The Dodge Charger might be the most abused nameplate in all of automotive history. Starting out as a sporty Coronet, it morphed into a musclecar whose shape and presence makes even the most ardent fan of Ford and GM nod their heads in approval, flirted with the positive side of being a personal luxury coupe in the early 1970s while doing double-duty as a NASCAR hero, dove headfirst into overstuffed Brougham-ness in the late 1970s, lived through the 1980s as an econo-turd (unless the name Shelby was affixed) and finally, in it’s current form as a four-door sedan, has regained most of it’s original swagger back. Unless you bring up the door count to any die-hard Mopar fan…then you might be getting an earful in.

While the Cordoba-based Charger SE is often panned as the worst Charger, we disagree…it was still a V8, RWD B-body that could get a smog-choked big block. The L-body front driver, on the other hand, was a fully flawed package. If it wasn’t a Shelby, it was basic transportation at best. If it was a Shelby Charger, you got a life lesson on torque steer and just how much that four-spoke steering wheel could bend your thumbs when the boost came on. Not exactly a win-win situation.

But this 1987 Dodge Charger bridges the gap. The L-body is small and light, and that works well when the original 2.2L four-banger is canned in favor of a 360 small block and a rear-drive conversion. And as a sleeper, this thing is on kill: you’d expect to see a rake or duals or some interior work that would give away the game, but here, the only two tip-offs you have before the key is turned are the large, single pipe at the rear and a small and discreet “R/T” badge on the hatch.

Here’s all of the details the seller provides: a Mustang II-sourced rack and pinion system steers the car, but we don’t know if it’s a full kit or a homemade K-frame is supporting the suspension. A Chrysler 8.75 rear axle with ladder bars, QA1 coilovers and 3.23 gears is taking the punishment the fairly mild-sounding LA motor and the A500 overdrive automatic are putting out, and…well, that’s pretty much it. The Charger hasn’t even been converted to a five-lug hub system, the interior is dead-nuts stock save for a small tach hidden well out of sight, and there isn’t even a hood clearance modification. At $4,800 dollars, we’d say jump on this deal as soon as you can. Daily driven, cruised or built into a nasty midnight moneymaker, this little Charger now earns that nameplate.

Craigslist Link: 1987 Dodge Charger