Challenger

For the 1971 model year, Dodge was having trouble getting the Shaker Hood equipped Challengers to pass head-on crash tests. While improvements were being engineered, the only fresh air hood available was from the 1970 T/A. In mid-2006, Highway 61 presented this crisp reproduction of a slice of Mopar History, an R/T in Gunmetal Grey with the 440 Six Pack bristling under the hood. I didn't want this one to languish in its packaging, so I took it out and put it on display as soon as it came in the door!

Hemi Power in a Hemi Orange body! 1971 was the height of Mopar muscle when you could still order the 426 CID monster in the Challenger! Highway 61 released 1,998 of these hot looking collectibles to an anxious public in 2005!

HOT HOT HOT! This 1970 B5 Blue Challenger T/A was one of 1,998 sponsored by Supercar Collectibles, made by Highway 61. This is a real nice paint job, with a smooth, lustrous finish. The black on blue stripe package works very well on this model, another welcome addition to my collection!

Four 1970 Challenger T/A's that I originally didn't buy, but picked up on the secondary market early in 2008. Dark Burnt Orange Metallic and Banana are the Dodge names for the paints worn by the two on the left. Having the white interior, this Orange is one of 504 made for Supercar Collectibles. The Hemi Orange, which sports regular hub caps with bright chrome trim rings, instead of the typical Rallye Wheels, is on the right with the Dark Burnt Orange Metallic with the black interior.

Mmmmmmm! My favorite flavour! Make it Black and make it a Mopar! I bought this offering from Highway 61 in early 2005. This is their first Challenger T/A release, in my favorite color with the "only-available-in-black" stripe package. Very nice, and very welcome to my collection!

In 1971, you could buy a Challenger with no fewer than nine engine choices. This Citron Yella, from Highway 61, comes with one of the more desireable choices, the 385 HP 440 SixPak.

The White 1970 Challenger R/T with the 440 Six-Pack is a Star. When Barry Newman drove it in the classic 1970 movie Vanishing Point, it and the movie were instant icons. Every car-nut and every movie-nut knows the Vanishing Point Challenger. Whole legions of devotees drove clones of this car. About the closest the vast majority of us will ever get to this legend is to own one in 1/18 scale. This one was made in 2006 by Highway 61. Only 500 were crafted, and they even bear the original Colorado license plates, OA-5599. I missed out on the original release, and bought this one off eBay 2 years later. I paid a hefty price, but heck, there's just something about “Star Power”!

Since I am collecting all the Highway 61 Challenger T/A's, I had to buy this set to get my mitts on this Light Green Metallic beauty. It is one of a number of sets that Highway 61 released of either a 1970 or 1971 Challenger, along with a new Challenger concept car painted to match the classic pony car. Both of these cars are very nicely done, and the quality of the paint, and the fit and finish, is well worth the price of the set.

With the black stripe package, Torque Thrust wheels and typical nice Highway 61 detailing, this 1970 T/A was released in mid-2008. The Dark Green Metallic paint is nicely applied and is actually a great looking color in 1/18 scale as well as full scale.

Rather than having special box art for this Mr. Norm's Challenger T/A, Supercar Collectibles used a generic Highway 61 box and added product specific stickers to the window and box. It's most likely a cost saving strategy, and in my books, it works very well! This is 1 of 402 Plum Crazy purple T/A's released in late 2008. Peeking past the box's window stickers you can see the smooth paint and nice detailing of the unique white vinyl top.

When Supercar Collectibles commissioned the Mr Norm's Challenger T/A above, they also had the factory tack on the production of 102 extra models without the white vinyl top. The non-vinyl versions were released a few months after the Mr Norm's (more than likely so as not to compete with eachother for the buyers' attention) and sport personalized Supercar license plates that advertise "1 of 102". This color combination of Plum Crazy with black is one of my favorites, and I may just find myself buying a second one; one for display and the other just to keep.....just because.....