by The late 1960s was a great era for muscle cars. And not only in terms of performance. You could also get cool-looking rigs due to the high-impact colors and customization options available at the time. Dodge, for instance, offered a “White Hat Special” package that included a vinyl top in white. This 1969 Charger used to have one.
Yes, I know, this Mopar has seen better days, and the fact that the vinyl top is gone kind of ruins its appeal, but just look at that F6 green paint. It still shines on the sides, especially in direct sunlight, and makes us want to see it restored to its original specifications. By the way, this color was called Bright Green Poly, and whoever ordered this Charger was massively inspired to get the “White Hat Special” option.
If you’re not familiar with this package, Dodge offered it on various cars in the late 1960s, including the Coronet, Dart, and Polara. Part of the “Dodge Fever” marketing campaign, it was essentially a selection of design options bundled at a discounted price.
On the Charger, it included hood-mounted turn signals, the Light group, white-wall tires, deep-dish wheel covers, and a wood-grained steering wheel. Dodge also offered a choice of vinyl top finishes in white, tan, or green in addition to the regular black.
This muscle car comes with all of the above save for the white top, which might have been removed at some point. In addition, it comes with factory A/C. But it does have some issues, including rusty floor and trunk pans that need to be replaced. The rockers and lower quarter panels also need to go. The same goes for the seats, which for some reason, have massive holes in them.
Under the hood, this Charger sports a 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8. It’s not a numbers-matching unit, but it seems to be a period-correct mill. Since it’s a four-barrel version, it should crank out 330 horsepower. It still turns over, but it will probably need a rebuild.
Now I know this car looks like it will need a massive cash infusion to become a white-over-green Concours winner, but it has gained a lot of attention on eBay, where 30 bidders took the auction price up to $25,100. That’s almost half the price of a 1969 Charger in excellent condition. And with three more days to go, it seems that it could get even more expensive.
Granted, classic muscle car prices have gotten pretty will over the last couple of years, but maybe these Dodges fitted with the “White Hat Special” package are becoming a thing. And if you want to see how this Charger looked brand-new, I included a vintage ad with what seems to be a similar car in the photo gallery. You can also check out a cool “White Hat Special” commercial in the video below.
