Vanishing Point

          In the spring of 1971 a movie premiered. Mainly intended for younger males to be seen in a drive-in theater, Vanishing Point would, through a flurry of high energy chase scenes, become a cult classic. The star of the show wasn't really an actor, it was a 1970 Dodge Challenger.
          Doug Painter, Sr. saw that movie and immediately fell in love with the car. "I wanted one since 1971 when I saw the movie Vanishing Point," he said.
          It took until 1995 but Doug got a 1971 Challenger. "It was probably about a five when we got it," he said of the car's condition.

          "We had to paint it and do a full engine restoration," said Doug's son, Doug, Jr. "The parts were the hardest to find back then," explained Doug, Sr. "There weren't as many after-market MoPar parts available back then."
          The car, originally an automatic, was promptly changed over to a four speed manual. "We had a homemade Z bar when we switched it over to a manual," said Doug, Sr. "That's been replaced since then," he added with a laugh.

          Both the engine and transmission have undergone some changes. Originally the car was a 318 automatic which Doug, Sr. quickly changed to a 340 cubic inch four speed. Today it's still a four speed (with no homemade parts) but the engine is a muscular 440 cubic inch V 8.
          Just having the car and driving it is the most fun, according to Doug, Jr. Doug, Sr. added with a grin, "Yeah, I do all the work and he drives it."
          "It's a real eye catcher. You can't go anywhere without people starting at you," said Doug, Jr.
          Not a babied garage car, this Challenger, Doug, Sr. added that "We drive the heck out it."
          In the movie, the lead character works for a car delivery serviced and is hired to drive the Challenger from Colorado to San Francisco. Once he takes a bet that he can get it there in 15 hours, the action begins. The Challenger revs high and goes fast.
          That's something Doug, Sr. admits his can do as well. "I've raced it before," he said. "It will do high 12s on the quarter mile and run over 100." He added that the front end shakes a little when you get it into triple digits.

          Quickly Doug, Jr. sheepishly claimed that he had never driven the car over 65 mile per hour. But even Doug, Sr. knew that wasn't true. With a piece of classic MoPar muscle like a 1971 Challenger, it's just too easy to press the accelerator and fly toward the vanishing point.