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.

To say he was a fan of the new 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T would be an understatement. At the time of the cars release, Garlits commented; “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, accommodated by the front sub-frame it appropriated from the B-bodied Charger/Coronet. At the rear, implementation of the Charger/Coronet rear suspension provided a wide rear track capable of housing 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. Introduction was more than five years after the first Mustang was released. The White Hat Boys at Dodge positioned the car as part of the “Scat Pack,” and offering them with a full array of options and nearly any engine Chrysler built, including the fearsome Hemi, as found in this car.

Looking fantastic throughout, this rare and desirable Challenger Hemi R/T has a known ownership history that began at Greenville Dodge, Inc. in Greenville, South Carolina and is well-documented. It is finished in special order, high-impact Lemon Twist (also known as Bright Yellow) with a black interior. This renowned muscle car is well-equipped and that starts with the fearsome “street Hemi” V-8 engine with 425-horsepower and 426-cubic inch specifications. A factory four-speed manual transmission with a Pistol Grip shifter adds to the driving experience, as does the 4.10:1 gearing of the Super Drag Pack axle.

Accompanying this superb machine is a 45-page Wise Report which gives a thorough breakdown of components and photographic verification. The original Broadcast Sheet, dealer service receipts, and the original owner’s manual with sleeve are also included.

The R/T features many desirable characteristics such as an N-96 ‘Shaker’ hood, deluxe interior, power brakes with front discs, glove box lock, cigar lighter, electric clock, AM radio, hood pins, Sport stripes, sport mirrors, Goodyear Polyglas GT white letter tires, color-keyed steel wheels, “dog dish” center caps and the Rallye instrument cluster with 150-miles per hour speedometer and tachometer. Since restoration, it has been sympathetically kept in a prominent collection and properly maintained since, and as such it remains in exceptional condition. The 38,019 miles on the odometer are believed to be original.

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. To further its standing as an extremely select vehicle, it is reported as one of just 287 R/T Hemi Challengers Two-Door Hardtops (plus another nine convertibles) built during the 1970 model year. Of those, only 137 are reported as having the four-speed manual transmission.

With the unending attention paid to the vaunted Hemi-powered Mopar muscle, this is one highly desirable collector car. It presents a rare opportunity to obtain a real, well-documented Hemi Challenger R/T that one can proudly add to their collection, or begin one in grand style.