Bill Havell was only 21 when he bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A in 1977 and took his car guy game to a higher level with the Mopar pony car.
Bill came from a small town where Mopar muscle was king of the road for local car guys, and he wanted to get in the Pentastar power game.
Jim Sutherland
A 1970 Challenger T/A was an excellent way for Bill to get in the game because the flashy pony car was a combination of style and performance that combined Mopar’s famous 340 small block with a trio of 2-barrel carbs force-fed fresh air from functional hood scoops. The ’70 Challey T/A was a perfect car for Bill because it put him in life’s fast lane in a big hurry.
As mentioned, Bill was a young guy in a small town in 1977 where most of the roads to a good party were not on pavement, so his Challenger got some road rash on his high-speed gravel road adventures at the time.
Unfortunately, life got in the way because Bill had to sell his Challey road rocket in the early 1980s and move away from his wild days with the Mopar muscle car-but he never forgot his 1970 Challenger T/A. In fact, Bill kept track of the ’70 Challenger over the years while his own life changed into a role as a family man with new responsibilities.
The car had undergone a major restoration by one of its previous owners and Bill had an opportunity to buy the rare Challenger back in 1990, but the price was out of his financial reach at the time. Life was still getting in the way for Bill’s potential purchase of the car, but he told the owner to get in touch with him if the car came up for sale in the future.
Bill’s financial picture improved over the years, but a collector car broker eventually bought the limited-edition Challenger at an inflated price that reflected the car’s value in today’s market. Once again, Bill was unable to purchase it and assumed he would never become its owner.
However, on very rare occasions, a car guy catches a break and is given an opportunity to reunite with the one car that got away from him so many years ago.
Most cars from the past have disappeared forever because they have been crushed and recycled into a kitchen appliance, but Bill’s 1970 Challenger T/A managed to avoid the crusher and was a feature vehicle at a recent collector car auction held in Bill’s area.
Bill discovered the Challey was his old car when he compared the auction car’s serial number with his old Bill of Sale for it. He was given a green light from his wife to bid on the car, even though the hammer price would be very high in today’s market.
There were three serious bidders on the 1970 Challenger, but Bill wanted the car for strong sentimental reasons and outbid the other two. After 44 years, Bill was finally reunited with the very car from his youth and is now living the ultimate car guy dream.
Talk about a car guy happy ending.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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