1971 Dodge Challenger T/A?

[Mr.DJ]

1971 Dodge Challenger T/A

By Tad Burness

The 1971 Dodge Challenger T/A was one of many so-called muscle cars of the 1964-1971 era, a time when lightweight, high-powered sports coupes and convertibles were created to attract young, male baby boomers who had the means to buy. The Challenger R/T for 1971 sold for $3,273 ($3,639 in the west) and weighed 3,495 pounds. Price and weight of the T/A variation were not mentioned in the sales literature, other than that it was "affordable," considering all of the built-in speed equipment that would otherwise have to be special-ordered at extra cost. This car appears in yellow and black in a view from original sales literature.

Megaphone exhausts on either side were an unusual feature, bound to make enough noise to please even the most manic muscle-car maniac, but possibly disturbing to others. This feature was not offered for long, for obvious reasons.

Because of the very nature of tire-screaming, high-powered muscle cars, most were driven to pieces or were wrecked in a short time by their young and careless owners. Many a middle-aged boomer has longed to recapture the thrills of youth by purchasing a clean, original muscle car - though, they're obviously hard to find. *Reports have circulated that just recently someone actually paid $3 million for a 1971 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda, far above what the finest of classic Duesenbergs or Rolls-Royces are fetching - even more than the scarcest of high-speed Ferraris!

I doubt that the day of the Billion-Dollar Bugatti or Trillion-Dollar Tucker will ever come, but some people will offer a high price for something they don't think they can do without.
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Source: Monterey County Herald
By Tad Burness
Posted on Fri, Mar. 03, 2006
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* Actually, this writer is referring to the '70 Plymouth 'cuda HEMI convertible
which recently sold at the 2006 Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale
for $2,160,000 - see more photos here

[JS29R0B]

actually the writer of the article is terribly mistaken....

...there was never a 1971 Challenger T/A made, only 1970 models...

the picture he refers to was used in an ad for the 1971 Challenger T/A, but the car in the advertisement was really a 1970 model with a 1971 grill airbrushed over the 1970 grill....the 340 SIX PAK markings on the side were also airbrushed over.....when looking at the original ads closely, it is very apparent the grill is not real and the letters on the side still show thru the yellow, although slightly...shame he didn't have his facts straight before writing the article...

[Mr.DJ]

Yep, as 1970 was it for the T/A. I was wondering if/when somebody else would also notice this.

Now, name the 'Challenger' models which were available in 1971.

[JS29R0B]

1970

JH23....2 DOOR HARDTOP
JS23....R/T HARDTOP
JH27....CONV.
JS27....R/T CONV
JH29....SPECIAL EDITION
JS29....RT/SE(SPECIAL EDITION)
JH23J...T/A...CODE A53

thats all I can think of at the moment...

1971

JH23
JS23
JH27

no T/A,
no RT conv.
I don't think the SE was an option either(don't remember seeing or owning one)

...I once owned a HEMI RT/SE, 1 of 60 built...mine was the first HEMI Challenger ever built.....JS29ROB100015

[Mr.DJ]

There were eight Challenger models for 1970.

• Challenger Deputy (option code A93)
• Two door hardtop
• Two door convertible
• SE two door hardtop
• R/T two door hardtop
• R/T two door convertible
• R/T SE two door hardtop
• T/A two door hardtop

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I'm sure the above writer took some of his information from this article from allpar.com, who in fact, is not even sure of the 71's existence either.
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1971 Dodge Challengers

For 1971, as in 1970, the Hemi was in the R/T lineup as well as the 440, and the standard 383; new was the light but high-performance 340. There were no R/T ragtops, but there were 340 ragtops that were essentially similar, except for the emblems and the R/T VIN code. As one would expect, the grille was changed.

1971 Challenger T/A

There are rumors of '71 T/As, but they had a 340-4 barrel.

By the same token, you could order a 340 R/T look-alike with a shaker and a go-wing, and most of the R/T paraphernalia, without the higher insurance premiums.

The main difference in the 1971 SE was the back window, which grew to normal size. There are rumors of '71 T/As, but they had a 340-4 barrel. The 383 was detuned to 300 hp, the base 440 was no longer available, and the 440 Six-Pack was now 5 hp lower. Sales were dramatically lower in 1971, despite being the Indy 500 pace car — or perhaps because the pace car crashed into the press box. Production was a mere 30,000 units or so.

Read more here
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Source: allpar.com
by Kelly Doke-Journigan and the Allpar staff

[Vanishing Point]

The bad news is,there was not ever a 71 challenger T/A as mopar pulled out of Trans-am racing,by then(nice pic though)!....The good news is,being it came from Allpar as the source,...then maybe all the "so called info" on our new hemi challenger is wrong also(one engine option and all),..as I for one believe that they are wrong! .........Anywho,here is some real facts that I have regarding the challenger T/A as well as the ever elusive so called 71 challenger T/A mystery! ...First off, on the rumored 71 T/A:.... Although dealer brochures for the '71 Dodge Scat Pack and advertisements in Hot Rod Magazine proclaimed a '71 Challenger T/A, depicted in the advertisement was a picture from the '70 Challenger T/A advertisements with a '71 Challenger grille airbrushed in and the 340 Six Pack fender decals airbrushed out.

Due to heavy financial losses in both the racing program and in the production of the assembly line cars, the Trans Am models were dropped as quickly as they were introduced. Not enough cars could ever be sold in order to break even on the cost of research and engineering the project, let alone make the hassles on the assembly line worthwhile. It seems that shaker hoods on other E-bodies caused many a confusing situation on the line, but the Trans Am cars really caused major chaos since the configuration of a Trans Am car was greatly different than a standard E-body. Some cars were partially constructed before it was realized that it was a Trans Am car being built. This caused some cars to be missing some of their Trans Am features. Along with poor fit and finish on many parts, the AAR 'Cuda reviewed by Car and Driver magazine had the radio antenna mounted on the right front fender instead of the right rear quarter panel.

Further information supplied by Chrysler indicates a volume of 2800 AAR 'Cudas and 2500 Challenger T/As that were to be built for SCCA Trans Am homolagation. 2724 AAR 'Cudas and 2399 Challenger T/As were actually built. Base price for the AAR 'Cuda was $3966 and the Challenger T/A was $3818.

[Kelly]

Hey guys, if you are saying that my article was a bad source, I am sorry, I wrote Allpar's Challenger article in 1997,when I was 14 or 15-this was when some of their pages were still hosted at the z.simplenet address.

I apologise for the necroposting, but I just came across this.


Anyway, as far as the '71 T/As go, I have only UNCONFIRMED rumors that a handful (~30) were built before the Top Brass pulled the plug, and they were turned into 340 R/Ts. They had a regular four barrel. I've heard stories that these cars were in an out lot close to Dodge Main for a few weeks in the fourth quarter of 1970. I don't know if they had the relocated antenna mast, but for a tiny pilot run that would be major tooling headache just for the antenna. I am not sure if these cars had the Hemi Fenders, I am guessing they would. Maybe they flew Rock in from St. Louis to convert them back?

As far as the ad car, yes it is airbrushed. There are ads of a '70 T/A with steelies, a black top, and painted, (you guessed it), top banana paint playing on a rainy track. Those ad boys were good at airbrushing-see the '70 "Shrinking Violet" ad car, for instance-It pictures the car as a hemi or six pack (can't remember right now), and it is either a 440 or a 383.

The N94 T/A hood was available at your local dodge dealer in '70 and '71, and an interesting factory part that has surfaced is dual snorkel unit Mopar adapted for the 4 barrel carbs. It mates to the bottom of the hood, and carries a different part number than the regular dual snorkel air cleaner. I would also assume that the 4-barrel B-body 'Air Grabber' unit might be also used here.

As far as factory Non-T/A N94 hood cars, there is a triple black R/T SE that exists only as a build sheet found in another car, rumored to be destroyed in the eighties (that two million dollar 'cuda was crushed in 1975, remember?), and a red hemi R/T...


The real T/A cars carried the Hemi Fenders (rolled lip in the wheelwell arches to fit those fat F60s?), and the antenna again, was on the rear quarter-reasoning is that the lack of a steel hood would impede reception on the radio. Remember, when these cars were new, Classical Music and Religious stations dominated the FM airwaves!

With that being said, take it with a grain of salt, an exhausted joint by that build sheet, and a can of Miller in the door panel. I would still go out and check that 340 R/T!


Later

KFD (yes, Kelly Doke).