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Restored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SE Flexes Original 440 Engine, 727 Transmission

1970 marks the final year of the second-gen Charger. Differentiated by the wraparound chrome bumper and undivided grille, the B-body muscle car was available with a straight-six powerplant and multiple V8 options.
Restored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SE 15 photos
Photo: Volo Cars
Restored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SERestored 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SE
Not as temperamental as the 426 HEMI in daily-driving scenarios, the 440 RB is often considered the best choice for the Charger. There were two versions of the 7.2-liter V8 offered for the 1970 model year, differentiated by the carburetor setup. The base version came with a four-barrel Carter, translating to 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet (651 Nm). That’s 10 pound-feet of torque down on the racetrack-bred HEMI mentioned earlier.

The rotisserie-restored Charger offered by the Volo Auto Museum is an R/T with the original Magnum lump and TorqueFlite tranny, the 727 heavy-duty automatic that continues to be wildly popular for drag racing. Durable, reliable, and relatively simple to service and modify, the aluminum-cased gearbox sends the suck-squeeze-bang-blow to a rear diff with 3.23 gears.

Rebuilt to the correct specs 80 miles (129 kilometers) ago, the drivetrain is complemented by a rust-free underbody and green paintwork with a clearcoat so polished that you could use it as a mirror. Laser-beam straight all around, this blast from the past further sweetens the deal with triple-plated chrome bumpers, new turn signals, badges, handles, and windshield.

The vinyl top is also new, along with the weatherstrips, carpets, dash pad, and headliner. As per the fender tag decoder, the Special Edition Package in the featured video also flaunts an eight-track player, AM radio, air conditioning, LH remote mirror, and power brakes. Manufactured on June 25th, 1970, at the St. Louis factory in Missouri, the numbers-matching Charger is listed by the Illinois-based museum for the princely sum of $87,998.

That may come as a lot, but when you think about it, period-correct examples are very hard to find these days. It’s also worth noting that Hagerty values an excellent-condition Charger like this one here at $89,200, whereas a concours-condition unit fetches just around $115,000 at auction.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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