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I have owned different Mopars in the past. My first Mopar was a '71 383 Road Runner (after traveling the countryside for almost a year looking for one, I found mine 4 houses down, across the street at my neighbors house in a garage where it had sat almost untouched for about 10 years!).. My second Mopar was a '71 Dodge Demon 340 (I bought it from a friend in the early 90's for $600.00 dollars!... boy!.. how times change!) However, I never could find the Mopar of my dreams, which was (and is) a '71 Charger R/T.
I used to dream of owning one, but, becuase they were so hard to find, or so pricey to purchase, I would concentrate on other Mopars that I owned to "Quench my thirst" however, I still dreamed of owning one............
Well, my dream has finally come true! I am now the proud owner of a 1971 Dodge Charger R/T!
I bought my Charger on April 18, 2003. I found it on Heminet.com. While breezing through the classified section, I spotted an ad for a '71 Charger R/T body for sale. The motor and transmission were gone but the price was right. In addition, to top it all off, the person that had it for sale lived only about 45 minutes from me in another county!
I gave him a call immediately after seeing the ad. Once I called him I could not here him on the line (bad connection) I told him I would call him right back, I did (still had a bad connection) I could not understand anything he was saying, so I had to tell him that I would call him back the next day (I just knew it would be too late, and the car would be sold). I called him the next day, he told me he still had the car, so I made an appointment to look at the car that day. Once I got there, I was happy with what I saw. A fairly straight car without its 440 motor and 727 tranny, but it did still have its original broadcast sheet and it's fender tags still in place! (which these days can sometimes be more valuable to have over its original drivetrain.)
Most all of the distinctive R/T items were still in place, the bulge hood with the louvered insert, and the louvered taillight panels were still in place. However, the correct "gill" doors were replaced with '72 Rallye doors! (ARGHHH!!!) (do you know anyone who needs a pair of Rallye doors?... got a pair of "gill" doors for sale?.. let me know!)
The car came from the factory with a load of options:
- A01-light group
- A35-trailer towing package
- H51-A/C
- R35-am-fm radio
- S83-Rimblow steering wheel
- B31-P/W
and a host of other options including M91-luggage rack... (now, when was the last time you saw a '71 Charger (especially an R/T) with a luggage rack?...I know.. me either!)
I call my car GOLDFINGER becuase: the original color is GY9-Dark Gold Metallic. It came with a V1Y-Gold top, with a GY4-Ember Gold interior.... hence the name: GOLDFINGER. It will take a while to repair her "battle scars". However, I am hoping that she will awaken sometime in the "not to distant" future.
THANK YOU'S
Thanks William...she's in good hands!
Thank You to Lloyd Sr. and Jr. of Raleigh Auto (Thanks for looking out for me.)
Thanks Norman for your words of encouragement (sometimes the hobby can get very frustrating)
Thank you Johnny B (Bee) !..(Continue to spread the love of '71 B-bodies around to everyone!)
And last but not least THANK YOU Dad for instilling the love of cars in my heart!
Larry
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