when he bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A for $700 in 1981. The limited-edition pony car was built for racing.Walter Baker of Harrisville didn't really know what he had when he bought this 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A for $700 in 1981.

"I drove it for about six months and then decided to do the body over," he said. "But I ran out of time and I parked it for about 20 years." But Baker knew he had something special, even if he wasn't sure how special, so he finally called Todd Lewis of Xtreme Restorations in Slatersville, who told him he had one of the rarest Mopars in existence.

Only 2,399 T/A (Trans Am) models were made between March 10 and April 17, 1970, enough to cover qualifications for racing. Manufacturers were required to make some street versions of the cars they raced.

It's the sister car of the Plymouth AAR Cuda, though Barracudas and Challengers have different dimensions.

That spurred Baker, who owns a trucking company, to do a full-blown restoration that has produced a show car that he rarely drives.

First, he had to find a 340-Six Pack engine that powered all T/A models. "The person I bought the car from had put in a 318 automatic because he said his girlfriend had too many speeding tickets," Baker said. He found the drivetrain in Smithfield and spent years seeking out other parts.

They aren't that easy to find. "A lot of this stuff was available only in 1970," Baker said. And many of the items are exclusive to the T/A model. Baker paid a premium for a Fiberglas hood, for example, so that he could have the correct chrome pieces.

The 340-Six Pack is coupled with a four-speed transmission with a Pistol Grip shifter. It has dual side exhaust pipes in front of the rear wheels, which are larger than the front wheels so the pipes have road clearance. The rear springs are higher, also.

Disc brakes in front and 11-inch drum brakes in the rear were another T/A hallmark, as are the rear spoiler and the "whiskers" under the front bumper. Baker's Challenger has power steering and brakes, a Rallye dash and six-way driver's seat.

And then there's the color, one of Mopar's high-impact paints of the era. It's Go-Mango, called Vitamin C Orange on the Barracuda. "I love that color," Baker says. The special stripes are decals.

Because of the short building time, most T/As came out as factory cars. "You didn't really order them," Baker says.

In the course of the restoration, Baker bought a donor car and had so many parts that he has decided to build another T/A, a "tribute" car with modern running gear that he can drive whenever he wants. It will be Go-Mango, of course, and look much like the original, which is too valuable for everyday duty. "It has been appraised for $95,000, and I've been offered $120,000, but it's not for sale," he insists. In fact Baker, 67, says that his will states that the car must remain in the family.

Last July, Baker trailered the Challenger to the Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pa., and won two trophies. He's not sure if he's going to Carlisle for the Nats next month, but if he does, he can see first-hand the concept model of the new Challenger that Dodge is certain to make next year.

Would he buy one?

"Well, I heard they're going to make the R/T model in the first year, and maybe a T/A in the second year," he said. Then he would have to persuade his wife to trade in the Chrysler 300-M.

And it would have to be in high-impact orange.

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION: 340-cubic-inch V8, three four-barrel carburetors; four-speed manual.

COLOR: Go-Mango Orange.

MILEAGE: 21,000 on odometer; about 20 on engine rebuild.

PLATE: M