Black Ghost Challenger Was a Street Racing Legend, Now It’s Back
This 1970 426 Hemi Dodge Challenger known as The Black Ghost was a secretive street racing icon that not even the owner’s family knew about.
Obviously, we can’t encourage anyone street racing. There are race tracks for a reason. However, a story like this is far too good not to tell. You hear all sorts of tall tales from people of all ages about “this car” that can “do that” and won a race against person A or Person B, then sped off into the night. It seems like just about everyone has a friend that has a car that is faster, louder, cooler, or more expensive than yours, his, hers, or theirs. This, however, is a sort of tall tale that turned out to be reality.
Autoevolution brought this story to our attention, and we’re very grateful for it! The story goes that in the 1970s, a mysterious all-black 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE with the 426 Hemi V8 would show up to street races, thrash on its competition, and disappear into the night. Nobody knew who was behind the wheel of the mysterious Challenger. So, given the sporadic and unpredictable appearances, the Challenger eventually got the name “The Black Ghost.” While there were almost unquestionably folks who doubted the stories of this car, it turns out they were all true. Perhaps the wildest bit, though, is the fact that a police officer was behind the wheel.
Godfrey Qualls Bought The Black Ghost brand New, and His Family Still Has It
Godfrey Qualls bought this 1970 Challenger R/T SE brand new in 1969. Every few months, Qualls would take the car to street races unannounced and demolish competition that came his way. After all, this Challenger is one of only 356 ever to come equipped with the 426 Hemi for the 1970 model year and packed a kick of about 425 horsepower. At the time, there wasn’t much that could keep up with it. Especially come the oil embargo and emissions regulations that led to the most underwhelming V8 cars on the planet throughout the 1970s.
After winning the races, Qualls would high-tail it out of there, leaving nobody to discover his identity. He was so good about keeping it a secret, in fact, that not even his own family knew. However, everything was discovered when Qualls passed away in 2015. His son Gregory discovered the Challenger kept in a secret garage with only 45,000 original miles on the odometer.
Now, the Black Ghost is recognized as a historic vehicle by The Historic Vehicle Association. Gregory still has the car. Of course, considering its survivor condition, it doesn’t get driven often. That seems woefully appropriate, considering the car’s origin story.
Don’t Get Your Hopes up for Seeing This Car Any Time Soon
Though the car is still in the family and gets driven from time to time, it’s a pretty rare occasion to see it.
Most recently, it made an appearance at the 2022 Eyes On Design car show. After which, it disappeared only to reappear at an unknown time in the future. Much like a ghost.
Photos: Autoevolution
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