Chasing Black Muscle: A 1971 Challenger, a 550 HP Coronet, and the Mopars of Port Jervis

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A 1971 Dodge Challenger in original TX9 Formal Black anchors this Mopar stockpile tour, joined by a 550-hp 1965 Coronet and a driver-ready 1967 Dart.

I’ll say it up front: I’m a sucker for wild Mopar colors. Plum Crazy, Go Mango, SubLime—you name it. But every so often, a black muscle car comes along and reminds me that nothing beats the original shade. Black hides nothing at night and absorbs everything in daylight. On a 1971 Dodge Challenger, the effect is pure intimidation. That’s exactly why a recent video from Backyard Barn Finds caught my attention. They traveled to Port Jervis, New York, to meet a father-son duo with a stockpile of Mopars, including a worn-out Challenger that still wears its TX9 Formal Black paint code.

The trip didn’t start in a garage. It started at Hawk’s Nest, a winding scenic overlook that has appeared in car commercials and movies. I appreciate that Parker and the crew took a moment to show the drive itself. It sets the mood. Old cars feel different on roads like that. You hear the engine against the guardrails, and suddenly the whole point of owning a classic makes sense.

That brings me to the first car they showed: a 1967 Dodge Dart. This wasn’t some trailer queen. They actually drove it to the meeting. It’s been restored, it runs, and it has a fresh 318 under the hood. Is it a fire-breathing muscle car? No. But it’s the kind of car you can jump in and drive anywhere. The owner didn’t seem desperate to sell, but he threw out a number around $20,000. In my world, that’s a fair entry point for a solid driver.

Then the tone shifted. The real showstopper for me was a 1965 Dodge Coronet. On the outside, it doesn’t scream outlaw. But under the hood sits a 440 with a four-speed behind it, aluminum heads, and a full TTI exhaust. The seller said it’s making around 550 horsepower. That’s nearly three times the Dart’s output. The Coronet has been worked over from front to back, and I can only imagine how it feels when the secondaries open. There was no asking price mentioned, but I suspect this one would require a much bigger wallet.

And then we got to the car I came for. The 1971 Challenger is not perfect—far from it. It sat for years in a muddy driveway, and the rust is there if you look. But it’s complete. The interior is present, and it runs and drives. The 318 and automatic aren’t glamorous, but the car still sounds mean. Maybe that’s just the black paint talking. The asking price is $18,000. In 2026, that’s still a chunk of change, but for a running, driving ’71 Challenger with an original TX9 black code, it feels like a project with real potential. I’d rather see someone restore this than let it rot further.

As if the garage tour wasn’t already enough, the seller also has a 1973 Plymouth Duster. It’s another 318 car, but it has a fresh transmission. The body is in better shape than the Challenger, though it still has some rust. The asking price sits somewhere between $14,000 and $16,000. For a first-time buyer wanting a lightweight Mopar, that might be the most sensible option on the table.

Here’s a quick summary of the cars and their rough numbers:

Vehicle
Drivetrain
Condition
Estimated Price

1967 Dodge Dart
318, fresh
Restored driver
~$20,000

1965 Dodge Coronet
440, 4-speed, ~550 hp
Restored, modified
Not listed

1971 Dodge Challenger
318, automatic
Complete, runs, rust
$18,000

1973 Plymouth Duster
318, fresh trans
Better body, rust
$14,000–$16,000

At the end of the day, I’m just a regular enthusiast watching from home. I don’t have a barn full of Hemis or a disposable budget. But that’s the great thing about this hobby. A car doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth saving. The black Challenger may have a tired small-block and some rust, but it still carries the same silhouette that made these cars legendary. If I had the space and the spare cash, I’d be making a call to Port Jervis. 🖤🏁

The same thrill I get from spotting a fair-priced Mopar in a dusty driveway is what drives hobbyists of every stripe to keep hunting. Whether you’re chasing a numbers-matching Hemi or a nearly forgotten arcade classic, the rush of finding genuine value never gets old. It’s the kind of feeling that turns ordinary afternoons into stories you tell for years. That itch to uncover a steal isn’t limited to sheet metal and carburetors—it carries right over to any market where patience and sharp eyes pay off.

Classic car forums have their endless “for sale” threads, and the digital world has its own equivalents. For anyone who enjoys the hunt for a good bargain on the gaming side of things, keeping an eye on [DealNest game deals]( scratches a similar itch. Just as I’ll spend an evening scrolling through classifieds for a promising project car, someone else might spend that same hour sorting through price drops for an overlooked gem. Either way, the chase is half the fun—and landing that deal is the other half.

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