Welcome to World Wide Muscle Cars

Date:10/17/03
Source:http://www.musclecarnews.com
By:Monty Montgomer
The 1970 Dodge Challenger: Pony Car Late-Comer

Debuting for 1970, the Challenger was Dodge’s entry into the lucrative pony car market dominated by the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. Although a late entry, the Challenger offered a broad range of models from base car to factory hot rod, and plenty of optional equipment. Its competitive price and good looks made it an attractive alternative to the Ford and Chevy. In short, there was a Challenger for every budget.
Challenging the Competition
An all-new design shared with the Plymouth Barracuda, the Challenger’s body wore the then fashionable “coke bottle” look with hipped quarters and a high trunk. Up front, a full width grille gave a massive appearance, while large wheel openings emphasized the car’s muscular stance. Two large taillights stretched across the back, and a small aluminum panel carrying the “Dodge” name rode between them. Riding a 110-inch wheelbase, the car was similar in proportion to the Mustang and Camaro.
Offered in hardtop coupe and convertible form, the Challenger could be had as a utilitarian grocery-getter, a sporty personal luxury car, or an all-out road rocket. In base trim the car was simply called Challenger. A relatively plain model, it carried little ornamentation, utilizing a thin chrome strip along the sides to break up an otherwise plain expanse of metal. For more excitement buyers could order the fancier R/T model, which included all standard Challenger features, plus “bumblebee” tape stripes, a Rally instrument cluster, front and rear sway bars, heavy-duty brakes, F70 X 14 fiberglass belted blackwall tires with raised white letters, and special R/T insignias. If that weren’t enough, another package could be added to dress the car up even further. The SE, or “Special Edition” package as it was technically known, included a padded vinyl roof with small rear window and a luxurious interior. Most SE versions wore full wheel covers, but other wheels were optional. Although the SE package was available on the base car and the RT, it was not available on the convertible. At mid-year Dodge added another performance model to the lineup, the T/A – named after Trans American racing, which was gaining in popularity at this time.
The sporty look carried over into the interior, starting up front with a wide instrument cluster housing four large bezels underneath a heavily padded dash. High-back bucket seats with integral headrests provided the ultimate in comfort and safety, and a functional console with an integrated storage compartment divided the front seating area on cars equipped with floor-mounted gearshifts. A bench seat was available only in the base Challenger or in regular SEs (those without the R/T package). Molded door panels with recessed pull handles and armrests completed the sporty look. Woodgraining on the instrument cluster and door panels was a commonly ordered interior option.
Like the car’s exterior appearance, engine choices ran the gamut from sedate to hot, beginning with the trusty 145-horsepower 225 Slant Six on base cars, all the way up to the legendary 425-horsepower 426 cubic inch Hemi. Other engines included the 230-horsepower 318 V8, which was standard in V8-equipped Challengers, as well as an optional 275-horsepower 340 V8; 290-, 335-, or 350-horsepower 383; and a 350-horsepower 440 V8. The largest engine available in base Challenger models was the 335-horsepower 383 V8.
Transmission choices were also plentiful. Base cars came with a floor-mounted three-speed manual as standard equipment, while high-performance models used a heavy-duty four speed. All models could be ordered with either a column-mounted or console-mounted Torqueflite three-speed automatic. Automatics were the overwhelming choice of Challenger buyers in 1970.
A long list of comfort and convenience equipment was only a check mark away on the options list. Included were air conditioning (not available with the Hemi engine, with manual transmission equipped 440 V8s, or the high performance axle packages); speed control; front and rear bumper guards; electric clock; rear window defogger; Sure Grip rear axle; luggage rack; power windows; trailer towing package; and a host of others. Most Challengers came from the factory well equipped.
To understand who bought Challengers, one only need look at the installation rate of some selected options. Engines tell the story: 13.4% carried six-cylinder engines, 60% had the standard 318 V8, and 26.6% carried one of the optional V8s. Interestingly, despite its sporty inclinations, only 12.7% of all Challengers were fitted with a four-speed transmission! Clearly, the typical buyer of the Dodge Challenger wanted the appearance of a high performance car without the compromises those beasts demanded.
The Bottom Line
The Challenger got off to a good start as buyers snapped up 83,032 of all types, helped no doubt by an equally enthusiastic motoring press. Unfortunately, the euphoria didn’t last. The end of the musclecar era loomed, as rising insurance rates began to hamper sales of all performance cars. Not helping matters was in-house competition from the Dodge Dart, which also offered several performance models for less money than its new stable mate. Thus, the company could not sustain the Challenger’s early momentum, and sales would decline until the line was discontinued in 1974.