One should never underestimate what the elements can do to a car left unattended over time. And this 1970 Dodge Challenger, which was left to rot in somebody’s yard for over two decades and nearly met its demise this way, is an example as good as any.
Maintaining a classic muscle car is never easy, nor is finding a garage for it when proper driving and servicing conditions are out of reach. However, leaving the vehicle at the mercy of the weather is never a good idea and the deep rust present all over this Mopar can show you why.
From the ruined tags on the inner front fenders to the nature-created sunroof (here’s how an actual sunroof looks on a 1970 Challenger), this is the sort of machine that can make many people give up on it and perhaps buy it to turn the vehicle into a parts car.
The man who took the car home wants to revive the E-Body coupe
Fortunately, though, Americana lover Jose Salinas (aka boosted_cobruh) had a better idea last month, when he rescued the car intending to bring it back to the blacktop.
Despite the enthusiast owning another ’70 Challenger, a white one, he states that the fresh arrival is not a donor car: “I have some plans for it way down the road but for now it’ll just hang out in my backyard,“
It seems that the former owner of the Mopar told the buyer the vehicle had no rust and was running when the former parked it over two decades ago. And there’s even a photo to prove it, even though comparing the said state of the vehicle with the current one isn’t going to make anybody happy.
We’re looking at a Challenger SE (Special Edition) mixing a 383 ci (6.3L) V8 with a four-speed manual, with the odometer only showing 29,000 miles.
Now, in today’s sky-high market, a mint-condition example of the sort could grab around $50,000 or maybe even more. However, as the aficionado explains in an Instagram comment made on the red_dirt_mopars page that shared his post, he paid $1,000 for the vehicle—there you go, another car thing to put on the list of things an enthusiast can buy for iPhone money.
And, in case you’re wondering, the car used to spend its days in Arkansas, where the winters are mild, but snow is still present. Hopefully, though, the resulting rust will be dealt with soon, so the Dodge can once again grace the road. Meanwhile, the machine shares the man’s yard with his functional Challenger, as you can notice in the second Instagram post below.
