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The Dodge brand is roaring home from the Texas Auto Writers Association Auto Roundup with the 807-horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Black Ghost, one of the Dodge brand’s “Last Call” special-edition models, taking the prestigious Performance Vehicle of Texas award. The 2023 Challenger is one of four Stellantis vehicles winning awards in Texas. This comes as the original 1970 Black Ghost Challenger is due to be auctioned off in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T SE ‘The Black Ghost’
One of the fastest muscle cars to ever race Woodward Avenue, in Detroit, is LOT F142 at the Mecum INDY 2023 auction.
The Legendary Street Racer is Historic Vehicle Association Register No. 28. It has not been restored. It was put on the Historic Vehicle Register in October of 2020. The same family has owned it all this time. The Black Ghost is one of the main attractions of the Mecum Indy Spring Classic May 12-20, 2023. It is scheduled to be auctioned on May 19, 2023
History of the Black Ghost
The 1970 black Dodge Challenger was purchased new by Godfrey Qualls, an army veteran and Detroit police officer. Dubbed “The Black Ghost,” the car gained notoriety as an urban legend in the Metro Detroit street racing scene by dominating its competition and disappearing as quickly as it came, re-emerging weeks to months later to repeat the winning cycle, without ever letting the contenders know who was behind the wheel.
1 of only 23 Hemi Challenger R/T SEs produced for 1970 with a 4-speed manual transmission. It is the only known 4-speed Hemi Challenger R/T SE equipped with a Gator Grain top.
Godfrey Qualls gifted the car to his son, Gregory, before passing away in 2015. The car was showcased at the 2018 Chrysler Nationals at Carlisle, where it won the Historic Vehicle Association’s National Automotive Heritage award.
The Black ghost has since been displayed at the Amelia Island Hilton Head concours events, the Concours d’Elegance of America in Plymouth, Michigan, where it received the Spirit of Detroit award, and at the 2022 EyesOn Design event at the Edsel Ford house. The Black Ghost was featured in the April 2018 issue of Mopar Collector’s Guide.
The Black Ghost comes complete with:
- Window sticker
- Warranty booklet in Qualls’ name.
- The radiator, fluids, belts and hoses were replaced in 2016
- Original paint and interior
- Matching numbers 426 Hemi V-8 engine
- Matching numbers A833 4-speed manual transmission with Pistol Grip shifter
- A34 Super Track Pak with 4.10 gears
- Power steering
- Power brakes with front discs
- White Bumblebee tail stripe
- Cloth and vinyl bucket seats with console
- Tinted glass
Dodge Challenger SRT Black Ghost
The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Black Ghost is one of seven Dodge "Last Call" special-edition models that commemorate the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger, which are coming to an end in their current HEMI-engine-powered forms at the end of 2023. The Dodge Challenger Black Ghost is a modern-day vision that channels the spirit of a muscle car that haunted metro Detroit’s famed Woodward Avenue in the 1970s. Only 300 of the Black Ghost “Last Call” models will be produced, all as Pitch Black Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody vehicles.
The Texas Auto Writers Association says after its Auto Roundup that the 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Black Ghost is the Performance Vehicle of Texas. The 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Black Ghost is one of seven “Last Call” Dodge Challenger and Charger models paying tribute to earlier muscle cars. Details on all of the 2023 “Last Call” Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars can be found at DodgeGarage.com.
Dodge Photos
Mecum Video
Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.
Follow Mary Conway at @maryconwaymedia and send her car news tips for future stories.
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