ON THE ROAD: 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T

1971 Dodge Challenger RT

Seeing a classic muscle car parked on the side of the road is always a cool sight. In our book, when that V8 bruiser happens to be a sinister-looking Mopar product, that makes it all the more special and well-worth a stop for closer inspection.

We came across this 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T while rolling through some Wisconsin back roads earlier this fall. A ‘For Sale’ sign was stashed in the cabin so we’re not sure if it’s up for grabs, just changed hands or if the owner had a change of heart about his Detroit cruiser and is opting to hang onto the keys for a while longer.

A total of 12,747 R/T Coupes rolled off the Hamtramck, Michigan and Los Angeles, California factory assembly lines in 1970. This fine example looks to be in great shape with no hints of rust or any other cosmetic damage. A quick glance inside the E-body’s cabin revealed clean upholstery and a 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. A T/A styled hood has been mounted up front, hiding whatever powerplant lies between the fenders. With a license plate like RPMS it may be safe to assume that something other than the R/T’s standard 335-bhp 383ci V8 has been installed or at the least, it’s been heavily worked over.

1971 Dodge Challenger RT

1971 Dodge Challenger RT

1971 Dodge Challenger RT1971 Dodge Challenger RT

_________________________________________________________________

1971 Dodge Challenger RT

1971 Dodge Challenger RT

Check out the photo gallery below for more images of this Mopar muscle machine.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

How it looked back then:

Supposedly, even the law was confused by Dodge’s new street legal performance car. Watch this period TV commercial to see how baffled one local sheriff became after pulling over a new R/T. Even the innocent female owner couldn’t persuade him her ride wasn’t a fancy ‘racing car’ tearing up the city limits.