1970 Dodge Charger 500

• Dating from September 1970 and originally fitted with a 383ci V8 and Torqueflite transmission
• Arrived in the UK in 2004 and with our vendor for the last 10 years
• Subject to a bare-shell restoration by our knowledgeable vendor
• Refinished in its original factory triple-green colours. Factory VIN plate retained and lacquered. Fender tag crisp and clear
• Superbly restored interior. Rare factory option of front centre armrest converting to additional seat with lap belt
• Fitted with a freshly-built Magnum 440ci (7.2-litre) engine generating over 500bhp and disc brakes on the front (original matching-numbers engine available)
• V5C, restoration invoices and original factory build sheet
• The quality and attention to detail is nothing short of sensational!!

At a time when racing engines were pushing the horsepower envelope, the manufacturers involved in US Stock Car Racing’s premier series knew that to win, they had to find another way to make their cars faster. One hundred and eighty mph just was not quick enough for the new ‘super speedways’, and producing enough reliable horsepower to break the 200 mph barrier was not feasible. Manufacturers turned to aerodynamics to make up the difference, triggering a battle for aero supremacy that gave us such gems as the Plymouth Superbird, Ford Torino Talladega, and the Dodge Charger 500. Subtle yet significant aerodynamic alterations differentiate between the 500 and the standard Charger. Despite NASCAR Homologation Rules that mandated the production of 500 road-going cars, it is believed that only 392 "Aero" examples were actually completed.

For 1970, Dodge applied the '500' moniker to their standard-bodied car on the basis that the buying public would be influenced by the NASCAR connection. From its informative ‘Fender Tag’ we learn that it was built in St Louis and was originally fitted with a 383ci V8 with a two-barrel carburettor and Torqueflite transmission. It was finished in (FF4) Light Green Metallic with a Full Vinyl Roof in Green (V1F) and a ‘Charger 500 Trim Grade’ interior featuring vinyl bucket seats in green with the optional front centre arm rest converting to an additional seat.

That was all a few years ago and we understand the car arrived in the UK in 2004 and it has been in our vendor’s ownership for the last ten years. During this period it has been fully restored and a close examination of our images or indeed the physical car, if possible, will confirm that this is one of the most spectacularly impressive restorations we have seen. After being stripped to bare metal, the car has been painted in the correct Light Green Metallic with factory Dark Green Metallic below the doors, the full vinyl roof has been replaced in the correct colour and the interior has been totally retrimmed in the correct green vinyl with matching seatbelts and a new headlining. Pleasingly, the black vinyl dashboard appears to be original and certainly the instruments and radio date from 1970. The presentation of the engine bay is show quality, we would never use the word ‘perfect’ but, in this case, it might just fit.

Our owner has made a couple of sensible upgrades to the car, the most dramatic of which was the installation of a freshly built ‘Magnum’ 440ci (7.2-litre) engine generating over 500bhp. (the original matching numbers, 383ci engine is available from our vendor). With the much bigger numbers from the Magnum, it made sense to convert the front brakes to discs. Since completion, apart from a couple of shake-down runs and a bit of setting-up, it hasn’t travelled any distance.

The car is accompanied by its V5C, older MOTs, a number of invoices from the restoration and the original Build Sheet.

This is a really impressive example of a model that is relatively scarce in the UK. It's been sensibly upgraded and the attention to detail is typical of our fastidious vendor who is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to his motor cars. If you are keen on powerful American 'statement' cars and are fond of the colour green, then this immaculate 1970 Charger 500 needs to be on your shopping list.