Introduced in 1966 as a premium-oriented fastback, the Dodge Charger morphed into a fully-blown muscle car toward the end of the decade. And it also became one of the most iconic rigs of the golden era thanks to performance versions like the R/T and Daytona, as well as the available 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V8.
All told, the Charger had everything a high-performance gearhead needed back in the day. However, some enthusiasts feel that the nameplate shouldn't have gotten a convertible version, especially since the Coronet it was based on was available as a drop-top. Ron Ridgeway is one of those guys. And he fixed this "issue" by building a "one-of-none" Charger R/T Convertible.
An exact copy of his high-school car, except for the folding soft top, of course, the Burnt Orange muscle car is a top-notch build that looks like a factory vehicle. Sure, the windshield is a bit too tall for a drop-top, but other than that, it's pretty much perfect in its uniqueness. And here's something that might surprise you: the car you're looking at is not a 1970 Charger that's been chopped off.
Nope! Ron thought it would have been too complicated to add a folding soft top to a Charger, so he used a 1968 Coronet Convertible to complete the project. He just collected 1970 Charger parts and transplanted everything onto the frame until every trace of the Coronet, except for the soft top, was gone. And this makes Ron's build that much more impressive!
What's under the hood, you ask? Well, this Charger doesn't rely on a rare and mighty 426 HEMI, but it draws juice from the next best thing when it comes to golden-era Mopars. Yup, I'm talking about the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB V8. There's no info if it's the six- or the four-barrel version, but the latter was no slouch at 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet (651 Nm) of twist.
And the good news is that the 440 gets a lot of action because Ron doesn't treat this unique Charger as a garage queen. He took it to several events in recent years, including the Mopar Nationals, and most recently, he drove it to MoParty 2022. That's a 600-mile (966-km) drive from his hometown, but it was worth it given all the attention his Charger got at the event.
So now that you've seen what must be one of a handful of 1970 Charger Convertibles out there, do you think Dodge should have built a drop-top version? Let me know in the comments. Oh, and before you hit the play button below, you might also want to check out a cool 1970 Plymouth Superbird soft top conversion.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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