Don “Big Daddy” Garlits, King of the Dragsters, was driving his Dodge Hemi-powered top-fuel rail to just about every national record and championship in the books when the Hemi Challenger R/T was fresh on the market. He has long been recognized as one of the all-time greats in American drag racing lore. It is with interest that he commented in part on the 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T, when new, in the following manner; “Now Dodge has gone and done the real thing. Built the pony car of all pony cars. They watched the whole pony car thing develop, then they built their own super-tough version…the Challenger R/T. Compact like a Dart, wide like a Charger. Just the right size for anyone who likes his own personalized backyard bomb. Fantastic performance! If I ever leave dragsters, you can be sure I’ll run a super stock Challenger R/T. You can challenge the world with the Challenger R/T.”

Development of the Challenger began in late 1966 with design work led by Bill Brownlie. Its enduring success stems not only from its handsome styling, but also from its ability to accommodate the entire Chrysler engine range by virtue of the front sub-frame it borrowed from the B-bodied Charger/Coronet. At the rear, adoption of the Charger/Coronet rear suspension provided a wide rear track capable of accommodating the wide tires available by 1970.

The Chrysler E-bodies (the Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Barracuda) might have been the last to enter Detroit’s pony car game. Though critics argue that the best were saved for last with these cars, making their introduction more than five years after the first Mustang was released. Using a formula similar to Ford and Chevrolet, the Challenger was based on a stretched, compact Dart platform, making the car an immediate sales success. The White Hat Boys at Dodge positioned the car as part of the “Scat Pack,” emblazoning the cars with bumblebee stripes and offering them with a full array of options and nearly any engine Chrysler built, including the fearsome Hemi, as found in this car.

Immaculately restored throughout and finished in Lemon Twist (also known as Bright Yellow) with a black interior, this Hemi Challenger is optioned with the extremely rare and desirable N96-Shaker Hood option as confirmed from its Broadcast Sheet. Combined with a four-speed manual transmission it is believed to be one of just 11 examples produced with these two options. To further its reputation of being an extremely select vehicle, it is reported as one of just 287 R/T Hemi Challengers Two-Door Hardtops (plus another nine convertibles) built.

This iconic musclecar is well-equipped with the fearsome “street Hemi” V-8 engine measuring 426-cid, 425-hp. It features many desirable attributes such as deluxe interior, power brakes, glovebox lock, cigar lighter, electric clock, AM radio, hood pins, “Bumblebee” side stripes, Pistol Grip shifter, sport mirrors, Goodyear Polyglas GT white letter tires, color-keyed steel wheels, “dog dish” center caps and the Rallye instrument cluster with 150-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tachometer. Benefitting from a professional restoration, it has been sympathetically kept in a prominent collection and properly maintained since, and as such it remains in exceptional condition.

The R/T models included high back bucket seats, heavy duty brakes, an R/T handling package, and raised white letter tires. With a base price of $3,266, the Hemi option added a staggering $799 to the bottom line, ultimately leading to low production numbers and making them quite desirable to today’s collectors.

With the unending interest in the vaunted Hemi-powered Mopar muscle, this is one highly desirable collector car. It presents an extremely rare opportunity to acquire a real Shaker Hood car; this Hemi Challenger R/T would make a great addition to any collection.