I was just watching the Mecum coverage from Kissimmee and was shocked to see the Black Ghost hemi Challenger R/T SE is on display there as a preview for Mecum Indy in May.
They interviewed the original owners son and he seemed sad but said time to let it go.
I thought it was a family heirloom that never would be sold at any price, but apparently not.
Big surprise, all planned out. Most of us never heard of this car until a year ago. So, they put all the fluff out and then capitalize on it.
I think the car first reappeared after the passing of the original owner, in 2018. It was first shown in public at the Woodward Dream Cruise that summer, and then was displayed at the original and long term owners feature at MCACN later that year.
It was back on display at MCACN again, in 2021 in the Covid delayed 1970 anniversary display.
At some point it was added to the National Registry of Historical Automobiles too.
Pretty sure it was invited to the Detroit Concours along the way too.
I don't think hyping it up to facilitate a big dollar sale was the original plan, if it was the family has been working on that scheme for over 5 years.
Here is a story that just came out on the listing-
https://www.autoblog.com/2023/01/06/dodge-challenger-black-ghost-detroit-street-racer-mecum-auction/?
When the father/owner of the Black Ghost gave the title to his son he said "Don't give away my f'ing car" :bye:
Honestly every town, including my own, had their own Black Ghost.
Lots of fast cars owned by working guys and gals who weren't able to drive/street race them often, especially Hemi cars.
Also lots of puffing done back in the day by car owners as to never being beat in a street race, once again especially Hemi cars that weren't the best at light to light street racing.
I seriously doubt the Black Ghost ever crossed paths with the Silver Bullet.
Exactly. We bought these cars to street race. Any Hemi car was legendary back in the street days and if you didn't have the smarts to keep it in tune and drive it correctly the legend was yours to lose. Honestly I doubt this car has anymore history than most of the other Hemi E-bodies. So it just makes it look like the money is more important than the car and family memories. I guess if any of us want to sell a car we should start a few years before the sell date and start telling old stories about it on social media.
I've never sold a car to profit in my life, I've always driven the heck out of them and sold them to move onto a hopefully better car. It's a different world now.
Quote from: JH27N0B on January 06, 2023, 09:51:05 AM
I thought it was a family heirloom that never would be sold at any price, but apparently not.
EVERYTHING....has a price.
Cars....integrity.....loyalty......
Pretty sure Sheldon hit the nail on the head.
This makes me wonder what a good story is worth. Will it add to the value of the car. The back story is pretty cool and it brought a lot of notoriety to the car. It will help draw more attention to the car at auction but it's not like being associated to someone famous----like the Bullit mustang or any Ford directly associated with Carol Shelby. I'm sure it will have some influence to the price but like most good stories, there has been a bit of embellishment over the years. Still a rare car but what is a little BS worth. :haha:
Wow, what cynics. LOL. I don't remember the details of the video I saw but if I recall correctly the dad was obviously into cars, but his kid wasn't and I don't recall the wife was much of a gear head. Then some guy contacted them and offered to restore the car. I probably got stuff wrong here but this is what I recall. My kids have no interest in my car nor in my guitars. I have no doubt they will sell them after I go. Sure there may be some "sentimental" memories they may connect with. But if they are on hard times or can use the money for other purposes I have no doubt $50-100k (not sure what that car is worth) would look enticing. I am sure his kid(s) have other memories of their dad as well. We don't what circumstance the family is going through.
Here is another thought. I have been watching hemi prices over the years and I am shocked by the prices things command. it seems like the going price for anything starts at $1000 and goes up steeply from there. I used to talk about getting a hemi for my challenger back in the day, but now I am glad I didn't because I couldn't afford all the parts to install it. What is the cost to rebuild that car? As I remember it was in rough shape. I think the car was restored to some degree( I forgot how far it got) but cost of ownership isn't cheap. It may be too much of a burden. Not to mention anyone seeing and knowing what the car is, is probably asking them if they want to sell it.
Just some thoughts
I never heard of this car until a few years ago, much more "famous" street racers IMO, this one was a pretty mildly modified car and not all that fast.. I am not at all surprised it was promoted for $$ and now being sold as it didn`t sound like the kid had any real interest in the car itself as he is not a gear head. Thier car, thier decision, I`m sure some guy with a fat wallet will spend a bunch of money so he can brag to his friends about owning it.
Probably a good idea to sell it for a premium now as marketing at Mopar has a high dollar Black Ghost tribute edition with gator grain top coming in 2023, wonder if the family is getting money from that. :thinking:h
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a41318672/2023-dodge-challenger-black-ghost-last-call-details/
A lot of cynicism here, I'm pretty cynical myself. I guess its an inevitable part of getting old after decades of experience working, and watching politicians and the news media and other assorted scoundrels. ;)
But the situation with this car hits home with me in a way. In my case, my dad was a prominent gun collector and passed away 10 years ago this April. :andyangel:
I spent a lot of time in my youth going to gun shows with my dad, and even traveled with him to Europe one time to visit collectors and museums there back in the 80s. I didn't end up developing the passion he had, but am interested in guns. More shooting them than researching and collecting though.
Before he passed, he asked me to pick one he'd bequeath to me after he passed, and I picked a extremely rare German rifle that was originally developed for defense of dirigibles prior to WW1. The beginning of aerial warfare! After he passed and we were getting his collection together to go be sold at auction, I asked my mom if we could keep some as sort of a representative collection of his interests, along with a few that had sentimental value to me like a pistol a relative carried in the civil war. A few years later, she decided to sell the house and move to assisted living. She asked what about those guns? I said I'd look into getting a safe for my house, and after I got it, I told her with great difficulty, we'd got it into my house and into a closet. Good! She said, now you can take home your guns! My guns? That small representative collection is worth over 100 grand.
They remind me of my dad, but quite honestly they sit in a safe, and I haven't got anything other than my "shooters" out of the safe in years.
At least the Challenger owner's son took this car to major shows, and got his dad more attention after he died than he probably ever got during his life.
The rare guns of my dad's probably deserve a better caretaker and more appreciative owners.
In my case, I have no use right now for the money I'd get if I sold them. And my mom is 89 and has more than enough money to last her even if she lives to over 100 thankfully.
But like the situation with cars, you are damned if you do, damned if you don't in the mind of all the critics. A rare car sits in a garage for years, we complain about the owners neglect. The car gets advertised after the owner dies, we complain about the greed of the heirs for whatever they are trying to sell it for! You can't win.
Well I'm glad the family displayed the car at MCACN where I was able to see it twice. Pretty cool. Needs the wiper motor fixed so they park correctly though! :thinking:
Quote from: JH27N0B on January 06, 2023, 04:57:56 PM
A lot of cynicism here, I'm pretty cynical myself. I guess its an inevitable part of getting old after decades of experience working, and watching politicians and the news media and other assorted scoundrels. ;)
Your life story and mine have some striking similarities.
I have no problem with the person selling the car. It's just a car after all. It was the 'never be sold at any price' comment that makes me roll my eyes.
Money can make almost anybody do almost anything.
It`s not just the fact they are selling the car but that they have "promoted" it for notoriety and money since it`s debut, seems to me it was more about the money than the connection to the dad. I had a hard time junking my father`s old slant six `73 Duster not because it was worth saving but because it was his and i would have been to cool to restore and keep it in the family. Unfortunately it was way too rusty and just not worth it without major work.
Cool car and story but at the end of the day everything sells.
Noone knows the reason behind the sale or the financial situation of the family.
Maybe the $ will be used to put the kids through college or something.
I am sure the original owner would be happy if the car helped his Grandchildren out. I know I would.
JMO
Matt
Apparently the owner is a member here, so we might want to refrain from criticizing them suggesting they are just selling it for greed. You never know, there may be a health emergency or financial crisis in the family and despite never wanting to sell it they are forced to? Or perhaps they have done all they can with the car, and sharing it and their dads story since first showing it back in '18, the car has sat untouched since getting back from MCACN in 2021, and they think it's time to move it on to a new caretaker?
https://forum.e-bodies.org/cuda-and-challenger-general-discussion-roseville-moparts/2/-the-black-ghost-hemi-challenger-video-historic-vehicle-association/19404/
Another similar situation that is somewhat close to me, involves a local E body car friend who passed in 2021. I bought his enclosed trailer from the widow last year.
He had a hemi cuda. In talking to the widow, she'd like to keep it, and eventually pass it on to her son. She's got chronic health problems and will never take it out. The son is a young father, early to mid 30s with a 5 year old and an infant. I got the idea the son was similar to me in that maybe he had a minor interest in his dads cars like I did with my dads guns.
What are the odds that car will ever leave the widows garage unless they sell it? Would they be greedy if they sell it, in my mind it sure deserves a better caretaker!
As hemi cudas go, it's nothing earthshaking option wise, most common color, black interior, automatic, I don't even think it has a Dana. Except for one thing, it's coded for a gator grain top!! How rare is that? I've only seen one hemi cuda with a gator grain top before. I'm told the owner bought a legendary gator top for it, but never installed it.
So yeah, that car needs a better caretaker who will install the top and show the car!
What difference does it make whether the current owner is "promoting" the car to get a better price or not? If you were selling your car wouldn't you want to get "top" dollar? I know I would. As long as he's not lying about the car and representing it as something it's not, i.e., number's matching, original, etc. more power to him to get top dollar. The car, as equipped, is rare in it's own right as a survivor, especially with the Gator top, and will probably command a good price just because of that, not withstanding any "celebrity" status which I seriously doubt will add any money to the selling price. A few years back either Mecum or Barrett-Jackson sold a '67 427 Vette (I believe) that the owner never even registered. He only drove it at night and would return in to an old broken down single stall wooden garage during the cover of darkness. It also became a neighborhood legend since it was never seen during the daytime and even rarely seen at night and the owner never showed the car to anyone. The owner eventually, parked it for unknown reasons, and it sat under a tarp in the garage for years before if was rediscovered and was eventually sold for top dollar due to it's low miles, and equipment, not it's "celebrity" status. I'm sure the same will happen to the "Black Ghost". Most of us dream of finding a true "barn find" which to a certain extent the "black ghost" is and then we become cynical when the seller tries to get top dollar for his car?? :huh: :dunno:
Lot's of good comments about this unique E-body and I agree with most of them. I assume it will fetch a pretty penny and I don't fault the family at all for selling it for what could be life changing money for them. At the end of the day, it's just a car, just something to be collected. The family will still have all of the memories and they will now have all the money.
I'm curious what $ it will bring. To me, it needs a $100k restoration. It doesn't sound like it's running very well. I wouldn't want it in its current shape. I have no ties whatsoever to Detroit so its backstory doesn't mean much to me. It is a very cool E-body for sure. RT/SE, Hemi, 4-speed, gator top, cloth seats, triple black. Doesn't get much better than that.
Articles I'm seeing quote Mecum as estimating it is worth 7 figures.
As a survivor with a rare mix of options car but in the large amount of patina condition it's in, I have a hard time seeing it worth north of $250,000.
Any value above that is entirely due to the story and hype. What that element is worth to a potential buyer I have no idea.
Very little to me but I'm not in the market, so my opinion doesn't count. :drunk:
From day one I thought this car was over-hyped... :alan2cents: When I saw the car in person, I thought that even more so...I'm not going to comment why I think "main stream" media picked up the story, but it certainly helped promote the car to the point where it will bring a pretty impressive bid in my opinion. :worship:
Yes: Kind of where I'm at. I've seen nicer survivors, personal opinion but this one is at the point I'd be thinking about a repaint. The gator grain top is rare but has zero value to me personally as well. If I had $250k I would spend it on a different car. That's what personal taste is all about, if I was hunting and had to have a survivor car I would be more happy with a brown or green car in a bit better condition and without a vinyl top at all. We all have opinions thank goodness.
If the brothers collection picks it up that would be fine with me. They've taken alot of other nice cars out of circulation that I miss more than this one.
A friend of mine has a survivor 71, black, 4 speed, Hemi Challenger and I absolutely love that car. This one just isn't in the same league for me.
Dodge also released a Last Call limited edition Challenger Black Ghost, so if you're going to get top dollar for it now is a good time. A few somebody's going to want one to go with their modern Challenger Ghost
Quote from: ec_co on January 08, 2023, 04:58:01 PM
Dodge also released a Last Call limited edition Challenger Black Ghost, so if you're going to get top dollar for it now is a good time. A few somebody's going to want one to go with their modern Challenger Ghost
:iagree:
Somebody out there has the pockets to own and display both cars together..be kinda cool.
Like Sheldon said...As much as I like ebodies...if I was spending 7 figures on a car....it wouldn't be on an ebody. It would be red and have a prancing horse on the hood. Or maybe black with a stylized papaya 'M'.
All that aside it is an extremely rare car , simply put there are only 23 R/T SE Hemi 4 spds , I have seen 5+ in person in my life , add in Gator top & black so 1-1 .
Quote from: Chryco Psycho on January 08, 2023, 08:13:11 PM
All that aside it is an extremely rare car , simply put there are only 23 R/T SE Hemi 4 spds , I have seen 5+ in person in my life , add in Gator top & black so 1-1 .
Rare car with cool options for sure, I wouldn`t pay any premium for the stories behind it. I`d rather have a Hemicuda anyways, not that I can afford either. :bigthumb:
I just finished reading a new Hagerty article on the Black Ghost that will be auction. It is a rare original car indeed and it is not a rust bucket. I wonder if it will be on Mecum today or tomorrow. The son did what is best for his family and put his resource into good use. It is an intelligent decision due to the value of the car. If it was a lesser value Challenger from his dad, I think he would not have problem holding on.
Quote from: 7212Mopar on January 14, 2023, 09:13:01 AM
I just finished reading a new Hagerty article on the Black Ghost that will be auction. It is a rare original car indeed and it is not a rust bucket. I wonder if it will be on Mecum today or tomorrow. The son did what is best for his family and put his resource into good use. It is an intelligent decision due to the value of the car. If it was a lesser value Challenger from his dad, I think he would not have problem holding on.
There seems to be some confusion on the "black ghost" being at the Mecum auction.
It is at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee right now. it's on display with a new black ghost Challenger.
It is not being auctioned at Kissimmee. It is displayed as a preview for Mecum's Indianapolis auction in May, which is where it will be auctioned. We won't know for another 4 months what it bids to.
Seeing the not very high sale price yesterday of the Big Willy Daytona, I'd guess the Black Ghost story isn't going to add to its value like they are trying to suggest it will. :alan2cents:
Actually I think the Big Willy Daytona sale at $247,000 is the least I've seen a Daytona sell for in a few years!
https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0123-539529/1969-dodge-daytona/
I was kinda surprised also about Big Willie's Daytona, thought it would sell for much more.
This article might explain why?
https://www.motortrend.com/features/big-willie-robinson-1969-dodge-daytona-duke-and-duchess/?sm_id=organic%3Asm_id%3Afb%3AHRN%3Atrueanthem&fbclid=IwAR0PCtyt5aqHE75RqKXmmmfiFIaL1lCVV1yu4z0QW9d2ldStSzGuaG82f7M
Watching Mecum on TV now. Thanks for the heads up otherwise I will be scratching my heads.
Curious about one thing on this car. Watched a few videos and on certain low angles of the rear end you see something below the leaf springs in the rear. Best shot I can find of this is the attached from about 12:49 of the street racing legend video. At first I thought some kind of spring helper - but they say it has HD rears. What is that? Some kind of a launch / traction aid? Not sure I have ever seen that same thing on another car ebody or other.
I think what you're seeing in that picture is part of the trailer hitch ? :rubeyes:
:iagree:
Trailer hitch. Lol
Ok I see - maybe part of a load distribution hitch mechanism.
Still cool that I saw it, yet still hate the reason it was there.
Seems to havre sold for over a million.
I enjoy this video, because it's pretty much what I've been saying all along...
It'll be interesting to see where that car shows up in the future.
I've been suspicious of some of the things I've seen happen at Mecum auctions.
Cars that supposedly sell, but at another later Mecum auction the car shows up in the offerings once again.
So what happened, did someone pay a high price for it, just to turn around and list it soon afterwards thinking they'll make a profit, even after factoring in the buyers premium, listing fee and sellers premium they will pay?
Seems like a risky way to try to make a buck!
Or did the sale fall through, like for example the 71 Challenger convertible that Alan restored that supposedly sold for $300,000 at Indy a few years ago?
A derelict jet that Elvis once owned was sold at the Kissimmee auction in January. It ended up selling, but a YouTube guy, Jimmy, who was outbid while bidding on stage at the auction posted a video of how he got contacted by a Mecum rep as he was driving home later. The rep said the supposed phone buyer balked at the sale saying there were misunderstandings with communication with the bidder assistant, and thought he should pay less. The rep offered Jimmy the jet at his last bid, saying that he was fed up with the buyer and would rather sell it to someone else.
Jimmy told the guy he had got caught up in the heat of the moment while bidding and wasn't willing to pay that number. They went back and forth and finally made a deal, for less than he'd bid at the event. Just because the Mecum rep was mad at the supposed phone bidder?
It seemed likely that sale you saw at the auction was phony. I question if that "phone bidder" was real.
Search Jimmys world on YouTube to find the video. To me seeing that video supported my suspicions that a lot of shenanigans go on at these auctions and some sales that get a lot of publicity at the auction aren't real.
Black Ghost might be a similar deal. It sure has served Mecums interests in getting a lot of publicity.
Quote from: dodj on May 21, 2023, 05:37:15 AM
Seems to havre sold for over a million.
$975,000 (car) + $97,500 (buyer premium) = $1,072,500
Yes: Defeo got this one right. Somebody may or may not have paid a lot of money for a $150k car needing a resto.
My Dad always said to give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves. I think that applies to the Collector car auction situation. It has to get more ridiculous until it kills itself off.
Quote from: anlauto on May 21, 2023, 06:42:38 AM
I enjoy this video, because it's pretty much what I've been saying all along...
Spot on! I'd still watch the movie though. Maybe starring Vin Diesel, Fast & Furious###.
I think "mainstream media" has a part to play in it as well....I think it was over hyped because of who owned it and the media always seems to be looking for good hearted stories with people.......................(fill in the blanks)
Quote from: JH27N0B on May 21, 2023, 07:09:19 AM
I've been suspicious of some of the things I've seen happen at Mecum auctions ... my suspicion iss that a lot of shenanigans go on at these auctions and some sales that get a lot of publicity at the auction aren't real. Black Ghost might be a similar deal. It sure has served Mecums interests in getting a lot of publicity.
Brad, I believe you are spot on with your assessment.
I'm a relative nobody in the hobby. However, by way of MCACN and Lembeck's MCACN after party I've managed to stand in on some very enlightening conversations between some of the big dogs and what goes on at these auctions. It is absolutely mind blowing!! It should be called the Mecum Magic Show, because very little is as it appears on the surface of these big sales.
I was suspicious that the Black Ghost's sale at Mecum was phony, and that perhaps the car was now back in one of their car storage facilities in Wisconsin to reappear next year at a future auction.
But apparently someone really did pay a million bucks for it. A guy named Ryan from Florida on the Supercar Registry forum says he was the buyer.
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=175665&page=2
Cool car, I still think its worth about 1/3rd of the sales price, and the other $700,000 was for an interesting but exaggerated story.
Hope the buyer will be happy with his purchase! :cheers:
Another Chevy guy trying to be cool... :haha:
i think with out the story this car is minimum 500 000 To 600 000, all original and rare options very desirable car , the last one was the red one,not as original like the Black ghost and sold for 502 000 usd and not so interesting in my book .( i saw both cars in MCACN ).
However we may see this, I never expected to see such a thing. It is impressive, to me, the things that are most important to different peoples. I hope the person that got this car gets all of the enjoyment out of it that they hope for.
Quote from: RUNCHARGER on May 21, 2023, 07:39:36 AM
Yes: Defeo got this one right. Somebody may or may not have paid a lot of money for a $150k car needing a resto.
My Dad always said to give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves. I think that applies to the Collector car auction situation. It has to get more ridiculous until it kills itself off.
I'd like to be one of those people that 'could' spend that kind of cash on an old car. I still wouldn't do it...if I was spending large on a hobby car it would be a Ferrari, McLaren, or similar.
Quote from: chris NOS on May 23, 2023, 12:25:16 PM
i think with out the story this car is minimum 500 000 To 600 000, all original and rare options very desirable car , the last one was the red one,not as original like the Black ghost and sold for 502 000 usd and not so interesting in my book .( i saw both cars in MCACN ).
:iagree: I figure the car is a $500k or so as it is a cool car with a couple very cool options but needs to be restored.
Quote from: anlauto on May 21, 2023, 06:42:38 AM
I enjoy this video, because it's pretty much what I've been saying all along...
:iagree: Should have been called The Black Hoax. I guess as long as the new owner is happy with it.
The story is entirely possible. The guy only race on the street once in awhile and was missing months at a time. He was a cop after all. Anyone who participated or saw the races remembered it as part of their youth adventures and people talk about these kind of stuffs to reminiscent their past. The whole thing might had been carefully packaged, orchestrated to maximize the price. Nothing wrong with that, standard business practice. I like the story, the car but not so much of the son cashing out the car given by his dad. I would have keep the car to remember dad and let the grandson sells it.
It`s very possible the basic story is true, the car has 45,000 miles on it so it was driven and maybe raced on the streets at night but the part where it was the fastest car around and never lost is the BS part. We have all heard the fish stories - you know the one that got away, it was huge, the biggest fish ever! The fish story is partly true - the guy caught a fish and it got away thereby no proof but the story part is that it was a 3" minnow not a huge Barracuda (see what I did there?). :haha:
People knew he was a cop and lost the races on purpose for fear of any kind of reprisal or retaliation.
:crazytalk: just adding a new conspiracy theory to this. :smile:
Seeing this sale makes me wonder what the Silver Bullet would be worth if it went on the market, or some other very famous Detroit area street racers from back in the day including the Lisk 71 Challenger?
The Black Ghost may well have done some late night street racing, but would have been taking on more middle of the pack competitors not the legendary heavy hitters.
I think its a real cool car and its always notable when a rare car is a survivor and stays in the same family for half a century. But not a million dollars cool. I hope the new owner enjoys it.
I still think back to a car Ron Adair was selling back when I was in college probably 1982. A triple black hemi RT/SE Challenger. He'd added options to it like rubber bumpers and a shaker. I heard later he'd been asking $8500. I wonder where it ended up.
I think the black Ghost should be restored back to perfection...then it might be worth $975K :dunno:
Though I'd tend to agree with those that say there are too many restored to perfection cars out there, with every part properly date coded and paint splotch duplicated, I did find the Black Ghost to have a little more patina than I could live with, Paint a bit faded. Dings and scuffs. Where to go with it I am not sure. Restore it and a pitchfork mob would descend on you. Don't restore it, and you have a mildly ratty looking car in your collection. Maybe paintless dent repair and some new or restored trim like the hood trim to make it look a bit better?
What would a documented highly optioned hemi RT/SE be worth anyway? I don't think it would be anywhere near 1M. Maybe 400-500K is my estimate.
Make a real street racer out of it - quickie re-paint, add cam, a Rat Roaster intake, headers into side exhaust, fiberglass hood, fenders and bumpers, crank up the torsion bars, skinnys on the front, sticky Mickeys on the back, gut the car of back seat and anything else that would lighten it, 383 emblems, and have fun while the purists cried! :wrenching: :burnout: :rofl:
Uncle Tonys Garage did a follow up video today. Mentions the car has a hole in the floorboards. Maybe it does need restoration?
45,000 miles in 5 years isn't low miles, that car would have been seen a lot
If any car I owned was that beat up after 45,000 miles I'd hang my head in shame. Again this is a $150k car needing a resto with an average story that is worth nothing.
My wife's $2000 Neon was kept in better shape than this car.
My 2014 Dart with 116,000 miles that isn't garaged, and is driven year round including on salty roads shows much nicer than the black ghost now that I think of it. No dings. Shiny paint. No surface rust to speak of.
Only a few chips in the windshield as far as patina.
And my car doesn't leave a trail of blue smoke when I drive it!
I do seem to recall hearing in some of the hype videos stories of kids bikes dinging the black ghost a few times while it sat hibernating in the garage. And todays base coat clear coat paint is more durable than the enamel of the 1970 era.
Still the black ghost seems to have had a less than pampered life.
I admit, I bought the hype when I saw the "documentary" on youtube a while ago. After watching Uncle Tony's Garage vid I came back to my senses. It apparently is a bone stock car with no mods. There is no way this thing cleaned up the streets.... unless he waited until the competition was in his favor, which explains the long gaps in his racing. :haha: Personally I think someone bought a $100K car and $900K story (which might have been exaggerated at best ).
BUT, What is wrong with that? One thing I notice in this hobby, nothing is cheap. Hemi valve covers are $1000 as seems every trivial Hemi part. I think I saw hemi engine for $20K or something crazy. Maybe not that high but it was insane. I can't imagine what a Hemi Door would cost. LOL. But in any case, I have no doubt everyone on this list would try to maximize the price of their E-Body when selling. I don't think anyone thinks what is a "real" price for their car and sell it for that. Our car prices are way over inflated. They are driven up by people with cash willing to buy a dream car at any price. I don't blame this guy. At 100K, that car is still out of reach for most any real gear head and limited to someone with lots of cash. So this just jacks up that price a "bit". Both parties are happy. Although I think the story and price is ridiculous, I don't begrudge either party.
Wait until the new owner put a Top Gun sticker on the car.
The story as told, as created, as hyped or as marketed will solidify as years goes by when people of that era die off. The car already has the sale price to back its status and it can become an urban legend.
Quote from: worthywads on May 26, 2023, 06:44:49 AM
45,000 miles in 5 years isn't low miles, that car would have been seen a lot
Yup, 9,000 miles a year and probably not driven in the winter, if you figure maybe six months of driving that`s over 300 miles week - how was it never seen? Just another hole in the story.
The claim was he'd go out late at night, win a race, and disappear.
He obviously used it often during the daytime hours. I believe the story on the trailer hitch was that he'd tow a dirt bike to tracks on weekends to race the bike.
I'd think that people would have spotted the car running around back in the day and remember it. Who wouldn't remember a triple black hemi Challenger you'd seen driving around your area in the 70s?
I remember some cars I'd see in my area back in the 70s. There was a guy running around in a 68 Camaro SS convertible that had a 427 in it. He had a stock hood and couldn't run an air cleaner on it as it wouldn't fit under the hood!
Another guy named Mike had an orange 440 6 pack Challenger with a A12 style hood scoop. He drove through my high school's parking lot one day to look at what cars were parked there I'd guess, then pulled out and floored it. I'll never forget watching the front end jumping up as he went through the gears.
I wonder where that car is now? The Orange Ghost!
Every city and town had cars like these back in the day. And many of the cars you see now restored at shows, or being found as "barn finds" after sitting in garages for ages were the cars that were local legends back in the day.
Me and another guy in my town had red Challenger T/As. We both still have our cars today. Maybe we are the famous Red Ghosts!
Publicize the story enough and perhaps the Red Ghosts could be worth a million each too!