Rare Mr. Norm's 1971 Dodge Charger R/T Found in a Junkyard, Begs to Be Saved

But Hemi-fitted Chargers aren't necessarily the rarest of their kind. Mopars sold through Mr. Norm's Grand Spaulding dealership in Chicago are just as difficult to find. One of these gems just popped up in a junkyard in Utah and it's in desperate need of restoration.

So what's the deal with Mr. Norm's Mopars? Well, these cars were sold through the Grand Spaulding Dodge dealership in Chicago. Established in 1962 and co-owned by Norm Kraus, Grand Spaulding became the biggest Dodge dealership in the U.S., thanks to Norm's focus on high performance.

In short, Grand Spaulding was for Dodge what Yenko was for General Motors. While Yenko rolled out beefed-up Chevy Camaros and Novas, Mr. Norm sold dealer-upgraded Chargers, Challengers, and Super Bees.

Mopar enthusiasts might also remember the Dodge Dart GSS that Mr. Norm created in 1968 by dropping the massive 440 V8 in the company's A-body compact.

Back to our junkyard-found 1971 Dodge Charger, it also left the dealership with a 440 engine and a long list of upgrades. And based on the driver-side quarter window sticker, it's also a dyno-tuned car. Other goodies include a four-speed manual gearbox and a Dana rear end.

The Charger is in pretty rough condition and needs a frame-off restoration to become road-worthy again, but the good news is that it comes with a ton of documentation. And I mean it, this car has more documentation than any classic Mopar I've seen emerge out of storage or out of a junkyard so far. To the extent that more than half of the 27-minute video below is about the papers.

And based on the NHRA sticker on the back window, this Charger was probably raced extensively back in the day. So not only it's a well-documented car and a real-deal Mr. Norm's Charger, but it also boasts a drag racing past. Is this a cool find or what?

So what's this rare gem doing in a junkyard in Utah? Well, I don't have this information, but YouTube's "Shade Tree Vintage Auto," which documents the muscle car in the video below, says the Charger will be listed for sale shortly.

1971 was the first year for the third-generation Dodge Charger. Redesigned into a more aggressive-looking coupe, the 1971 Charger was also the last of its kind offered with the mighty 426 Hemi engine. It's also the year when sales of the high-performance R/T trim declined due to higher insurance costs and gasoline prices.

Go ahead and find out more about this awesome junkyard find in the video below.