Yahoo Autos 1970 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost hammers for $975,000 at Mecum Spring Classic
The Mecum Spring Classic auction put two famed Mopar rides from 1970 on the block: The Dodge Challenger "Black Ghost" and the Plymouth Barrauda Rapid Transit System Show Car. The Black Ghost was a secret to the world until less than 10 years ago, a bit of Dodge lore some might have thought was apocryphal. After being rescued from a garage in Detroit, lightly restored, put on the show circuit, placed in the National Register of Historic Vehicles, and turned into a limited edition of the modern Dodge Challenger in a very short span, Mecum settled on a pre-sale estimate of $1 million. The C-body coupe came close, 8 minutes and 14 seconds of bidding getting up to $975,000 before the 10% auction premium. Add that premium, the Black Ghost cost Florida collector Ryan Snyder $1,072,500.
In 1969, decorated Army veteran and Detroit Police Officer Godfrey "Dennis" Qualls ordered the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE in a spec that experts say was one-of-one that year. Dodge made just 23 examples of a Challenger with both the R/T and Special Edition packages for 1970. On top of that, Godfrey upgraded the standard 383 cubic-inch V8 and three-speed manual to the 426 four-barrel Hemi V8 with a four-speed manual transmission and pistol-grip shifter, and added options like the Summer Track Pak and Gator Grain roof. He paid $5,272.40 after the $17 destination fee. He'd get the car out to run illegal street races on Detroit's Woodward Avenue, usually winning, never showing himself — being a police officer and all, you know — then disappear until he returned to another night of racing and winning on Woodward. This kept up until the late 1970s. No one saw the car outside of races, no one figured out who the driver was, no one knew where the car went.
