Red-on-Red 1970 Dodge Challenger Is a Genuine JS23 R/T With Original Sheet Metal

For the 1970 model year, Plymouth introduced the third-generation Barracuda on Chrysler's new E-body platform. The architecture gave the Barracuda a more serious muscle car identity, with the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB and 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi available as options. Dodge took the same platform and used it as the foundation for the Challenger.

The timing was difficult for muscle cars. Rising insurance costs, the oil crisis, and increasingly strict emissions regulations would push these machines out of showrooms by 1974. Chrysler's own high-performance era ended even sooner. After the 1971 model year, the company discontinued its high-compression V8 engines, leaving the Challenger with only a two-year run in the muscle car market.

The E-body Challenger performed well during its debut year. Production reached nearly 77,000 cars in 1970, putting it more than 25,000 units ahead of its corporate sibling, the Barracuda. The majority were base models, with 56,024 examples leaving the factory equipped primarily with inline-six engines and small-block V8s.

The rest of the production numbers tell a different story. Dodge built 2,399 T/A homologation specials and 18,512 R/T models. As the performance-oriented version, the R/T came exclusively with high-compression V8 engines. The 426 Hemi represents the rarest configuration, with just 356 cars produced. The 440 Six-Pack R/T was more common, but still limited to 2,035 examples.

The four-barrel 440 version accounted for another 3,840 cars. That left 12,281 R/Ts equipped with the standard 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) big-block V8. The red Challenger pictured here belongs to that group.

Its hardtop configuration places it among 9,067 non-SE examples, while the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic reduces the combination to 6,347 cars. Neither figure makes this particular body and drivetrain combination exceptionally scarce, but its color scheme gives it a much more distinctive appearance. The car wears an FE5 Bright Red exterior with a matching red interior.

There is no clear production figure for Challengers finished in this exact combination. Most Bright Red cars are typically seen with black or white interiors, making the red-on-red setup considerably less common. The contrast becomes even more pronounced with the white R/T side stripes fitted to this car.

The engine is not numbers-matching, and the interior and exterior show signs that the car is not a concours-level example. What it does retain, however, is its original sheet metal. The Challenger also received an older restoration and has been properly maintained over the years.

Several desirable factory features remain, including bucket seats, a center console, a Rallye dash, and power steering. Together with the original body panels and unusual color combination, they give this R/T plenty of character despite the non-matching engine.

The Challenger is currently sitting in the NextGen Classic Cars showroom in Addison, Illinois, with an asking price of $61,900. The seller is accepting offers, leaving some room for negotiation and potentially bringing the car below the $60,000 mark.

Would you take this red-on-red R/T at that price, or does the non-matching engine make the asking figure too steep?