A week ago, our Pick of the Day was a 1970 Dodge Super Bee painted in code FM3 Panther Pink. It was one of two High Impact colors Dodge and Plymouth introduced in the middle of the model year. The other color is painted on the flanks of today’s Pick of the Day, a 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Rochester, Minnesota.
The Challenger was a new model for Dodge, arriving in the fall of 1969 as the final pony car to debut among the manufacturers from metropolitan Detroit and Kenosha. As a sister model to the Plymouth Barracuda, the Challenger was created on a new E-body platform that could be characterized as a shortened and widened version of the mid-size B-body. To distinguish the Challenger, engineers gave it a wheelbase two inches longer than the Barracuda’s, but available powerplants and much equipment was the same—everything else was up to the product planners.
After the success of the Camaro Z/28 (which was not quite a success in 1967 with 602 built, but word of mouth and an enthusiastic public pushed it to over 20,000 units in 1969), Dodge got into the act of homologating a Trans Am-inspired pony car. In the middle of the model year, Dodge introduced the A53 package to certify its efforts with the SCCA. The package transformed the Challenger into the Challenger T/A (for Trans Am, as Pontiac had already licensed the name for its homologation special). The Challenger T/A holds an interesting distinction shared with the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am and the AMC Javelin Mark Donohue Edition: the available engine was above the 5.0-liter limit specified by SCCA, the governing body of Trans Am races. However, the race cars could be derived from a de-stroked production engine, so the T/A made do with a specially modified 340 small-block with Six Pack induction.
Checking off the A53 package also included a fiberglass Six Pack hood with tie-down pins, decklid ducktail spoiler, side-exit exhaust pipes, 15 x 7 wheels with E60 tires up front/G60s out back, Rallye suspension with HD shocks and rear stabilizer, unique striping, and more.
The debut of the T/A package coincided with two new colors for the Challenger. While Panther Pink garners plenty of attention, code FJ6 Green Go (Plymouth called it Sassy Grass Green) sometimes suffers in comparison despite being an equally eye-searing (and rare) hue. Perhaps it has something to do with the color being carried over into 1971, where it enjoyed much more popularity? Nevertheless, the color was probably most popular on T/A-equipped Challengers.
“1970 Dodge Challenger T/A, factory-produced original ‘A53’ Trans Am ‘J’ code 340 SIX PACK documented with two original broadcast sheets, original fender tags, and original body numbers,” says the seller. It has undergone a rotisserie restoration and features the optional, T/A-exclusive fast-ratio power steering, 3.55s, correct radiator, date-coded plug wires, and plenty of other good stuff for the guy or gal looking for a correct T/A.
“One of most attention-grabbing T/A’s you will find,” adds the seller. That’s no lie since, aside from the FJ6 hue, this one looks quite unusual with a white vinyl top complementing the matching interior. For $134,900, you can have one of the most pristine and unique T/As around without being self-conscious about the color.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
