Man Buys 1974 Dodge Charger for Scrap Money, Finds Out It's a Super Rare Gem
There's still an ongoing debate about when the golden muscle car era ended, but when it comes to Mopars, enthusiasts draw the line after the 1971 model year. That's when Chrysler discontinued all of its high-compression big-block engines. As a result, post-1971 Challengers, Chargers, Barracudas, and Road Runners don't get as much love as their predecessors.
Moreover, only a small percentage of these rigs are still in one piece more than five decades later. You're more likely to see 1972-to-1974 B-body and E-body Mopars in junkyards than on public roads, and most of them are rust buckets with only a few good parts to donate. They're also dirt cheap, and nobody wants to restore them.
But that's not to say all these rigs are mundane and deserve to become scrap metal. Some are actually super rare gems with unlikely option combos and powerplants we don't get to see very often. One such vehicle was recently discovered by Chris Birdsong of YouTube's "Junkerup."
Chris was randomly browsing Facebook Marketplace when he stumbled upon a 1974 Dodge Charger SE described as a parts car. Initially, he wasn't interested in the vehicle, but the Charger was dirt cheap at $1,400 and located only a few miles from his house. He decided to buy it, knowing he could "triple my money parting out."
He found a derelict B-body that didn't seem special at first glance, but he soon realized he had stumbled upon a rare classic. Upon checking the VIN, he discovered the Charger left the factory with a U-code 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8.
This big-block RB is somewhat mundane in pre-1972 Mopars, but it's a rare powerplant in a 1974 Charger. With a new 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) V8 introduced in 1972, the 440 was on its way out and became an unpopular option. Dodge sold only 739 units in 1973 and just 222 examples in 1974. This Charger is one of only 208 hardtops equipped with the 440 that year.
But that's not all. This B-body also features a sunroof, one of the rarest factory features of the era. Of the 74,376 Chargers sold in 1974, only 2,388 were fitted with sunroofs. That's only 3.2% of the total production. There's no official info on how many 440 cars got a sunroof, but we could be looking at one of fewer than ten produced.
That number should drop even lower if we also factor in the SE package and options like the Rallye gauges, center console, and the white interior and vinyl top. But I can already tell you this Charger is a one-of-one gem due to a code our host discovered on the fender tag. This Mopar has a "999" stamp, which means it was commissioned with a special-order paint.
While the exterior looks rough, the inside of the hood and the engine confirm the presence of a color that wasn't on the regular 1974 palette. Both the KB5 and KB1 blue hues available that year are lighter than this unidentified dark metallic blue. Our host says it could be KB8 Starlight Blue Metallic, a hue reserved for C-body Dodges in 1974.
So, what will happen to this Mopar now that the owner knows it's a unique car? Well, the good news is he won't dismantle it for parts. However, he's not planning to restore it, either. He wants to rebuild the engine and turn the Charger into a race car for the Duct Tape Drags. The event takes place on September 27-28, so we may see this hardtop in action soon.
But while I agree that a drag racing career is better than the crusher, I'd still like to see this Charger restored to its original specifications. But I'm not getting my hopes up since the car needs a lot of work and an investment much larger than its market value as a Concours-ready classic.
Moreover, only a small percentage of these rigs are still in one piece more than five decades later. You're more likely to see 1972-to-1974 B-body and E-body Mopars in junkyards than on public roads, and most of them are rust buckets with only a few good parts to donate. They're also dirt cheap, and nobody wants to restore them.
But that's not to say all these rigs are mundane and deserve to become scrap metal. Some are actually super rare gems with unlikely option combos and powerplants we don't get to see very often. One such vehicle was recently discovered by Chris Birdsong of YouTube's "Junkerup."
Chris was randomly browsing Facebook Marketplace when he stumbled upon a 1974 Dodge Charger SE described as a parts car. Initially, he wasn't interested in the vehicle, but the Charger was dirt cheap at $1,400 and located only a few miles from his house. He decided to buy it, knowing he could "triple my money parting out."
He found a derelict B-body that didn't seem special at first glance, but he soon realized he had stumbled upon a rare classic. Upon checking the VIN, he discovered the Charger left the factory with a U-code 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8.
This big-block RB is somewhat mundane in pre-1972 Mopars, but it's a rare powerplant in a 1974 Charger. With a new 400-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) V8 introduced in 1972, the 440 was on its way out and became an unpopular option. Dodge sold only 739 units in 1973 and just 222 examples in 1974. This Charger is one of only 208 hardtops equipped with the 440 that year.
But that's not all. This B-body also features a sunroof, one of the rarest factory features of the era. Of the 74,376 Chargers sold in 1974, only 2,388 were fitted with sunroofs. That's only 3.2% of the total production. There's no official info on how many 440 cars got a sunroof, but we could be looking at one of fewer than ten produced.
That number should drop even lower if we also factor in the SE package and options like the Rallye gauges, center console, and the white interior and vinyl top. But I can already tell you this Charger is a one-of-one gem due to a code our host discovered on the fender tag. This Mopar has a "999" stamp, which means it was commissioned with a special-order paint.
While the exterior looks rough, the inside of the hood and the engine confirm the presence of a color that wasn't on the regular 1974 palette. Both the KB5 and KB1 blue hues available that year are lighter than this unidentified dark metallic blue. Our host says it could be KB8 Starlight Blue Metallic, a hue reserved for C-body Dodges in 1974.
So, what will happen to this Mopar now that the owner knows it's a unique car? Well, the good news is he won't dismantle it for parts. However, he's not planning to restore it, either. He wants to rebuild the engine and turn the Charger into a race car for the Duct Tape Drags. The event takes place on September 27-28, so we may see this hardtop in action soon.
But while I agree that a drag racing career is better than the crusher, I'd still like to see this Charger restored to its original specifications. But I'm not getting my hopes up since the car needs a lot of work and an investment much larger than its market value as a Concours-ready classic.