The Black Ghost: Street Racing Legend - 1970 Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi Documentary | HVA

"Tremendous story, beautifully told." ~ BH

The 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE ordered new by Godfrey Qualls was a piece of legend on the streets of Detroit. Optioned in triple black with a 426 Hemi, it dominated street races throughout the 70s before disappearing for decades. Learn the full story behind this original survivor car, how it made its way back on to the streets, and having its story documented as a piece of America’s automotive history!

National Historic Vehicle Register
No. 28

This vehicle has been selected based on the following criteria:

Associative Value – Events – A vehicle associated with an event or events that are important in automotive or American history.

This Dodge Challenger is highly representative of the famed muscle car/pony car era and horsepower wars of the 1960s and early 1970s. The Challenger was Dodge’s late entry into the “pony car” game some three years after GM and five years after the sales leader Ford. Despite their late start the Challenger and its Plymouth cousin, the ‘Cuda became automotive icons due to their bold styling, performance minded engine options, and spectacular marketing.  The enormous HEMI left an indelible mark on car culture as a street racing legend and this car backs that up.

 

Design or Construction Value – A vehicle that is distinctive based on design, engineering, craftsmanship or aesthetic value.

While there are plenty of emblematic muscle cars out there, it is hard to top a triple black, first year Challenger featuring the unique combination of desirable options in unrestored condition with nearly every component a numbers-matching part and single-family ownership history. The styling and performance of the 1970 Challenger is among the most significant of the era and this car communicates that in a way that others cannot.

 

Informational Value – A vehicle of a particular type that was the first produced, last produced, has an element of rarity of its type,
or is among the most well-preserved or authentically restored surviving examples.

Original, preserved cars allow historians and enthusiasts an authentic glimpse into history that is unparalleled by stories or photographs. While nicer, lower-mileage, unrestored 1970 Challengers certainly exist, this well used example gives an unvarnished glimpse into the classic muscle car era tale of street racing, daily driven, blue collar, Detroit built, American performance coupes. The ultra-low mileage, untouched survivors are important time capsules demonstrating how the cars left the factory, but this Challenger symbolizes the lives the cars lived and the stories of the people that drove them.  Qualls’ car was used, abused and then frozen in time right when the golden era of muscle and pony cars came to a close.

READ MORE HERE:
https://www.historicvehicle.org/national-historic-vehicle-register/vehicles/1970-dodge-challenger-rt-se/

//////