Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack

Dodge Challenger T/A 340 Six Pack

The 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A is one of the most visceral and collectible muscle cars ever produced, a single-year-only homologation special created to allow Dodge to compete in the Sports Car Club of America's Trans-American Sedan Championship. Alongside its Chrysler sibling, the Plymouth AAR 'Cuda, the Challenger T/A brought race-bred engineering to the street in a package that remains intensely desirable half a century later.

The SCCA's Trans-Am series required manufacturers to produce street-legal versions of their racing cars in sufficient quantities to satisfy homologation rules. For Dodge, this meant creating a road-going Challenger that reflected the modifications used on the race cars. The result was one of the most distinctive and aggressive-looking muscle cars of the era.

At the heart of the T/A was the 340 cubic inch Six Pack V8, which used three Holley two-barrel carburetors on an Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold. The factory rating of 290 horsepower was widely considered to be significantly underrated, with actual output believed to be closer to 340 horsepower. The Six Pack setup featured a center carburetor that handled normal driving, with the two outboard carburetors opening under hard throttle to flood the engine with fuel and air.

The T/A's most distinctive visual feature was its side-exiting exhaust system. Large-diameter pipes ran from the engine along the rocker panels to exit just ahead of the rear wheels, producing a thunderous exhaust note that was unlike any other production car. A fiberglass hood with a massive, functional scoop directed cold air to the engine, while a rear spoiler and front chin spoiler improved high-speed stability.

The suspension was specifically tuned for the T/A application. Stiffer springs, heavy-duty shocks, and a larger front anti-roll bar improved handling, while the rear springs featured a raised attachment point that created an asymmetric rake, with the car sitting slightly higher on the passenger side. This unusual feature was designed to reduce body roll in left-hand turns, which predominate on most racing circuits.

The T/A rode on Goodyear Polyglas raised-white-letter tires in staggered sizes: E60-15 on the front and G60-15 on the wider rear wheels. This staggered fitment improved both traction and turn-in response, giving the T/A genuinely capable handling for a muscle car of its era.

Only 2,399 Challenger T/A models were produced, all during the 1970 model year. The Trans-Am racing series was expensive and the homologation cars were costly to produce, leading Chrysler to abandon the program after just one season. This single-year production run has made the T/A one of the most sought-after and valuable E-body Mopars.

On the race track, the Challenger T/A showed promise but faced stiff competition from the dominant Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 teams. Sam Posey drove the works T/A to several competitive finishes, but a championship eluded the team. Despite the limited racing success, the road-going T/A has become far more collectible than many of its more successful competitors.