Hemi-powered Challenger a rare treasure

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2019 (2600 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dodge was painfully slow out of the gate in the pony-car market. With the Plymouth Barracuda and Ford Mustang making their debut in 1964 and the Mercury Cougar, Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird arriving in 1967, it would still be three years before the arrival of the Dodge Challenger.

Riding on a 110-inch wheelbase, it was only two inches longer than the Mustang and the new e-body Barracuda. While the ‘Cuda and Challenger share a similar platform, both are very different cars and no body panels interchange.

Available as a two-door hardtop or convertible, the Challenger could be equipped as everything — from a sporty runabout to a fire-breathing street racer. Engine options started with the trusty Slant six-cylinder and ramped up to a high-winding 340-cubic-inch small block; to a 375- or 390-horsepower 440 cubic-inch big-block; and ultimately, the 425-horsepower “Street Hemi” V-8. In the performance arena, the R/T model came with a 335-horsepower 383-cubic-inch V-8, or buyers could choose a 275-horsepower 340 V-8. The 440 V-8s were optional as were the 426 “Street Hemi.” The $779 Hemi option looks like a bargain today, yet, in 1970, it added a hefty 25 per cent to the R/T model’s $3,402 base price. The adage that speed costs was as true then as it is now.

Because of their low production numbers, the Hemi-powered cars are hot with collectors and enthusiasts alike and command a premium price over other examples. Today, many of these boulevard brutes are no longer here. Wrecked through racing or collisions, the values climb as the numbers continue to decline.

Hemi-powered cars are nothing new for Chris Coulson of Winnipeg. A member of the Manitoba Mopar Association for over 25 years, Coulson has had several high-performance Mopar vehicles and continues to have an eye open to acquire the rarest of the rare. While vacationing in Palm Springs, Calif., in 2017, he came across a motorhome owner pulling a trailer that carried a vintage 1959 Nash Metropolitan convertible. “We started talking about cars and he said he had a Hemi-powered Challenger R/T back home in Detroit that he may sell,” Coulson says.

That spring, the dialogue continued, and photos of the car showed a dry-stored, EB5 Bright Blue Metallic Challenger R/T coupe with the ultra-rare V6B Light Blue side stripe. All original sheet-metal with no corrosion and having only one repaint in 1981 made it a very desirable car. Powered by the 426-cubic-inch “Street Hemi” V-8 with 10.25:1 compression and two carter AFB four-barrel carburetors, it produces 425 horsepower at 5,000 r.p.m. The original Hemi V-8 was tired and replaced in 1975 with a N.O.S. (new old stock) warranty replacement engine, so it was as close to those deemed survivor cars.

After the deal was struck, the Challenger was transported to Winnipeg. Closer inspection showed the car had no race history, but was purposely ordered with performance in mind. The Challenger R/T was equipped with the 426 Hemi V-8 and 727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. The Super Track Pack option added a 4.10:1 geared Dana 60 rear axle with posi-traction. Also included is power steering, power front disc brakes and the A32 heavy-duty cooling system. Other options include the Argent Silver Shaker hood scoop, hood pins and chrome driver’s side-view mirror. The Jewel Black bucket seat interior is basic, with a column shift and radio delete.

Rolling stock is a sedate set of 15-inch steel wheels shod with F60 raised-white-letter Goodyear Polyglas GT tires and Dodge hub caps. With only 47,500 original miles on the odometer, Coulson says, “It rides like a new car.” Since purchasing it, Coulson has located the original numbers-correct Hemi V-8 the Challenger left the factory with and is in negotiations to bring it and the car back together.

To see Coulson’s Challenger and many other classics, be sure to attend the Manitoba Mopar Association’s 22nd Annual Mopar and Friends Canada Day Car Show. It all happens July 1, at the Sunova Centre, located at 48 Holland Rd. in West St. Paul. The show is free to spectators. There will be a $10 fee for participants and registration opens at 10 a.m., with the show running to 4 p.m. Open to all makes and models of vehicles, the proceeds from the show go to the Movement Centre of Manitoba.

57ford@mymts.net