I can see a 4.10 gear'd Hemi Challenger doing OK if it had cheater slicks on it.
The best 1/4 mile time I saw from a 70 Hemi Cuda was 13.1 with Ronnie Sox driving it. Slicks might net mid to high 12s. Not a slouch by any means, but Addison was running 10.13 at aa test and tune session back then in the Silver Bullet. Not in the same league!
Watching Mecum’s stories about cars their selling is comical. Seen a few of my old cars go through their auctions after I had sold them and it had friends and I just shaking are heads with the misinformation they were saying on history of vehicles. But since I see this post is now talking about trailer hitches…… here is picture of my old 67 hemi r/t 4spd car with hitch showing loud and proud, was my summer daily driver in the 90’s. When I bought the r/t the rear tires on it looked like they came off a truck, and yes they were mounted on the original rims….Car had zero rust and original paint. Seeing VE super bee towing, thought I would show a more recent picture of it also.
Last edited by Beebuzzn; 05/22/2306:24 PM.
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: Beebuzzn]
#3146308 05/23/2301:38 AM05/23/2301:38 AM
As a couple other Detroit area members have posted here, I grew up in the Detroit area. I lived there for the first 22 years of my life. I grew up knowing about Lisk's Hemi '71 Challenger street driven (with a Lenco transmission), the Silver Bullet GTX, Orlo's '64 black Sport Fury "Rat Patrol" ...with a wicked 426 Max Wedge (now Hemi power) McSwains '68 Hemi Road Runner "Rat Poison"... Tim's '72 Top Banana 440 c.i. tubbed out Demon...these cars were the Mopar's that ruled streets like Gratiot Ave, Telegraph, Woodward..I-696... certain I-94 on ramps ...etc. But I don't recall hearing about the Black Ghost growing up though. I was a little kid when Godfrey Qualls, a decorated Vietnam vet, and Detroit Police officer, bought the car.. and supposedly street raced it. So obviously I never saw it, or heard about it, so I can't say he did or didn't, in the end, it doesn't matter to me. If his son wants to sell the car, it's his right to. Seems to me all the hype has come from Mecum, and Dodge... not the Qualls family. I have just heard personal stories about him and his dad ,related to the Challenger. So I hope they put the money from the auction,to good use in their future going forward.
Plymouth Makes It!
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: RoadRunnerLuva]
#3146315 05/23/2304:31 AM05/23/2304:31 AM
As a couple other Detroit area members have posted here, I grew up in the Detroit area. I lived there for the first 22 years of my life. I grew up knowing about Lisk's Hemi '71 Challenger street driven (with a Lenco transmission), the Silver Bullet GTX, Orlo's '64 black Sport Fury "Rat Patrol" ...with a wicked 426 Max Wedge (now Hemi power) McSwains '68 Hemi Road Runner "Rat Poison"... Tim's '72 Top Banana 440 c.i. tubbed out Demon...these cars were the Mopar's that ruled streets like Gratiot Ave, Telegraph, Woodward..I-696... certain I-94 on ramps ...etc. But I don't recall hearing about the Black Ghost growing up though. I was a little kid when Godfrey Qualls, a decorated Vietnam vet, and Detroit Police officer, bought the car.. and supposedly street raced it. So obviously I never saw it, or heard about it, so I can't say he did or didn't, in the end, it doesn't matter to me. If his son wants to sell the car, it's his right to. Seems to me all the hype has come from Mecum, and Dodge... not the Qualls family. I have just heard personal stories about him and his dad ,related to the Challenger. So I hope they put the money from the auction,to good use in their future going forward.
You took the words right out of my mouth, i have been in Detroit all my life also. Us Detroit guys know better that were part of that time. The Black Ghost story is just that,,,, a story.........
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: unknown]
#3146385 05/23/2312:57 PM05/23/2312:57 PM
True...it might be just a story about the street racing part of it... though I did hear that Godfrey had slicks on the car, and no exhaust from the H pipe back.... when he would take it out "late night" ....is it true? Like I said doesn't matter to me. What does matter, is the fact that it is a significant time capsule... unrestored and mostly original. Sure it's got scars and scratches, to me that shows the history of this car. It lived likely in a one car garage in Detroit.... just like the garage my parents had where we lived, in Warren, bordering Detroit. It was a family car apparently, with the trailer hitch and all. Alot of cars like this were, back then. Someone posted the original window sticker for this Challenger... it's interesting, that it's the very same dealership that sold my dad's station wagon.
Plymouth Makes It!
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: RoadRunnerLuva]
#3146389 05/23/2301:21 PM05/23/2301:21 PM
So somebody paid about an $800,000 premium for a story and now owns a car that can’t be restored (if the owner wanted to) without significant loss of value. IF the value of the story holds up over time.
Sorry, but would buy a nice hemi E body for $200k that needs some work and be happy. Just like Jay Leno who stays away from celebrity cars for a reason.
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: Pacnorthcuda]
#3146410 05/23/2302:40 PM05/23/2302:40 PM
The recipe for building or making a legend. Where are or is anyone that has just one fact that any of this with the car ever happened back in the day???? Did I miss that? Apologies if I did. And how do you get an illegal street racer car into the national registry. Is the Silver Bullet in the national registry??
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: A12]
#3146424 05/23/2304:09 PM05/23/2304:09 PM
II agree. Lived in Detroit for years and never heard about this car. Course I was pretty much a west side only guy as the cops seemed really thick and strick on Woodward. On Telegraph you had 3-4 municipalities bumping against each other. Police were clamping down in one area, you simply drove a mile down the road. Heck, After the younger crowd went home, the Detroit Police would line their cars up against the street cars some times. The good times seemed to end in the mid 80's when folks started showing up pulling trailers. Yep, that car might have a plate on it but most were in no way street cars. Oddly, I sure don't remember very many Mopars being out there. One guy had a bright yellow 68 Bee but that was about it. In hindsight, I find that very odd now.
67 Barracuda FB
69 Superbee
"Southern Maryland: If you want a good looking woman, you had better bring her with you"
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: A12]
#3146466 05/23/2309:02 PM05/23/2309:02 PM
I guess the only positive is it is a mopar and not some dang other brand.
Originally Posted by A12
The recipe for building or making a legend. Where are or is anyone that has just one fact that any of this with the car ever happened back in the day???? Did I miss that? Apologies if I did. And how do you get an illegal street racer car into the national registry. Is the Silver Bullet in the national registry??
STOP POTATO HATE!
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: Mr PotatoHead]
#3146472 05/23/2309:25 PM05/23/2309:25 PM
Yup - a narrative, with all the contemporary buttons: Black guy, Veteran, sneaky-fun late-night activity, deathbed vow, and for Stellantis, a Hemi Mopar they can milk to move some new cars. Throw in some internal-combustion nostalgia when we're having EVs rammed up our backsides, for the icing on the cake. I'm thinking the whole story is cloaked in vague secrecy because it's a story that got expanded & hyped based on a couple of minor activities. Of course Mecum's gonna milk it for max effect: it's butts in the seats, hype for their business, and a % of the proceeds.
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: Pacnorthcuda]
#3146503 05/23/2311:52 PM05/23/2311:52 PM
So somebody paid about an $800,000 premium for a story and now owns a car that can’t be restored (if the owner wanted to) without significant loss of value. IF the value of the story holds up over time.
Sorry, but would buy a nice hemi E body for $200k that needs some work and be happy. Just like Jay Leno who stays away from celebrity cars for a reason.
. Yup... some guy on that stage, wanted to outbid everyone else, to get "bragging rights" about owning the "Black Ghost" Challenger. He got his wish... personally, I wouldn't have bid past $200k ( if I even had that to spend).. but that's me.
Plymouth Makes It!
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: topside]
#3146512 05/24/2301:01 AM05/24/2301:01 AM
Yup - a narrative, with all the contemporary buttons: Black guy, Veteran, sneaky-fun late-night activity, deathbed vow, and for Stellantis, a Hemi Mopar they can milk to move some new cars. Throw in some internal-combustion nostalgia when we're having EVs rammed up our backsides, for the icing on the cake. I'm thinking the whole story is cloaked in vague secrecy because it's a story that got expanded & hyped based on a couple of minor activities. Of course Mecum's gonna milk it for max effect: it's butts in the seats, hype for their business, and a % of the proceeds.
Let's hope this scenario puts the Kibash on any other such hyped stories/cars in the future.
Re: Black Ghost' Dodge Challenger headed to Mecum auction
[Re: RoadRunnerLuva]
#3146516 05/24/2301:19 AM05/24/2301:19 AM
So somebody paid about an $800,000 premium for a story and now owns a car that can’t be restored (if the owner wanted to) without significant loss of value. IF the value of the story holds up over time.
Sorry, but would buy a nice hemi E body for $200k that needs some work and be happy. Just like Jay Leno who stays away from celebrity cars for a reason.
. Yup... some guy on that stage, wanted to outbid everyone else, to get "bragging rights" about owning the "Black Ghost" Challenger. He got his wish... personally, I wouldn't have bid past $200k ( if I even had that to spend).. but that's me.
I have to wonder if it isn't the movie production company that bought it... Lets face it, these days when movies have a starting budget of $20 million them buying the car for $1 million and then selling it later after the movie is out for even more because it's now a movie car....
![[Linked Image]](https://res.cloudinary.com/mecum/image/upload/c_fill,f_auto,g_auto,q_auto,w_1920/v1681507777/auctions/sc23/sc0523-554000/38246.jpg)
...etc. But I don't recall hearing about the Black Ghost growing up though. I was a little kid when Godfrey Qualls, a decorated Vietnam vet, and Detroit Police officer, bought the car.. and supposedly street raced it. So obviously I never saw it, or heard about it, so I can't say he did or didn't, in the end, it doesn't matter to me. If his son wants to sell the car, it's his right to. Seems to me all the hype has come from Mecum, and Dodge... not the Qualls family. I have just heard personal stories about him and his dad ,related to the Challenger. So I hope they put the money from the auction,to good use in their future going forward. 
