Just watched the story behind this on Youtube late last year and absolutely loved it. I hope someone in the area snags it and keeps the legend local and alive.
By David S. Wallens
May 2, 2023
|
Mecum,
Mecum Auctions,
Detroit,
Black Ghost
Photography Courtesy Mecum
No one knew the full story. No one knew the face. For years, it remained just a piece of Detroit’s street racing lore: a triple-black Dodge Challenger that would roll in, beat the car in the next lane, and then fade back into the night.
Decades later, the gaps in the story filled in. In 1969, Godfrey Qualls, a Green Beret and Detroit police officer, ordered the Challenger: Hemi engine, four-speed box, Super Track diff, Pistol Grip shifter. Instead of fitting a plain black vinyl top, the factory mistakenly installed one resembling gator skin. Qualls added the Africa stickers to both front fenders.
By that summer, the Challenger had already established itself as the car to beat. “Everybody knew the car existed, but nobody hardly saw it,” Mopar collector and expert Dean Herron told Hagerty. “It was a legend. This is the coolest–it’s the ultimate.”
Qualls finally parked the car for good in 1976. Before passing away in 2015, he shared the car’s story with his son. A year later, the car came out of hiding.
The 1970 Challenger R/T SE–unrestored and still bearing the scars of use–has since been named to the Historic Vehicle Association Register and shown at The Amelia, Hilton Head, the Concours d’Elegance of America and even the National Mall in D.C. This May, it will cross the Mecum block in Indianapolis.
Just watched the story behind this on Youtube late last year and absolutely loved it. I hope someone in the area snags it and keeps the legend local and alive.
In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :
It was very cool to see in person. Each little mark tells part of the story, right? Hope it goes to a good home.
Cool to see a car that is original, preserved, well known, found and not retored.
Sold!
$1,072,500.
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