The sunroof became a common factory option in the 1960s, but it wasn’t exactly popular at the time. According to the Mopar Sunroof Registry, Chrysler sold about 13,000 cars with factory sunroofs from 1969 to 1974. That’s a paltry number compared to the millions of vehicles built. And it’s also split between numerous Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler nameplates.
Furthermore, most of these sunroof options were ordered between 1972 and 1974, when high-compression Mopar muscle cars were a thing of the past. As a result, sunroof cars from the 1969-1971 heyday are rare and, as a result, highly sought after. The 1970 Dodge Charger you see here is one of those cars.
Finished in HEMI Orange with a contrasting white vinyl roof, this Charger started out as a base car. You can see the aforementioned badge on the front grille. However, the original owner specified the Special Edition (SE) package, which added a host of premium features. The list included leather and vinyl bucket seats, a wood-effect dash and steering wheel, bright pedals, and a special lighting cluster.
It also opted for a more powerful V8 engine in place of the base 225-cubic-inch (3.7-liter) inline-six. The engine in question was a 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) two-cylinder V8, which produced 290 horsepower and 390 pound-feet (529 Nm) of torque. This powerplant slotted in just below the 335-horsepower four-cylinder version, the most powerful unit available in the base Charger. Both the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB and the 426 HEMI were reserved for the top-of-the-line R/T model. The 383 two-barrel was only available with the three-speed automatic transmission.
This configuration already makes this seemingly unremarkable Charger rare. Of the 46,315 units shipped to U.S. dealers that year, only 9,345 rolled off the assembly line in base trim. Of those, just 1,434 received the 383/two-barrel automatic combination. There are no records of how many were equipped with the SE package, but Mopar experts agree that only 15 percent of the cars did. All told, we’re probably looking at one of fewer than 250 examples built this way.
And then there’s the sunroof, a feature that was still relatively new to Chrysler products at the time. According to the Dodge Charger Registry, only 175 cars were ordered with the sunroof. And most of them ended up on the 500 and R/T models because only nine customers chose to have one installed on their base Charger. It’s a rare sight no matter how you look at it.
And that's not the only good news about this truck. The Charger still sports its original sheetmetal and drivetrain components. It has air conditioning and power, and comes with three transmission sheets. Not to mention, it has a tan interior. It's far from perfect, but its condition is pretty impressive for a 54-year-old classic.
Coming from the Mopars 5150 collection, this rare Charger needs a new owner to parade around classic car events. It will cross the block at Mecum's Dallas 2024 auction on September 5th and I'm pretty sure it will fetch six figures despite not having a HEMI under the hood.