The word “survivor” gets thrown around a lot, much of it incorrectly. Most unrestored cars with the adjective attached to them are not survivors – a car must maintain most of its original integrity to be a survivor – so that rusty car needing a restoration is not a survivor. In contrast, this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T is the quintessential survivor, a vehicle that maintains most of its original body panels, paint, and equipment.
That’s not the only thing special about this Challenger R/T. Under the hood, you will find a 440 Six Pack, an engine high on the totem pole of the most desirable muscle cars. Its four-speed manual transmission is controlled by a Hurst Pistol Grip shifter, a gimmicky trademark of sorts representing the height of the era.
And then there’s the color combination. Many folks are way into black, so the triple black paint scheme works for them. But this particular Challenger was ordered with a red Bumblebee stripe, which is quite rare among the R/T and Challenger 340s built.
Yet, there is still more to the story. The grandson of the original Utah-based owner moved to Hawaii in 2004, and he traded it in at the local Dodge dealership for a new work truck. Darryl Turner, an employee at the dealership, was lucky enough to become the new caretaker of “Hollie.” He kept it nicely preserved until 2010, when it was bought by a prominent collector in the United Kingdom. Twelve years later, Darryl was able to buy this Hollie back, so she returned to Hawaii. She still is as nice as she was.
Watch Bringing Hollie Home for the entire story of this storied Mopar.
