Rare 1970 Challenger R/T HEMI Is Better Than Anything With Wheels, Thinks an 11-Year-Old

In 1970, that four-letter word preceded by a three-digit sequence was seldom seen on Chrysler’s new E-body platform. Specifically, 666 ‘Cudas – the irony is absolute in this instance, I know – and 355 Challengers, to be big-block accurate about the newly-launched twin cousins from Chrysler’s Plymouth and Dodge divisions.

The originals are worth their weight in gold today, or even more, as some of the lucky few owners will happily agree to wait for Judgement Day first before considering selling their precious Mopars.

And they can’t be blamed for this attitude – the mother and son in the video could testify for the HEMI’s case and bring their 1970 Challenger R/T as a first-hand witness. The red-on-red compact sports car debuted as a first-year, first-generation legendary muscle car from Dodge.

As if 425 hp and 490 lb-ft (431 PS/664 Nm) weren’t performant enough, there was the Scat Pack variant with the R/T emblem of distinction. The mighty V8 with dual quad-barrel carburetors and hemispherical heads could only be obtained with the Road/Track package, and the offer was a trio of luring performers.

The Dodge Challenger R/T came as a hardtop, a convertible, and the Special Edition models. Regarding engines, apart from the standard 383 cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8, three other options were available with the Road/Track badge. The 440 Magnum with a single four-barrel carburetor, the 440 Six-Pack, and the brute 426-cube (7.0-liter) HEMI.

This particular last model is of interest to us today, coming in its surviving livery of red over red interior. The owner is Rindy Bethkey, but she never drove the car – that used to be her husband’s specialty. Their son Curtis is now in charge of cracking the whip on the stud of thunderous wild stallions, and he is only the second person to have driven this car since the family bought it in 1995.

I don’t mean to divide the internet with this statement, but this Dodge is one of the coolest cars ever to have spun this planet under its wheels. Why? Simple: take Curtis’ word for it – his 11-year-old son asks him frequently to take the HEMI out for a spin (with the boy riding in one of the passengers’ seats, of course).

Among the plethora of hypercars, blitz-fast lighting-bolt-eating ‘hypersonic missiles with doors,’ and other madly designed cars of 2023, the old Dodge survivor makes the 11-year-old’s heart tick faster. And you can see why that would be in the video – a gentle step on the throttle and the rear wheels shriek.

And mind you, this particular Challenger has the 3.55 High-Performance rear axle, not the drag race-ready outrage of a 4.10. Also, the gearbox is the standard three-speed automatic, the famous Heavy Duty A-727 TorqueFlite, with a slapstick shifter mounted between the bucket seats.

As red as it may look, this Dodge hides a blue secret under his coat. The magnificent Dodge started as a blue automobile. Someone at the Hamtramck factory realized the mistake and sent the body to the paint shop for a respray. The fender tag retains the FE5 Bright Red color code, meaning the car as we see it today still wears the factory paint (the definitive and correct color over the initial blue).

Although the hood doesn’t feature the infamous blow holes with the ‘Shaker’ decals, the carbs take in fresh air via the NASA-style scoops. Only 150 hardtop automatics were built with the three-speed auto transmission stuck at the end of the 426 HEMI V8 for the model year, and this red-on-red is one of them. Yes, purists will frown at the sight of the foster tires that chip some of the Challenger’s correct-to-factory-specs originality.

But out of 76,935 Dodge Challengers built for the automobile’s inaugural year, this is one of the last surviving original HEMIs. Does it matter that much what tires this old Dodge smokes when pushed? I didn’t think so either, so why let the truth ruin a beautiful story?

With the price of original examples going as high as half a million, this hardtop R/T HEMI is a gem. Still, the owners have no intention of cashing in. After all, when’s the last time you heard a pile of money rumble and burble like this Dodge? Consider this: Rindy’s husband (Curtis’ dad) sold his 440 Coronet R/T to buy this car. It was not an easy decision, but it was worth the price.

The red-on-red option was a rare choice in 1970 – five Challengers R/T HEMI got this color combo, and the one we can admire here didn’t have a radio. Nor did it have stripes –side or bumblebee – but one previous owner installed an aftermarket radio cassette player and the corresponding antenna. Curtis’ dad removed the latter and welded the fender hole, and there is one spot of red paint that’s not like the rest of the car.

Out of the mentioned five-car double-red club, two are four-speed manuals, and only three have the automatic tranny. So, this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T HEMI is pretty rare. However, it’s not a pampered garage or trailer queen – the 49,000 miles (almost 80,000 kilometers) on its clock tell a road story.