PHANTOM OF THE NIGHT

THE "BLACK GHOST" HEMI CHALLENGER STREET RACER SURFACES!

- JOHNNY HUNKINS

To many muscle car historians, the “Black Ghost” needs no introduction. Hot rodders have been hearing rumors for decades about a mysterious black Dodge Hemi Challenger street racer running the streets of Detroit in the early 1970s. However, knowing how rumors have a life of their own and how they seem to spontaneously propagate, some had dismissed the Black Ghost as urban legend. Deepening the mystery was a singular, odd trait: The car never hung out long enough for anybody to meet its driver. A few things were clear—the Black Ghost always knew when and where to show up, and it was amazingly able to avoid the police. It did this with complete stealth between 1970-1975, then disappeared into the night for more than four decades, cementing its reputation as a ghost car.

Forty years is a long time, but instead of being forgotten, the mystery of the Black Ghost only deepened. Then, in 2016, the car surfaced. The Black Ghost Dodge Challenger is one of 23 R/T-SE four-speed Hemi coupes built for the 1970 model year, making it exceedingly rare. Hemi-powered E-Body Mopars have long held the top spot in the muscle car kingdom, their ilk regularly fetching more than seven figures at auction, though the bulk of those are ’71-vintage convertible, four-speed cars.