When was 1st Challenger built?

[Deuces-Wild]

Did '70 dealer promos cars have a special code to identify them? 
and did every promo unit have one??

BTW: This is a very cool discussion!   (Oct 8, 1969)

[Alaskan_TA]

Cars built for promotional uses were coded, it varies by how the car was intended to be used.

[quapman]

A little off topic, but here's a 73 Charger with a July SPD. I'll see if I can dig up a door sticker pic, but I recall it being hand typed.

[Alaskan_TA]

Not all model years started in August, some started in July.

Sometimes the prior year models were made into August as well.

[ChallengerGary]

Yes - I had a 72 Satellite that had a 714 SPD on the fender tag  VIN was 100206...

[DAYTONA]

Cars built for promotional uses were coded, it varies by how the car was intended to be used.

...it has been a long time since I owned the CYelo 71 6BBL Cuda in the pix earlier in the thread, but it seems like it said "SPECIAL HANDLING" ON THE B-cast sheet, vin #100105 or 06...I don't remember anything on the fender tags, but like I said, it's been 20 some years ago

[Belgium Cuda]

Mine is build 8-27 in 69.

Per

[resq302]

Barry, this might sound like a stupid question since I know they were scheduled production dates but why would they schedule a car to be bulilt on a Sunday?  Now granted, our chally is a fairly early production car, SPO date of 9/28/69, but why would they schedule a car to be built on a Sunday when chances are, workers were off on a Sunday.

[Alaskan_TA]

Some were scheduled for 931 also - a day that does not exist.

So, if there is an answer, I do not know what it is.

[71GTX]

One of my cudas build date is 8-20-69

[VIPER13]

Hi everyone, I am new to this site and came across an old conversation about the 1st Challenger. Hope you don't mind, but I wanted to try and shine a little light on the subject. I used to own a Challenger with vin #100013 as talked about previously. I purchased it from a gentleman who bought it off of an old lady who's husband was an executive at Chrysler and was believed to be the original owner. The car was a convertible with a 318, column shift, bucket seats and cruise control. It was white with a black top and interior. It was in really rough condition and in need of extensive body work. I can't remember what job number it was, but I still have pictures of the car and fender tags. It didn't have a build sheet and from my understanding they didn't put them in the jobber cars. I also was told that a lot of these car were hand assembled and used in promotional ads.

I do remember having a conversation at the Mopar Nats with the gentleman who owned the first Hemi Challenger and showing him pictures of my car as he stated in a previous post.

I ended up selling the car to a collector out of New Jersey around 15 years ago. The guy happened to own the first Cuda with vin number 100001. It was a 318 car, but the drive train was long gone and was in really rough condition. He also owned what was at the time the last Challenger. This was a 1974 car that was featured in several magazines. This one was in very good condition. I tried to purchased both cars when I found out they were for sale, but he beat me to it. So after several years I finally sold him my Challenger.

From conversations I had with Galen I was told that vins #100001-100011 were verified to be Cudas and Barracudas. Vin #100012 he had  no info on and my Challenger was #100013. He told me that the car could have been the first Challenger and even if #12 surfaced mine was probably the first convertible.

I wish that I still had the car, but it needed so much work it was more time and money that I had to put into it. In the end it was also still just a 318 car.

Hope this helps to clarify things a little.   

[ChallengerHK]

Pretty interesting, Viper. Do you have any pics of the car? I'd love to see it.

[VIPER13]

I will get some pictures posted, I know I still have them somewhere in my house.....just need to find them.

[Chryco Psycho]

I know where 70 Cuda 100001 is sitting , it is a 383 B5 Convert with white roof , it will return to earth soon as it is outside rusting to nothing !! I tried very hard to buy it but the owner knows what he has , has owned the car since the 70s & will not sell it .

[VIPER13]

That's interesting. I remember when a guy had a 70 Barracuda advertised in the round-up magazine and said it was the first one with the vin #100001. He was located in Texas and when I called him he said it was already sold to a collector out of New Jersey. I mentioned the gentleman's name and he verified it was the same collector that wanted to buy my Challenger. From the picture in the magazine the car looked like it had been sitting outside for quite a long time and he told me that the 318 drivetrain was missing when he purchased it. I couldn't verify if this was the first one or not since I didn't see the car or pictures of the vin or fender tag. The guy that sold it was dealer and apparently owned some other low production E bodies.