1971 dodge_charger_rt_440_03

This 1971 Contrivance Charger is believed to have been a one-possessor vehicle until purchased by the current owner in 2011.

I of only 332 believed to have been built, this desirable iv-speed car is existence sold with a Galen Govier written report as well as other related paperwork. It is in excellent overall condition inside and out, with excellent panel fit, paint, upholstery and a well-detailed engine bay and chassis.

SCM Assay

Detailing

Vehicle: 1971 Dodge Charger R/T 440
Years Produced: 1971
Number Produced: 2,659
Original List Price: $iii,783
SCM Valuation: $26,000–$57,000
Tune Up Cost: $150
Benefactor Caps: $23
Chassis Number Location: VIN plate on the commuter'southward side instrument panel behind windshield
Engine Number Location: Pad located on the right side of the block to the rear of the engine mount
Gild Info: Walter P. Chrysler Order
Website: www.chryslerclub.org
Alternatives: 1971 Plymouth Road Runner and GTX, 1971 Pontiac GTO Approximate, 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454.
Investment Grade: C

This 1971 Charger R/T, Lot 4127, sold for $36,300, including buyer's premium, at Auctions America past RM'southward Auburn Fall auction in Auburn, IN, on September ane, 2012.

In 1969, Dodge sold 19,298 of the swift, stylish Charger R/T models. In 1970, that same car sold 9,509 units, and in 1971, only two,659. Those disappointing numbers might imply that the '71 was a much lesser vehicle than previous Chargers. But the numbers don't tell the whole story.

The R/T model was the performance leader of the Dodge Charger lineup in 1971, along with the Super Bee. The base engine was the mighty 440-ci V8, sporting a single 4-barrel carb delivering 375 hp. You could also society the 390-hp and Vi-Pack and even the legendary 426 Hemi.

Whatever the engine, you backed it upward with either a iv-speed transmission or the excellent three-speed TorqueFlite automatic. This was the same bones powertrain that powered Chrysler's other muscle cars, the Plymouth Road Runner and, until 1971, the Dodge Coronet R/T, as well equally the Barracuda and Challenger. And while the canvass metal was different, underneath was the same tried-and-true "B-Body" platform that had been around since 1962.

An all-new look

Pattern chief Bill Brownlie and his team gave the 1971 Charger a totally new design, with sleek "fuselage" styling that looked much different from the former models while keeping familiar Charger design cues. Automobile and Driver magazine commented, "A Dodge Charger? A piece of sculpture? Brownlie and his associates have come up with the best-styled new car for 1971… The Charger comes off every bit anything but a styling compromise. Not but is it credible to people viewing the automobile from the outside, but the driver is aware that he is controlling something far from normal every bit well."

The ten cars that Motor Trend nominated for its 1971 Car of the Year accolade were filled with the new compacts launched that yr — Pinto, Vega, and Gremlin — as well as theRiviera/Toronado luxo-barges and Camaro/Firebird and Mustang/Cougar Pony cars.

But they included the '71 Charger, the only traditional muscle motorcar of the group, saying "It was axiomatic, later on the initial success of the '68–'lxx Chargers, the Dodge stylists would take to burn some midnight oil to create a fresh approach that would again make Charger something unique in an industry where very picayune is unique. Equally far as the Motor Trend staff is concerned, they succeeded, and won a nomination… The Charger will be examined in the Ride and Bulldoze, in gild to determine whether Dodge'southward 'family' supercar is still a value for the coin in comparing to the new econo-cars. There was a fourth dimension when a supercar didn't have to defend itself. Only that was the mid-'60's. For '71, information technology's a brand new bag…"

However a muscle machine

It may take been a brand new bag, only that old-time performance was still evident, at least for one terminal yr. Car and Driver recorded 0–60 mph in 6.v seconds and ran the quarter-mile in 14.viii seconds at 95.7 mph in a Charger equipped with the 440 Magnum and 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic, while Motor Tendency saw like results. That'south not '68 Hemi Road Runner territory, but then over again, the Charger had a dainty array of brute comforts, while the 'Runner was a painfully blank-bones, lightweight, all-out speed car.

The Charger R/T was a very good car for its fourth dimension, but the times were a changin'. Motor Trend chose Chevy's Vega every bit their 1971 Automobile of the Year, a truthful sign that the automotive climate was non what information technology was merely two or three years earlier.

And while Dodge had an excellent year selling more than than sixty,000 Chargers, merely about ten% were functioning R/T or Super Bee models. Clearly, America'south love matter with the musculus car was over. Safety concerns were taking the fun out of these cars, with insurance rates going over $1,500 annually for someone with a blemished record — almost half the cost of the car itself.

Plus, the American economy was besides falling into a recession, making the buy of these cars more difficult to justify. Finally, our soldiers returning from Vietnam were coming back older and wiser, and as many were settling down and getting married, they were trading their fast toys for family transportation.

The last of its kind

In today'south market, the 1971 operation cars are often viewed with the aforementioned disdain as other '70s-era vehicles. Just the '71 Charger R/T is much more a archetype '60s musculus motorcar than a wanna-be '78 Volaré Road Runner. That means, as prices for the '60s cars have gotten out of reach for many buyers, these early on '70s cars tin be a real bargain, although with the exception of the Pontiac Firebird, 1971 was pretty much the final yr for real performance.

We've seen Hemi-powered '71 Chargers reach the $315,000 mark, and the about-as-rare 440 Half dozen-Pack '71s touch $82,500, but that was in the pre-meltdown market. Today, $36,300 for a well-restored Charger R/T, powered past the standard 440 four-bbl, painted in popular "Plum Crazy," verified by Mopar practiced Galen Govier, is a very off-white price.

Yeah, that's a bargain for a distinctive-looking muscle car, but that's well-nigh all the current market place will behave for circa-1971 performance. This is the perfect car for someone scared away by '60s prices — only don't expect '60s-like values in the futurity. Well bought and sold.

(Introductory description courtesy of Auctions America by RM.)