When it comes to classic muscle cars, it’s difficult to pick just one if you’re not biased toward a certain brand. As a Mopar guy, I’d take a Challenger or a Barracuda over a Mustang or a Camaro any day of the week, but it’s not just because of the badge. Chrysler also had the awesome 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8 and the cool “high impact” color palette back in the day.
The latter included a long list of bright, flashy hues such as Go Mango, Hemi Orange, Plum Crazy, Green Go, and Banana. And I’d be fine with any of them if I wouldn’t be able to choose one myself. However, my absolute favorite “high impact” hue is Pink Panther. Or Moulin Rouge as they’re called on Plymouth models. Why? Well, it’s simply because I think it looks dope on muscle cars. I also probably like it because so many car guys hate pink for being a so-called “girly color.” You should get over it because it’s not true.
And you know what else is cool about Panther Pink and Moulin Rouge? Both are quite rare because Chrysler only offered pink as a “spring color” in 1970 and as a special-order hue in 1971. I don’t have access to complete records regarding pink Dodges and Plymouths from the era, but the 1970 Challenger is quite hard to find in Panther Pink.
That’s because customers and dealerships ordered only 334 examples with this paint, available at the time under code FM3. It’s the second-rarest color from the 1970 model year, surpassed only by Green Go, commissioned on just 204 cars. And mind you, the Challenger was available in no fewer than 20 colors that year.
Most of these cars were ordered in a hardtop configuration. But out of 321 coupes, only 13 also came with the SE package. We can further split that into six SE models and seven R/T SE cars. Then we have the pink convertible, yet another unicorn among pink Challengers. The drop-top is a rare variant regardless of color at 3,884 units (only 5% of total production) but that number goes down to only 14 examples finished in Panther Pink. Add the R/T package into the mix and there are only four units to talk about.
How many of them are still around? Well, that’s a piece of information I don’t have right now, but one of them was shipped to Canada when new and it still exists. What’s more, it’s in pristine condition thanks to a frame-off restoration and it rocks a white interior for the perfect contrast.
Spotted at the 2023 World of Wheels car show, this Dodge Challenger is one of only 54 R/T Convertibles that were shipped to Canada in 1970. But it’s the only one finished in Panther Pink. The drop-top was originally ordered by Penner/Pembina Dodge of Winnipeg, Manitoba as a demonstrator car and was used as a parade vehicle for Miss Centennial Manitoba.
Once its parade and demo car days came to an end in the Fall of 1970, the Challenger was sold off to a customer. However, the buyer did not like the Pink Pather hue so he requested the dealership to repaint it Hemi Orange (code EV2). Luckily enough though, the Mopar was restored to its original specifications and regained its Pink Panther coating.
It’s also a highly optioned-up example, sporting the Light package, a Rallye instrument cluster, power disc brakes, racing mirrors, and chrome exhaust tips. More importantly, it still has its numbers-matching, 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8 engine under the hood. Granted, it’s as desirable as the mighty 426 HEMI, but the 383 is no slouch either, at 335 horsepower and 425 pound-feet (576 Nm) of torque. And it’s a one-off gem regardless of what’s under the hood, so go ahead and hit the play button below because you won’t see another Dodge Challenger like this anywhere else.
