The 1971 Dodge Charger R/T was delivered to Glavic Dodge in Wickliffe, Ohio.
The last hemi engine car to roll off any Chrysler production line during the sixties and seventies muscle car era – a 1971 Dodge Charger R/T – is undergoing a complete frame-off restoration at RK Motors in Mentor, Ohio. Sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts and Passport Transport, the completed project will be unveiled at the Mega Mopar Action Show on 22-23 September 2012, at Virginia Motorsports Park. The V8 engine was dubbed hemi-head because the cylinder head was hemispherical in shape to promote better combustion of the mixture thereby creating more power.
The white Dodge Charger R/T includes two well-preserved broadcast sheets and a fender tag. These prove – it is claimed – that it was the last hemi car built by Chrysler because it was built two weeks after the nearest late 1971 hemi car.
This 1971 Dodge Charger R/T was delivered to Glavic Dodge in Wickliffe, Ohio. A customer special-ordered the Charger from Chrysler’s Lynch Road assembly plant in Detroit. Years later, 14-year-old Joe Angelucci spotted the hemi sitting in a garage and fell in love with it. After years of trying to buy the Charger, Angelucci finally was able to own his dream vehicle in 1991.
“This hemi is a legend,” said Angelucci. “Its historical significance has made it very exciting to own and enjoy.”
The Charger R/T will be rebuilt exactly as it would have rolled off the assembly line in 1971. This time, of course, it will be hand-built, not assembly line built, and come with every hemi sticker and badge available for authenticity.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
