Only a couple people noticed how this Challenger is uniquely specd, but they dont understand why. Its got the RT goodies without the RT package. The insurance companies declared war on muscle cars in 71. The RT package was on the naughty list. Standard Challenger with RT bits flew in under the insurance companies radar so long as you didnt go over 383cid.
Even with the Hurst shifter, those of us who own these classic "A833" 4 speed Mopars know that they certainly do NOT shift "smooth as butter." It's more like "clunky as a box of rocks" lol.
i know people arent fans of the 71 Javelin but my father has one sitting in our yard its the 401... its nice to know that it wasn't far off from this legendary car. i cant wait for him to insure it again.... for someone of my age (18) you dont see to many of these muscle cars; well... pony car around... but still.... for someone of my age possible getting to drive one or even ride in one... its a good feeling.
I bought a 'Cuda new in '74 - last year 360-4v dark red metallic w/ white hockey stick stripe - $4k from dealer in New London CT. What they failed to tell me was that this car would be a precursor to the "art" of drifting. Many times I "drifted" into terror in that Fish.
cuda426hemi What you call"Terror" I call "FUN"!! I dropped a Sure Grip in my 70 Dodge Challenger Convertible. 1st time out, I almost put her in a ditch, but I caught it like a Pro! My friends asked, "Did you think of takin your FOOT OFF THE GAS??" "NO!" LOL! MOPAR TO YOU! 😎💖
I did a 180º on dry asphalt within an hour of buying that thing. Oh yeah, it was fun. Thankfully some innocent person took partial blame for all my exploits because she had a clone of my 'Cuda. "uhhh, no occifer, I was nowhere near that road tonight, must've been that other 'Cuda...."
I was a long hair hippie musician...fuzz would be all over me after the fact - the car would still be off but cracklin' and doin' that calm down thing after a session and I'd be Do I LOOK like a dumb gearhead ??? with my Ted Nugent hair and a big ass amp crammed into the back seat-you think I wanna risk my amp, MAN???? uhhh,okay sir... uhhh just b careful
Man these bring me back to the 80s when I was a kid driving fun stuff like this!!! Only thing missing was some Duke boys jumps and boy just get a look at those go go boots he's wearing! Lol! Oh my are those pink? Lol! Interestingly this isn't even an R/T car but boy she really moves out beautifully with that Magnum even loaded down with air conditioning! He didn't say if it was Dana equipped or 8 3/4 but man you get posi for miles!!! Love the engine cranking music too! Sounds race ready more than anything! Ya buddy! It's happy time alright!!!!! Anybody seen my time machine laying around lately? ▪☆☆☆▪
The Challenger has always been my favorite musclecar. This one is Tor Red, a great color for that car. I'd make mine Plum Crazy purple, or maybe even Top Banana yellow with a white interior. The 383 was pretty quick, but it also had a ton of hop-up potential to make it even quicker.
+justsomeguytoyou Yeah, the 383 was a big block that could rev like a small block, mostly because of its short 3.38 in stroke and with its 4.25 in bore could make about as much power as its bigger brothers if you revved it a little faster.Why do you think police depts used that engine for so long? Absolutely fantastic engine!! IMO....
Just FYI, Tor Red wasn't available on Challengers, only on Cudas. Hemi Orange and Tor Red were literally the same exact color, but they were called different things to Dodge and Plymouth. So you'd be half right saying this car is Tor Red... because it is.... but it's called Hemi Orange.
The 383 would come to life with minor hop ups...headers, intake and carb swap, and bigger and better pipes and mufflers...even with these minor mods you would be neck and neck with a normal running HEMI
What makes that Challenger in the test above especially rare is that it is a big block moulon rouge car. Only a few dozen of those were made. I had a friends who had one of two moulon rouge 440 car.
Haha vanishing point 1971. Glad they really didn't wreck a challenger they wrecked a 67-68 camaro poor camaro but some car had to do it and the borrowed those challengers
silverbird58 no they used a camaro cause the good challengers were borrowed. I like the 69 camaro myself (67-68 used in vanishing point) but you can't beat a love,a love for a Mopar. I mean someone had to do it. I would have rather it been a ford but the camaro was chosen. At least it didn't die in vein. It stunt doubled for a Mopar. How many cars would love to pose for a Mopar. Mopar or nocar.
silverbird58 4 out of the 5 cars were 440s and the last one was a 383 challenger. Two for camera cars two for driving and one for a backup. And as me and you know that's five challengers. Mopar. The greatest 1975 well a few more good mopars were made after this such as the 75 Monaco,75-79 Plymouth fury,etc. Mopars 1974-75 previous.
Great vid! Like a time machine bringing you back 40 years. That driver really beat the hell out of that car... Reminds me of some classic 70s car chase movies And I love how the spin out at 1:00-:07 wasn't intentional, but was just what the car would do during a 70 mph panic stop! Thanks for posting
I dig those "Florsheim Zipper Boots" the driver was wearing!!! And a Challenger that wasn't an R/T with a 383 is definitely a sleeper complete down to the flat hood. I have a '70 R/T in Plum Crazy. I absolutely love it!!!
Evidently, I'm not the only one who noticed the part of the video that wasn't a Challenger. I'm pretty sure that the other car was a '70 or '71 Torino. The steering wheel looks like a Ford "rimblow". Miradart is right about the Ford side-view mirrors. Also, notice the sweep gauges with the arched shape at the top. I'm about as sure as I can be that those gauges were from a Torino.
You could get a 383+4spd in a non-R/T challenger and the steering wheel is factory. It's called a "rim-blown" steering wheel. The thing I noticed was that the outside rear-view mirrors weren't factory. look like some after market paint-to-match addons to improve visibility. dunno about being a pilot car, tho. If it was a "pilot" '71, this video would have had to been filmed in early to mid 1970 and the video says it was recorded in 1971. hope that clears things up
@DiscoKat As installed in the car the 383 was making 250 hp and the torque was 325. The 440-4bbl was making 305 hp and the torque was 400. So the difference is 55 hp, if compared to a 440-6bbl the difference is 85 hp, since that engine made 330 hp and the torque was 410.
I have to wonder if it had the r/t suspension and brakes. My '70 with modern semi metallic pads and shoes stops right f'ing now. And with modern tires, is a pure joy around corners. I've had it through the mountains and it's very forgiving around hard turns....
@@MrTheHillfolk Unlike a Pinto. Rumor has it the Taliban bought all of them they could import. Currently they are trying to figure out how to get them to land on the rear bumper after launch.
Ha! Check out 2:27 interior mistake - it is clearly a Ford interior shot spliced into the film! A rim-blow Ford steering wheel in front of what looks like a Torino dashboard. Later shots show correct Challenger dash and metal spoke steering wheel.
I’m working on one of these. Mines a rotbox that needs every peice of metal. It started its life as a 225 Slant 6 automatic and previous owner tried making it a race car. Restoring it to make it an R/T 440 Six Pack fuel injected automatic. Everyone tells me to make it manual but I’m 16 and never driven a manual before so I’d feel more comfortable making it a manual
My brother bought a hemi orange 1971 challenger RT in the mid seventies. It was bright orange color with white RT stripes and white interior and white vinyl top from factory it even had the 8 inch factory rally wheels .it was a factory Hurst 4 speed with a 383cu magnum and it had a low gear in the rear end. It was pretty quick on take off. He traded it in on a brand new 1979 white with gold bird trans am TA 6.6 WS 6 400 cu with factory 4 speed. The Last of the big blocks T/A . I do remember that his challenger had just about every options available even rear window defroster😊
I liked this package and i had them all. I worked in development and fine tuned that shifter. the track was durty to and probably cost 2 or 3 feet in stopping. :-) a year later we were working on ABS. this was a Barracuda and not the sport R/t. so it wasn't a Magnum 383 but a lower HP TNT engine and likely had a 276 rear and small tires/not wide ovals. put i liked testing mine witch was the same in blue. we were trying to come with something to replace the Hemi at this time and all attempts were shot down. the 444 cid ball stud semi hemi (like a ford combustion chamber) worked great but just got dumped.
A new F150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost engine - about 210 cubic inches - can move a 4800 pound pickup truck to 60 as fast as this 383 Challenger. And can get at least 50% more gas mileage, on regular. The wonders of technology.
I am sold on look :P I didn't think much of the numbers I was thinking of the looks, I just like those weird looks of that year Challenger (mainly the Grill)
You are correct in what standard motors. I didnt mean to put 70 only. Also in 67 a GTX or Coronet R/T came standard with a 440 and a Hemi as an option.The six pack option was a mid year option on the 69 Road Runner and Super Bee and then was an option in 70, 71 and there are at least one maybe two known 72 six pack cars.The T/A and AAR was the only cars to come standard with a 340 six pack set up there was no other way to get that option. The Challenger R/T and Cuda was the only car to get a
@Corkoth55 Ironically, ABS lengthens stopping distances over threshold braking. It's modern brake pads, brake fluid, and larger rotor diameters that help modern cars keep the wheels from locking up, allowing for shorter non-ABS stops.
Word, mount some decent sway bars, shocks and new bushings and they can handle quite well. A big issue is the brake bias front-rear. Nasty tendency to lock up the rear first, scary as hell on wet roads. Easy to remedy though...
This is why the 340 was a much better setup. the 383 and 440 too heavy. All you had to do is widen the tires one size and handling was a lot better. Had one and added an extra torsion bar in the back, air shocks all around. swapped the 14 in wheels for 15 a lower wall tire 60's 215 front and 235 rear. There you go! and that was in the 80's. made handling almost as good as a Vette.
+Josh Nixon Hahaha,yep. They are like shred cheese in the cheese grater. I think my dad was running the Polyglass on his 70 Dodge Challenger in the 70's (r.i.p. challenger). If he would of had these: hahaha, he would had to change flats everyday.
Hey Downrange, there were about thirty or so rumored to have been built. The yellow ad that showed up Motor Trend was a retouched ad for a '70 T/A, same rainy day racetrack and all!
Hey Mike, the SE wasn't available as a seperate trim line in '71, the thing that really struck me as interesting was the fact that this car didn't have the N95 dual snorkel hood-yet it had a four speed, and likely the 4 barrel 383...
New cars might have better QC than they did back 40 years ago, but that is mainly because the complexity of new cars is so much more. But then I can't complain about 1971 QC. I still have a 1971 oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with a 350 that runs fine, never rebuilt, and not a garage queen. But then the car is simple/easy to work on, mechanical ignition systems do need more adjusting. Cheers!
Although the insurance costs were going up if you had a Mopar muscle car with a 383 in '71 you got the standard insurance rating. It paid to get the 383 in '71.
the 1st car i ever rode in was a 73 Charger SE w/ a 440 swap. it was the car my dad took me home in after i was born in 83. then 17 years later I bought my own muscle car, a 73 AMX that I still have after nearly 12 more years. I also have a 93 Z28. but its ok for a daily point A-point B driver. My AMX is more fun. the build quality ain't that bad, thought it has been nearly 40 years since it rolled off the assemly line in Kenosha Wisconsin so its a bit tired even with only 52,000 miles on it.
My guess is you ARE thinking of the Super Bee. Stock mill on that was a 383. The 1971 Super Bee and the 1971 Charger R/T look very much alike. The Super Bee could be thought of as Dodge answer to the Plymouth Road Runner. My Super Bee has the 440 option. There is an R/T, same color as my Bee, somewhere within 20 miles of me--I have seen him driving around but never caught up with him. It would be interesting to compare his white R/T with my white Bee.
sorry but the 383 blocks were different than the 440 and hemi blocks. you could interchange heads and cams between 383 and 440 but that's all, the cranks were different,but if you ground down a 440 crank main and rod journals you could stroke a 383
@BNforever2009 I got one buddy, matching numbers i'm restoring right now. And just had delivered today a vey nice restorable 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE factory air and 4 speed with no motor and trans but I have an original 1970 dodge 440 six pack engine and 4 speed trans for it.
remember in 71 the T/A showed up in the brochure but was never offered and never made.If I dont know what I'm talking about then dont waste your time trying to prove your point, like I said if I'm wrong I will admit I'm not one of the couch comandos from the net.
@Seattlecarnut I agree, the newer muscle cars are to hmm refined? They just don't feel right to me. I love the seat of the pants feeling of the old iron.
@geiner66 Actually the insurance companies killed the musclecar long before the Arab oil embargo, the presenter even mentions that. It wasn't unheard of for an insurance company to charge $4000 a year premiums for a teenage rich kid to drive a Corvette in that era. It was so bad that the car companies sometimes lowballed the horsepower ratings of their engines just so their buyers could get insurance.
Hey Kelly, after watching this again and reading your comment I think I was probably wrong to say this is a SE as the SE (in 70) had the smaller back window and I don't see any "SE" emblems on the Car but they may have left the rear window the regular size in 71 as it was considered a problem in 70. Regarding the flat hood...That was probably why I made the "SE" comment in the first place a odd ball Car for sure!
@2Tech12s Ha,I just caught the blooper.Was wondering if anyone else did too. Good eye. Didn't know what interior it was but it clearly isn't a Challenger. How funny
Hey, check out the 'extra' footage at 2:25. The interior shot with the guy whipping the wheel back and forth, is from a different car! I can't quite tell, but I think it's a Ford. The side mirror looks Ford-ish. Definitely not a Challenger! I REALLY love these old vids! Corny copy, booboo'd film clip, wild car maneuvers and everything! It takes me back. Thanks for posting. Anyone know what that mystery car is? It has a column shift, but sport mirrors
Wasnt the hood on the Bee different then on the R/T? I'm trying to think of the R/T. Did they only offer the air grabber hood for the R/T? I'm back looking for an R/T if my Vette sells.I have a few trades lined up if not.I'm looking at a 69 340 4spd Dart, 73 Dart Sport, 72 Rally Charger and its a 340 4spd car.I'm also looking at a 70 Duster 340 Survivor car. I like to find a 340 Demon. I would really love a 68 Charger to clone into the black charger from the movie Bullitt. If my car sells
Again, no, you're wrong. The 1968-1971 Charger R/Ts all were standard with 440s in them. The only options were Hemis, and in select years, the 440-6 engine.
That car looks to be a factory mule test car highlighting options. Maybe they did build a few sleeper challengers hard to say... Cool car with the flat hood and 4 speed
Kelly, they don't have to be RT's to have a 4 speed (or big blocks) this Challenger looks to be a SE model. Same for the 71-72 Chargers I have heard and seen BB 4 speed non RT's or Super Bee's.
I just sold a 383 4 speed 391 posi-ALL NUMBERS MATCHING---465 challengers were built that way not counting - w/air challenger 1971 it was built with the bulge 2/scope hood and rear q/panel call outs p/s p/db rootbeer outside/ black gut w console and it was not a r/t-----I-got---$35,500 -just bought a aar cuda 4 speed ALL NUMBERS MATCHING-for not much more I am happier than a pig in a mud hole on a hot day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not a whole lot better. The 383 and 440 differ the most in deck height. The 440 has more power, but the 383 was (an is) basically, a factory stroker. Their ability to rev and produce torque right off the bat are amazing. I've seen many a 440 car have it's ass handed to it by a 383 powered car.
Poor brakes is why so many of these "super" cars were recycled into refrigerators...I owned a 4 wheel drum brake 68 Firebird..my I wore my bunghole like a turtleneck when I drove it.
Jesus, how could this have been filmed in 1971? The body trim, bumpers, light assemblies and engine bay all look like a 15 year old used car. The appearance of this Challenger looks like what we would call a survivor car today.
Just needed better suspension. The body roll is way over acceptable even for the age. And it destroyed it's tires in every turn. Pro Touring guys have ironed all these issues out after the fact and shown that the chassis can handle. But they just weren't made well in their time. To many corners cut, to many accountants in the room.
Mann my dad had this car back in the late 70's in high school.. Bought it with a custom stripe paint job, only seen a few pictures of it but it was badass. Guess he was street racing on it and he blew the engine though, so he bought a new one from the junkyard, him and a friend threw it in the challenger, then sold it off after awhile. Supposedly it pretty much sucked after that.. but what do you expect from 2 20 year olds changing an engine? Still, I wish he woulda kept it..
I do know that the 383 was no slouch, it was right up there with the 440. I still would like to have a 69 Dodge Super Bee with a 383 and 4 speed, 3.91 sure grip rear end, dual exhaust, power steering, radio delete. that thing would still beat the piss out of these modern day muscle cars and imports.
383 and 440 are almost identical in weight, might be 15-20 lbs between the two. 383 is a "B" engine while the 440 is an "RB" engine. The only major difference is the deck height (440 has longer stroke) However, a good running 383, with the right gears and a smart driver can walk all over a 440-4bbl. Remember, there's only 40hp difference between the 383-4bbl and 440-4bbl.
Yes,that is borrowed footage from the long lost Mercury Cyclone video that Car and Track did. They intertwined the footage because most likely they didn't have a camera angle there and threw that shot in.
This was copied so many times, and possibly recorded from a broadcast, the imagery is blurry and color shift is noticeable. Was that Panther Pink or Red? Seemed like pink, but was severely over-saturated.
I've never known that a 383 powered car would be able to beat a 440 powered car, are the 383's lighter than the 440's? I once heard that there is a noticable amount of weight between the 340 powered cars and the 383 powered cars
I think so too.. My 71 Cuda 383 auto had all the factory hd goodies and power frt discs.. It didn't handle anywhere near that badly, brakes were fine. I will admit that i wasn't running Polyglass tires though....
Love these. Even the original jazz tunes
Only a couple people noticed how this Challenger is uniquely specd, but they dont understand why. Its got the RT goodies without the RT package. The insurance companies declared war on muscle cars in 71. The RT package was on the naughty list. Standard Challenger with RT bits flew in under the insurance companies radar so long as you didnt go over 383cid.
You have to love these old ads....
"That Hurst 4 speed shifter was smooth like it was mounted in butter!"
3:21 did he say stops at 70 took ONE HUNDRED 11 feet?? If so That's incredibly short like he couldn't have said that
Gnwyfn
Even with the Hurst shifter, those of us who own these classic "A833" 4 speed Mopars know that they certainly do NOT shift "smooth as butter." It's more like "clunky as a box of rocks" lol.
i know people arent fans of the 71 Javelin but my father has one sitting in our yard its the 401... its nice to know that it wasn't far off from this legendary car.
i cant wait for him to insure it again.... for someone of my age (18) you dont see to many of these muscle cars; well... pony car around... but still.... for someone of my age possible getting to drive one or even ride in one... its a good feeling.
@1:10 he hits the nail on the head. See those old tires turn back to dust? Wow.
I bought a 'Cuda new in '74 - last year 360-4v dark red metallic w/ white hockey stick stripe - $4k from dealer in New London CT. What they failed to tell me was that this car would be a precursor to the "art" of drifting. Many times I "drifted" into terror in that Fish.
cuda426hemi What you call"Terror" I call "FUN"!! I dropped a Sure Grip in my 70 Dodge Challenger Convertible. 1st time out, I almost put her in a ditch, but I caught it like a Pro! My friends asked, "Did you think of takin your FOOT OFF THE GAS??" "NO!" LOL! MOPAR TO YOU! 😎💖
I did a 180º on dry asphalt within an hour of buying that thing. Oh yeah, it was fun. Thankfully some innocent person took partial blame for all my exploits because she had a clone of my 'Cuda. "uhhh, no occifer, I was nowhere near that road tonight, must've been that other 'Cuda...."
cuda426hemi LMAO! Now THAT'S what I'M talkn 'bout!! 😂😂😎💋💋
I was a long hair hippie musician...fuzz would be all over me after the fact - the car would still be off but cracklin' and doin' that calm down thing after a session and I'd be Do I LOOK like a dumb gearhead ??? with my Ted Nugent hair and a big ass amp crammed into the back seat-you think I wanna risk my amp, MAN???? uhhh,okay sir... uhhh just b careful
Cudas in 1974 didn't cost $4,000. My stripped Vega cost $2,900, your Cuda was probably at least $5,000
Man these bring me back to the 80s when I was a kid driving fun stuff like this!!! Only thing missing was some Duke boys jumps and boy just get a look at those go go boots he's wearing! Lol! Oh my are those pink? Lol! Interestingly this isn't even an R/T car but boy she really moves out beautifully with that Magnum even loaded down with air conditioning! He didn't say if it was Dana equipped or 8 3/4 but man you get posi for miles!!! Love the engine cranking music too! Sounds race ready more than anything! Ya buddy! It's happy time alright!!!!! Anybody seen my time machine laying around lately? ▪☆☆☆▪
The Challenger has always been my favorite musclecar. This one is Tor Red, a great color for that car. I'd make mine Plum Crazy purple, or maybe even Top Banana yellow with a white interior. The 383 was pretty quick, but it also had a ton of hop-up potential to make it even quicker.
+justsomeguytoyou Yeah, the 383 was a big block that could rev like a small block, mostly because of its short 3.38 in stroke and with its 4.25 in bore could make about as much power as its bigger brothers if you revved it a little faster.Why do you think police depts used that engine for so long? Absolutely fantastic engine!! IMO....
Just FYI, Tor Red wasn't available on Challengers, only on Cudas. Hemi Orange and Tor Red were literally the same exact color, but they were called different things to Dodge and Plymouth. So you'd be half right saying this car is Tor Red... because it is.... but it's called Hemi Orange.
The 383 would come to life with minor hop ups...headers, intake and carb swap, and bigger and better pipes and mufflers...even with these minor mods you would be neck and neck with a normal running HEMI
Best looking car ever
@@Storkz0re In my opinion, the Challenger was the best-looking musclecar ever built
Rare car - pistol grip, 383, with A/C!
I've got a 71 Satellite,383,slap stix. I hear its rare nut can't find any info on google about it.
Any big block non road runner/gtx B body plymouth is pretty scarce. No idea what the numbers would be though.
What makes that Challenger in the test above especially rare is that it is a big block moulon rouge car. Only a few dozen of those were made. I had a friends who had one of two moulon rouge 440 car.
RacerRickxx Wow,he actually had gold... Does he still have it?
He passed away and I have no idea what happened to the car. It was a 440-4brl car, pink with a pink stripe. Kinda weird looking.
My name is Kowalski, and I approve this video!
Haha vanishing point 1971. Glad they really didn't wreck a challenger they wrecked a 67-68 camaro poor camaro but some car had to do it and the borrowed those challengers
silverbird58 no they used a camaro cause the good challengers were borrowed. I like the 69 camaro myself (67-68 used in vanishing point) but you can't beat a love,a love for a Mopar. I mean someone had to do it. I would have rather it been a ford but the camaro was chosen. At least it didn't die in vein. It stunt doubled for a Mopar. How many cars would love to pose for a Mopar. Mopar or nocar.
silverbird58 4 out of the 5 cars were 440s and the last one was a 383 challenger. Two for camera cars two for driving and one for a backup. And as me and you know that's five challengers. Mopar. The greatest 1975 well a few more good mopars were made after this such as the 75 Monaco,75-79 Plymouth fury,etc. Mopars 1974-75 previous.
silverbird58 yep that it is.
The movie still destroyed about 7 or 8 Challengers. The jump and so on.
I wonder what he would think of a Hellcat or Demon.
I said the same thing .👍 i’m sure he’s looking down on us driving our new modern day muscle cars. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thank You, fun memories! I have a new Challenger and she is Tops. Corrected lots of the original problems. A real looker even today!!
Great vid! Like a time machine bringing you back 40 years. That driver really beat the hell out of that car... Reminds me of some classic 70s car chase movies
And I love how the spin out at 1:00-:07 wasn't intentional, but was just what the car would do during a 70 mph panic stop!
Thanks for posting
The HARDEST! Pick for me is the 69 70 Charger or the 70 Challenger beautiful car s I can't get enough of that pistol grip 4 speed just Awesome.
I was born in 87 and love watching these old cars but there is something comical about watching them plough through curves at modest speed!
I dig those "Florsheim Zipper Boots" the driver was wearing!!! And a Challenger that wasn't an R/T with a 383 is definitely a sleeper complete down to the flat hood. I have a '70 R/T in Plum Crazy. I absolutely love it!!!
I’ve been binging on Bud great stuff
I love to watch the tires turn to black powder , they just disintegrate .
hey. I see you on a lot of muscle cars videos. I even saw you on a 73 mustang video awhile back. me and you just love antique muscle cars huh.
Aziz Lamar
Yup ! I love old American muscle cars and car chase movies that feature them . They are my crack cocaine .
Billy C. LeWorth yep I think the same. The old antique cars are addictive. Like your thumbnail of the scoop of the hemicuda.
It was at a show and shine a couple years ago . A sweet 70 HEMI 'cuda . Love at first sight .Aziz Lamar
Billy C. LeWorth ha yep. Get a rush of adrenaline just thinking about driving a muscle car. Haha.
71 model years rolled off the assembly line Aug. of 1970. So the plate is correct.
Evidently, I'm not the only one who noticed the part of the video that wasn't a Challenger. I'm pretty sure that the other car was a '70 or '71 Torino. The steering wheel looks like a Ford "rimblow". Miradart is right about the Ford side-view mirrors. Also, notice the sweep gauges with the arched shape at the top. I'm about as sure as I can be that those gauges were from a Torino.
You could get a 383+4spd in a non-R/T challenger and the steering wheel is factory. It's called a "rim-blown" steering wheel. The thing I noticed was that the outside rear-view mirrors weren't factory. look like some after market paint-to-match addons to improve visibility.
dunno about being a pilot car, tho. If it was a "pilot" '71, this video would have had to been filmed in early to mid 1970 and the video says it was recorded in 1971. hope that clears things up
@DiscoKat As installed in the car the 383 was making 250 hp and the torque was 325. The 440-4bbl was making 305 hp and the torque was 400. So the difference is 55 hp, if compared to a 440-6bbl the difference is 85 hp, since that engine made 330 hp and the torque was 410.
Forgot to add 70 Charger R/T was standard with a 440 in 1970 only.
I have to wonder if it had the r/t suspension and brakes. My '70 with modern semi metallic pads and shoes stops right f'ing now. And with modern tires, is a pure joy around corners. I've had it through the mountains and it's very forgiving around hard turns....
It took 211 feet to stop at 70 MPH. "But did you die?"
No, but the car was facing the other way by the time it stopped.
@@topgunns1000
Thats so if you hit something you dont have to see it because youre facing backwards.
Safety feature.
Well maybe if you used your brakes and not just the tires themselves to stop.
@@MrTheHillfolk Unlike a Pinto. Rumor has it the Taliban bought all of them they could import. Currently they are trying to figure out how to get them to land on the rear bumper after launch.
@@thegreenerthemeaner 😂😂😂
Ha! Check out 2:27 interior mistake - it is clearly a Ford interior shot spliced into the film! A rim-blow Ford steering wheel in front of what looks like a Torino dashboard. Later shots show correct Challenger dash and metal spoke steering wheel.
I’m working on one of these. Mines a rotbox that needs every peice of metal. It started its life as a 225 Slant 6 automatic and previous owner tried making it a race car. Restoring it to make it an R/T 440 Six Pack fuel injected automatic. Everyone tells me to make it manual but I’m 16 and never driven a manual before so I’d feel more comfortable making it a manual
I had a 1971 Challenger R/T the same "Hemi Orange" . Man I miss that car!
My brother bought a hemi orange 1971 challenger RT in the mid seventies. It was bright orange color with white RT stripes and white interior and white vinyl top from factory it even had the 8 inch factory rally wheels .it was a factory Hurst 4 speed with a 383cu magnum and it had a low gear in the rear end. It was pretty quick on take off. He traded it in on a brand new 1979 white with gold bird trans am TA 6.6 WS 6 400 cu with factory 4 speed. The Last of the big blocks T/A . I do remember that his challenger had just about every options available even rear window defroster😊
I liked this package and i had them all. I worked in development and fine tuned that shifter. the track was durty to and probably cost 2 or 3 feet in stopping. :-) a year later we were working on ABS. this was a Barracuda and not the sport R/t. so it wasn't a Magnum 383 but a lower HP TNT engine and likely had a 276 rear and small tires/not wide ovals. put i liked testing mine witch was the same in blue. we were trying to come with something to replace the Hemi at this time and all attempts were shot down. the 444 cid ball stud semi hemi (like a ford combustion chamber) worked great but just got dumped.
A new F150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost engine - about 210 cubic inches - can move a 4800 pound pickup truck to 60 as fast as this 383 Challenger. And can get at least 50% more gas mileage, on regular. The wonders of technology.
Bud Lindemann is now on my list of people to crack open a beer with in the afterlife.
I am sold on look :P I didn't think much of the numbers I was thinking of the looks, I just like those weird looks of that year Challenger (mainly the Grill)
So wide, so low, so beautiful
You are correct in what standard motors. I didnt mean to put 70 only. Also in 67 a GTX or Coronet R/T came standard with a 440 and a Hemi as an option.The six pack option was a mid year option on the 69 Road Runner and Super Bee and then was an option in 70, 71 and there are at least one maybe two known 72 six pack cars.The T/A and AAR was the only cars to come standard with a 340 six pack set up there was no other way to get that option. The Challenger R/T and Cuda was the only car to get a
@Corkoth55 Ironically, ABS lengthens stopping distances over threshold braking. It's modern brake pads, brake fluid, and larger rotor diameters that help modern cars keep the wheels from locking up, allowing for shorter non-ABS stops.
Word, mount some decent sway bars, shocks and new bushings and they can handle quite well. A big issue is the brake bias front-rear. Nasty tendency to lock up the rear first, scary as hell on wet roads. Easy to remedy though...
This is why the 340 was a much better setup. the 383 and 440 too heavy. All you had to do is widen the tires one size and handling was a lot better. Had one and added an extra torsion bar in the back, air shocks all around. swapped the 14 in wheels for 15 a lower wall tire 60's 215 front and 235 rear. There you go! and that was in the 80's. made handling almost as good as a Vette.
Ha! The driver couldn't do anything without leaving rubber everywhere.
Bias ply tires for you!
+Josh Nixon Hahaha,yep. They are like shred cheese in the cheese grater. I think my dad was running the Polyglass on his 70 Dodge Challenger in the 70's (r.i.p. challenger). If he would of had these: hahaha, he would had to change flats everyday.
Hey Downrange, there were about thirty or so rumored to have been built. The yellow ad that showed up Motor Trend was a retouched ad for a '70 T/A, same rainy day racetrack and all!
I have one of these but they don’t perform like new ones however upgrades to suspension, brakes and steering are a must
Hey Mike, the SE wasn't available as a seperate trim line in '71, the thing that really struck me as interesting was the fact that this car didn't have the N95 dual snorkel hood-yet it had a four speed, and likely the 4 barrel 383...
The duel snorkle air cleaner was used on all 1971 383-4V/440-4V engines, except for the N95 hood as you pointed out
New cars might have better QC than they did back 40 years ago, but that is mainly because the complexity of new cars is so much more. But then I can't complain about 1971 QC. I still have a 1971 oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme with a 350 that runs fine, never rebuilt, and not a garage queen. But then the car is simple/easy to work on, mechanical ignition systems do need more adjusting.
Cheers!
Although the insurance costs were going up if you had a Mopar muscle car with a 383 in '71 you got the standard insurance rating. It paid to get the 383 in '71.
the 1st car i ever rode in was a 73 Charger SE w/ a 440 swap. it was the car my dad took me home in after i was born in 83. then 17 years later I bought my own muscle car, a 73 AMX that I still have after nearly 12 more years. I also have a 93 Z28. but its ok for a daily point A-point B driver. My AMX is more fun. the build quality ain't that bad, thought it has been nearly 40 years since it rolled off the assemly line in Kenosha Wisconsin so its a bit tired even with only 52,000 miles on it.
211 foot stop at 70 miles an hour. Can you imagine going down the interstate at 120 MPH and happen to make an emergency stop.
And now you get some idea why insurance rates hit the roof on these cars once upon a time.
I imagine that you wouldn't be imagining much at that moment lol
@@75aces97 and now again biden to increase gas prices also ban gas and diesel trucks and cars
My guess is you ARE thinking of the Super Bee. Stock mill on that was a 383. The 1971 Super Bee and the 1971 Charger R/T look very much alike. The Super Bee could be thought of as Dodge answer to the Plymouth Road Runner. My Super Bee has the 440 option. There is an R/T, same color as my Bee, somewhere within 20 miles of me--I have seen him driving around but never caught up with him. It would be interesting to compare his white R/T with my white Bee.
sorry but the 383 blocks were different than the 440 and hemi blocks. you could interchange heads and cams between 383 and 440 but that's all, the cranks were different,but if you ground down a 440 crank main and rod journals you could stroke a 383
When men were men. Sharp and ready to take on anything.
How I lusted for cars like these, I was 16 in '74. Never owned one though.
@BNforever2009 I got one buddy, matching numbers i'm restoring right now. And just had delivered today a vey nice restorable 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE factory air and 4 speed with no motor and trans but I have an original 1970 dodge 440 six pack engine and 4 speed trans for it.
I didn't know about the 40hp difference between the 383 & 440. Mine is a 340 4-barrel. Thanks for the info!
that car is soooooo hot. i'd kill for a 71 R/T
Tires and brakes were awful in those days, with modern day tires installed these cars are a blast to drive.
nice car, very fast for it being a 383 powered Challenger, I wonder how well the 440 powered Challenger's would've done in the 0-60mph times?
Love the way the old bias-ply tires just turn to powder...
remember in 71 the T/A showed up in the brochure but was never offered and never made.If I dont know what I'm talking about then dont waste your time trying to prove your point, like I said if I'm wrong I will admit I'm not one of the couch comandos from the net.
@Seattlecarnut I agree, the newer muscle cars are to hmm refined? They just don't feel right to me. I love the seat of the pants feeling of the old iron.
@geiner66 Actually the insurance companies killed the musclecar long before the Arab oil embargo, the presenter even mentions that. It wasn't unheard of for an insurance company to charge $4000 a year premiums for a teenage rich kid to drive a Corvette in that era. It was so bad that the car companies sometimes lowballed the horsepower ratings of their engines just so their buyers could get insurance.
Hey Kelly, after watching this again and reading your comment I think I was probably wrong to say this is a SE as the SE (in 70) had the smaller back window and I don't see any "SE" emblems on the Car but they may have left the rear window the regular size in 71 as it was considered a problem in 70. Regarding the flat hood...That was probably why I made the "SE" comment in the first place a odd ball Car for sure!
Holy cow! A NON-R/T 383 FOUR SPEED!? Where is this thing now!? I dig the whiteline tires, and where are the trim rings on those Rallyes!?
Just so you guys know.. the cars dodge send to car journalists aren't stock. They are upgraded a fair bit, not that it really matters anyways
@2Tech12s Ha,I just caught the blooper.Was wondering if anyone else did too. Good eye. Didn't know what interior it was but it clearly isn't a Challenger. How funny
Hey, check out the 'extra' footage at 2:25. The interior shot with the guy whipping the wheel back and forth, is from a different car! I can't quite tell, but I think it's a Ford. The side mirror looks Ford-ish. Definitely not a Challenger!
I REALLY love these old vids! Corny copy, booboo'd film clip, wild car maneuvers and everything! It takes me back.
Thanks for posting.
Anyone know what that mystery car is? It has a column shift, but sport mirrors
I love these videos, "the brakes pull too the right", " this stop (more of a crash) took 211 feet".
Wasnt the hood on the Bee different then on the R/T? I'm trying to think of the R/T. Did they only offer the air grabber hood for the R/T? I'm back looking for an R/T if my Vette sells.I have a few trades lined up if not.I'm looking at a 69 340 4spd Dart, 73 Dart Sport, 72 Rally Charger and its a 340 4spd car.I'm also looking at a 70 Duster 340 Survivor car. I like to find a 340 Demon. I would really love a 68 Charger to clone into the black charger from the movie Bullitt. If my car sells
Wish it was the one from the film "Vanishing Point." The 1970 Challenger with a 440
Again, no, you're wrong. The 1968-1971 Charger R/Ts all were standard with 440s in them. The only options were Hemis, and in select years, the 440-6 engine.
That car looks to be a factory mule test car highlighting options. Maybe they did build a few sleeper challengers hard to say... Cool car with the flat hood and 4 speed
I thought I was going crazy when I saw the Ford Wheel and that speedo. My money is on that being a Torino as well.
That man is poetic.
Would be nice at the time to give us 0-60 times instead of 0-70
And quarter mile...none of these old reviews give quarter mile times.
Kelly, they don't have to be RT's to have a 4 speed (or big blocks) this Challenger looks to be a SE model. Same for the 71-72 Chargers I have heard and seen BB 4 speed non RT's or Super Bee's.
Interior shot at 2:24 is not a Challenger. Looks like a '70 Torino.
Correct..def not a challenger
Very good catch
LOL You're blind
With that 383 performance....who would need the 440...
I just sold a 383 4 speed 391 posi-ALL NUMBERS MATCHING---465 challengers were built that way not counting - w/air challenger 1971 it was built with the bulge 2/scope hood and rear q/panel call outs p/s p/db rootbeer outside/ black gut w console and it was not a r/t-----I-got---$35,500 -just bought a aar cuda 4 speed ALL NUMBERS MATCHING-for not much more I am happier than a pig in a mud hole on a hot day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Them white wall tires just don't stick like a modern set of Pirellis!
Not a whole lot better. The 383 and 440 differ the most in deck height. The 440 has more power, but the 383 was (an is) basically, a factory stroker. Their ability to rev and produce torque right off the bat are amazing. I've seen many a 440 car have it's ass handed to it by a 383 powered car.
383s were a sweet-spot engine. Like Chevy's 327. A short-stroke 426. They screamed. Chrysler engineers of the day preferred the 383 over the 440.
Poor brakes is why so many of these "super" cars were recycled into refrigerators...I owned a 4 wheel drum brake 68 Firebird..my I wore my bunghole like a turtleneck when I drove it.
No 1/4 mile time
Jesus, how could this have been filmed in 1971? The body trim, bumpers, light assemblies and engine bay all look like a 15 year old used car. The appearance of this Challenger looks like what we would call a survivor car today.
2:04 "bit hard on the asphalt" no, no it didn't. Bald tires in the rain get more traction than those skinny polyglas tires.
Lol you could do burnouts for a whole tank of fuel on those....
only lost about 200mi worth of tread 😂😂😂
think you could find a 69 Dodge Super Bee 383 4 speed for me?
Just needed better suspension. The body roll is way over acceptable even for the age. And it destroyed it's tires in every turn. Pro Touring guys have ironed all these issues out after the fact and shown that the chassis can handle. But they just weren't made well in their time. To many corners cut, to many accountants in the room.
Mann my dad had this car back in the late 70's in high school.. Bought it with a custom stripe paint job, only seen a few pictures of it but it was badass. Guess he was street racing on it and he blew the engine though, so he bought a new one from the junkyard, him and a friend threw it in the challenger, then sold it off after awhile. Supposedly it pretty much sucked after that.. but what do you expect from 2 20 year olds changing an engine? Still, I wish he woulda kept it..
I do know that the 383 was no slouch, it was right up there with the 440. I still would like to have a 69 Dodge Super Bee with a 383 and 4 speed, 3.91 sure grip rear end, dual exhaust, power steering, radio delete. that thing would still beat the piss out of these modern day muscle cars and imports.
ima honda fan and tuner fan but danm do i love mucles cars
383 and 440 are almost identical in weight, might be 15-20 lbs between the two. 383 is a "B" engine while the 440 is an "RB" engine. The only major difference is the deck height (440 has longer stroke)
However, a good running 383, with the right gears and a smart driver can walk all over a 440-4bbl. Remember, there's only 40hp difference between the 383-4bbl and 440-4bbl.
The car shown seems not to be an R/T! Didn't know non-R/T-challengers came with the 383 engine?? I wonder if it had heavy duty suspension ?
at 2:27 there is a different steering wheel
Yes,that is borrowed footage from the long lost Mercury Cyclone video that Car and Track did. They intertwined the footage because most likely they didn't have a camera angle there and threw that shot in.
@alpine1600s Going fast is useless nowadays if you don't want to loose the driving licence. The acceleration is the most important thing today.
383hp 4-speed non rt with a steering wheel I never seen before. Was this a pilot car?
This was copied so many times, and possibly recorded from a broadcast, the imagery is blurry and color shift is noticeable. Was that Panther Pink or Red? Seemed like pink, but was severely over-saturated.
@Mikejesmike Your numbers sound like Net horsepower. I was quoting Gross HP numbers from factory literature.
I've never known that a 383 powered car would be able to beat a 440 powered car, are the 383's lighter than the 440's? I once heard that there is a noticable amount of weight between the 340 powered cars and the 383 powered cars
Those are some righteous zip leather ankle boots on the test driver!
The braking is SCARY!!!!!!!!!
+silverbird58 please dont put on t/a's...those things are garbage at everything.
silverbird58
the t/a is a terrible tire for grip and handling. it has like a "H" rating. i would personally go for an "S" rated tire
The tires where made out of powder and they turned into powder with in a week!👋🤣👍love the car thought!🥰👍tires! Not so much!
That's a real odd ball. A non R/t with R/t pieces, sans the hood. With white walls to boot...Hard to tell, is that Panther Pink or Tor Red?
Was thinking the exact same thing. They should have sprung for the 15" wheels and Polyglas 60s though.
Red
I think so too.. My 71 Cuda 383 auto had all the factory hd goodies and power frt discs.. It didn't handle anywhere near that badly, brakes were fine. I will admit that i wasn't running Polyglass tires though....