After being left out of the “pony car” war throughout the late-1960s, the Dodge brand unveiled its all-new 1970 Dodge Challenger in late 1969. The car was a massive hit, despite being more of a premium offering compared to its mainstream Plymouth Barracuda sibling. While the Barracuda was more aimed at the likes of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, the Challenger was considered a direct competitor of the Mercury Cougar and Pontiac Firebird.
It wouldn’t stop Dodge from trying to market the Challenger with factory-backed support in the fastly-growing Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Trans-Am racing series. Almost every manufacturer in the pony car segment was entered into the series, with some of the best drivers in all of the motorsports being behind the wheel of most factory programs. In order to compete, Dodge would have to build a certain number of production cars for consumers with the special equipment it intended to race within the series for homologation.
Only produced for a single model year, the 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A is one of the most sought-after non-HEMI-powered Challenger models. This Panther Pink (FM3) painted Challenger T/A is only 1 of 12 known to exist, as it was only offered during a spring 1970 promotion.
The Challenger T/A featured a functional fiberglass hood with hood pins, “ducktail” rear spoiler, trumpet-style side exiting exhaust, staggered bias-ply Goodyear Polygas GT tires with raised white lettering (it was the first American car to feature staggered tires), 15-inch Rallye wheels, distinctive graphics, and an Organsol Black-painted hood.
The Challenger T/A also featured different fender’s lips than the standard Challenger. The lip at the top of the wheel well was rolled in on the T/A model. All Challenger T/A would also feature their radio antennas mounted on the rear passenger-side quarter panel (the last Chrysler product to do so). These features made the Challenger T/A look like nothing else on the road.
Under the hood was a small-block 340 cubic-inch V8 producing a conservatively rated 290 horsepower. The 340 featured an Edelbrock aluminum six-pack intake manifold painted bright orange to match the engine color. It also featured Holley 2300 series carburetors which were used with vacuum-operated secondaries.
The center carburetor was the only carburetor with a metering block and accelerator pump while the two outboard carburetors were used for idling and opened when they were called for. A large air cleaner that sealed to the hood rested over the top of all three carburetors, thus explaining the 340 SIX PACK name for the engine.
With the popularity of the recent Tuscadero pink color on the Wrangler, we know pink is definitely in. So the question is, how much will this Panther Pink Challenger T/A go for at auction? Mecum estimates that this car should take in between $160,000 to $190,000 when it goes across the auction block on Friday, January 14th, 2022.
To see more about the car to place a bid, you visit the Mecum website. This Challenger T/A is listed as Lot# F269.
Panther Pink 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A Image Gallery:
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