Dale Mathews
North Carolina
Dale Mathews has been buying Mopars on the cheap since he hitched a ride to the Chrysler proving grounds in 1981 and heard his calling. He has since been to all 25 Mopar Nationals shows, and has been slowly acquiring a collection of rare and interesting Pentastar products and squirreling them away in his garage. He's no millionaire hoarder, he's just a regular guy who is restoring these cars one at a time when family and money permit. Take a look and envy him.
A. The '73 Challenger has a 318 and 86,000 miles on it. It will soon be a daily driver for Dale's son.
B. Everyone needs a grocery getter. Dale drives this '70 Challenger R/T to get the mail and go into town.
C. The '70 Superbird is a 440 Six Pack car with a console-shift automatic and bucket seats. Dale saw it 30 years ago in a barn by his favorite fishing hole and has owned it for 15.
D. According to Dale, this is a 1-of-44 '70 Hemi Road Runner that Chrysler used in the Rapid Transit ad campaign. It was originally white with a black interior and unfortunately sat in the rain with no glass until Dale saved its life. It has an unusual plastic panel under the dash that activates the air grabber, plus a couple of body braces that never went into production.
E. Believe it or not, Dale's wife encouraged him to buy the '71 Road Runner when they saw it for sale for $2,000. This is the only restored car in the garage. It has the original 383ci motor and blue and white interior.
F. Dale bought this '68 Charger R/T for $50 from a guy's backyard. It is an original 440 car with a four-speed.
G. This cross-ram is one of several parts Dale has stashed, like the Six Pack engine in the corner.
H. This '71 Road Runner is another original car. It has factory black paint with the over-the-roof strobe stripe and a four-speed.
I. Dale found the '61 wagon sitting in a field by a body shop in North Carolina. He bought it for $1,000 and immediately drove it three hours to his home.