Now here's something any Dodge fan would be happy to have in their garage. This heavily customized 1970 Challenger is up for sale, and boy is she a beaut'. Designed and built by Dave Salvaggio in 2007, the "Insidious" Challenger is one very special piece of metal. What started life as an otherwise unremarkable slant six has had a full reworking inside, out and under the hood, transforming it into a real show stopper.
In terms of the exterior, the door handles, roof rail moldings and other trim pieces have been shaved off. The wheel arches have been re-contoured and new, flush fitting glass has been fitted. The grille and taillights are scratch builds and the hood, bumpers and front fenders have all been reshaped or replaced. The fuel filler cap was also relocate and the whole car finished in black pearl overlaid with olive and sandstone pearl.Underneath the hood is a 426 Hemi crate engine from Mopar Performance with custom headers, custom exhaust and a Hillborn EFI unit. This is mated to a Tremec TKO 600 transmission and is said to be good for over 575 hp (429 kW).
To reign in all that power the chassis has been reworked and now incorporates four-wheel independent suspension and coilover springs. The whole thing sits on Symbolic TS15 20-inch wheels clad in Pirelli P-Zero tires, 245/35/20 at the front and 275/35/20 at the back.
Inside, the vinyl and polyester carpeting of the original have been replaced with leather and Wilton Wool. An Alcantara headliner has been fitted and the seats covered in Spinneybeck leather with suede inserts. The piston grip shifter, Tuff steering wheel and dashboard are also covered in leather.
The interior is rounded off with green-gold inserts on the doors and steering wheel, aircraft-style gauges by Classic Instrumentation and a Pioneer DVD sound system. All in all a very smart and well maintained machine that is on sale at R & H Collectibles of Ohio for US$159,000.
By Tristan Hankins
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