One Rare Panther

The first thing that comes to minds for the average person when visualizing a pink car is no doubt the sight of the Mary Kay lady pulling up in a shiny pink Cadillac. Not so for the average Mopar enthusiast. No, for these loyalists the image of a rare Panther Pink Challenger, Roadrunner, Charger or Cuda is no doubt what comes to mind. The example presented at here is not only rare by its paint colour, but the combination of options on the spec sheet.

This 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T registered to proud owners Jan and Ken Katarynchuk of Edson, Alberta. Originally purchased new at Chinnook Chrysler in Calgary, AB, by Steve Melnyk, it passed through three other owners before the Katarynchuk’s purchased it eight years ago. What makes this particular unit special is that it is 1 of only 3,979 R/T (Road & Track) SE (Special Edition) models built, 1 of 400 built with the 383/4-speed trany, 1 of 7 painted (FM3) High Impact Panther Pink and 1 of 3 with the ultra rare magenta side stripes from the 83,032 variations that came off the production line in that model year. In addition, of the 184 Challenger R/T SE in the Chrysler registry, this is the only 1970 R/T SE, 383, 4-speed in Panther Pink with the magenta side stripes know to exist of the three ever produced.

When the Katarynchuk’s set out to restore their Panther they made sure everything was perfect. The final result being this Challenger is over restored compared to factory standards of the 1970’s. It also features power steering, power brakes, bucket seats, console with pistol grip shifter, overhead consolette with door ajar, low fuel and seatbelt warning lights, sport hood, hood performance treatment, hood tie down pins, rear factory spoiler and 10-Watt factory AM radio with 8-Track player. The rear axle is a 8 ¾ 3.23 sure grip.

When the Katarynchuk’s got the car it had been white for the past 28 years, not the original Panther Pink, as the third owner had painted it back in the early eighties. The restoration process began in 2005 after four years of accumulating everything they need for the project. Doug Syme’s of Spruce Grove stripped the car to bare metal and repaired or replaced the 35-year-old metal including floor pans, trunk floor, inner and outer wheel houses and full factory quarters. Next it was off to Joey’s Place in Edmonton to take care of all the high-end prep, paint and some assembly. Jan and Ken couldn’t have been more pleased with Joey and his staff as they “literally went above and beyond the call of duty on this project”.

After three years and three months of restoration time that attention to detail definitely paid off as this numbers-matching Challenger has taken home several awards on both sides of the border.

This is but one of the Katarynchuk’s vast collection of Mopars in their garage, but this example stands out from the others as this is one rare Panther!

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