Rare Barn Find: 1971 Dodge Challenger Convertible Emerges After 44 Years

Although it arrived a bit late to the muscle car party, the Challenger quickly became an important name of the golden era. And it was all thanks to the optional high-compression V8 engines, the High-Impact color palette, and the car's aggressive styling cues.

But the nameplate's fortune changed dramatically in 1971. Due to high insurance rates and strict emissions regulations that were about to be enforced, the Challenger found only 27,377 owners that year. R/T sales also dropped to about a quarter of the previous year.

The new fuel economy and emissions restrictions did not kill the Challenger; Dodge offered the vehicle through 1974. However, its muscle car status was gone at the end of 1971 when Chrysler ended high-compression big-block V8 production. As a result, the 1970 and 1971 versions are now the most desirable iterations of the first-gen Challenger.

As is the case with most Mopars from the golden era, the HEMI variant is the rarest and most sought-after. Dodge sold only 356 units in 1970 and just 71 in 1971. The 440 Six-Pack cars are also scarce, as are the R/T SE models. The 1971 Challenger you see here is not part of the categories above, but it's also rare thanks to one feature: the convertible top.

The drop-top was one of the many options that Dodge discontinued after the 1971 model year. Just like the 440 Six-Pack and 426 HEMI engines, the convertible was around for only two years. And it wasn't very popular either. In 1970, only 3,884 customers selected this body style. The following year, deliveries dropped to just 2,165 units. This Challenger is one of 1,870 convertibles shipped to US dealerships.

A proper barn find, this Mopar has been sitting for more than four decades as of 2024. According to the owner, the car was rear-ended while parked sometime in 1980 and retired for repairs. Even though the rear fascia was fixed, the Challenger never returned to the road.

But even though it hasn't moved in about 44 years, the drop-top is still in solid condition. The HEMI Orange paint doesn't look bad, while the white soft top is in surprisingly good condition. Sure, the car shows rust spots and doesn't run, but I've seen Mopars in far worse condition after only 20 years off the road.

As for what's under the hood, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that this Mopar still has a numbers-matching powerplant in the engine bay. The not-so-good news is that the engine will need an overhaul to become road-worthy. Oh, the unit in question is a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) small-block, which slotted right above the base slant-six at the time.

This engine makes this car one of 1,323 convertibles produced with this mill, while the automatic transmission narrows it down a bit more to 1,230 examples. It's the most common configuration in 1971 drop-tops, but it's still rare in the bigger picture.

Fortunately, the car is now off to a better life that should see it returning to public roads. With 1971 convertibles quite hard to find nowadays, this Challenger deserves a complete restoration. Until that happens, see it coming out of the barn in the video below.