If you thought the Mustang II was the bastard generation of a storied nameplate I have the proof that it was tame compared to what Dodge did in 1978. Scrambling to get some kind of income going in the face of near-insolvency, Chrysler Corporation had been looking at alliances, since the Dodge Aspen platformed had backfired right in their face over recalls. Chrysler’s best friend about this time was Mitsubishi, who had been lending cars through captive import system that benefited both parties. This spawned several cars that were worth mentioning for one reason or another (Conquest, Stealth, D-50 Ram and every variation of the Eclipse platform possible) but there was one particular four-cylinder hardtop coupe that dropped just about every possible jaw with it’s renaming. In Japan it was the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda GSR coupe. As a Plymouth, it was a Sapporo and was designed to be an entry-level basic coupe. But when it came to the Dodge variation, it got the options book and a name that set nerves on fire everywhere: Challenger.
Not that the overall concept was a bad one. The Challenger’s styling resembled a cross between a 7/8th scale early Fox Mustang up front and pure Japan out back. The base 1.6L four was a 77hp lump, but the 2.6L four was more impressive, especially since Mitsubishi had dialed out all of the inherent vibration issues with their innovative counter-rotative balance shaft technology. Hooked to a five-speed manual, the cars would hustle…for a four-cylinder small car in 1978. The low-end torque was impressive but the car was out of breath by 5500rpm.
The Challenger and Sapporo lasted until 1983, and nowadays it’s all but impossible to find one in any condition, let alone running and driving. This black Challenger, on the other hand, had apparently been dealt a very lucky hand. It’s a well optioned 2.6/5 speed car with air conditioning and four-wheel disc brakes. The interior has seen some refreshening and the paint is original. The car is a legit one-owner piece that has been stored in Arizona with some rare driving every now and then. It’s not the fire-breathing Hemi-powered Challenger of then or now, but think of it more as competition to the Toyota Celica: it would make a killer commuter car or with some suspension tweaking, a great little rally-style ride.
CLICK HERE to see this Challenger’s eBay listing!
Yep remember the Mitsi variants from when i was a kid here in England.Think they had a rear window which covered more of the rear deck over here.We also had the Colt Galant which was your Plymouth Arrow and the Hillman Avenger which was a Plytmouth Cricket i think.They all rusted away long ago over here what with our crappy winters and salted roads! Seem to remember Steve Woods ran a chopped Plymouth Cricket wagon in A/Gas in the seventies!
Put a 4G63 – or at least a Starion drivetrain in it – and that thing would be pretty entertaining.
I kind of want it.
I could tell people you have a mint, all original, 1 owner, black on black Challenger with original paint, and that I bought it for only $6500. Imagine their reactions. Then imagine their reactions when they actually saw it. That alone is almost worth it’s price.
Imagine showing up to an only Mopar show in that. It would be an attention getter, and I would imagine most people wouldn’t even bring up that it is only a Dodge because of it’s logos. It is in such nice condition, different, and it is so extremely rare to see one of these.
If I had a mopar collection, I’d have to add this to it, just for the hell of it. I don’t even need a mopar collection. Crap, I better go look at something else, I’m starting to talk myself into this.
If you brought it to a Mopar show there is a good chance you’d be lynched. Especially if you tried to park next to the other Challengers.
I know mopar guys can be hardcore, but I still think this car wouldn’t go over that bad. But if I owned it and took it to a show, I would definitely be looking for the best challenger I could find and park next to it. I’d be looking for the car with factory chalkmarks guy. This would be the perfect car to troll those guys who take a show way too seriously.If I had the kind of money where I could spend it on a car for the sole purpose of messing with people, this thing would already be on its way to my house.