There are few golden era muscle cars faster than a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE with a 440 Six-Pack and even less that are as cool. But unlike Ford and Chevrolet, Dodge didn't offer factory drag-racing versions of their cars, but that didn't stop gearheads from converting these awesome E-bodies into drag cars. William "Ziggy" Wyso and his son Bill, were a pair of greasemonkys who turned a first-gen Challenger into a legendary drag racer in the early 1970s.
The father and son duo used to race the Challenger R/T SE at the Lebanon Valley Dragway in East Chatham, New York. After years of lying dormant, this classic drag car was brought back to life. With a blessing from the Wyso family, a new owner has restored the rare 1970 Challenger R/T SE and got it lighting up its tires once again.
Return Of The Bill Wyso 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE
Bill Wyso Jr. was the owner and operator of Bill's of New York Custom Hot Rod and Interior Designs and a builder of custom street rods. As a member of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), he also raced some of these cars, including his 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE, that was passed down to him from his father Ziggy. The once mighty drag car was retired in 1987 and sat idle for decades. Bill was going to restore the car with his daughter Kelly as a project when she graduated medical school. Unfortunately, Bill Jr. passed away in 2005 and the car sat in a garage.
Dave DePaulo remembers seeing that awesome Challenger race at the Lebanon Valley Dragway, and it made quite an impression on him. He also used to take his own cars to Bill's of New York Custom Hot Rod and Interior Designs for upholstery work. He eventually became Bill Wyso's insurance agent. DePaulo didn't specify if he was Wyso's car insurance agent, but if so, insuring darg cars was probably a lucrative endeavor. As the years rolled on, DePaulo and Wyso became friends.
After Bill Wyso passed away, his daughter Kelly decided to sell her dad's legendary drag car to Depaulo, because she knew he would respect the legacy and keep the Challenger as it was. Car enthusiast and YouTube creator, Lou Costabile, caught up with Dave and Kelly to witness the rebirth of a legend.
Bill Wyso's 1970 Challenger Drag Car
The Bill Wyso Dodge Challenger R/T SE started out as stock car, straight from the lot. It was a Mopar Canary Yellow hardtop four-speed automatic, with a 440 ci engine and Six-Pack carburetor set up. Wyso tubbed it out to fit big fat rear racing slicks and painted it Cadillac Pearl White with gold letters. He also hand painted the scallop accents, which his daughter Kelly explained, "[He] did it with his fingers and a penny."
The original 440+6 engine in the Challenger would have put out 390 horsepower with a whopping 490 lb.-ft. of torque. That's fast for the street, but kind of slow for the dragstrip, so obviously Wyso beefed that up. Neither new owner DePaulo nor daughter Kelly said specifically what he did, but the engine did eventually blow up at the strip, so it was probably something extreme. When DePaulo was restoring the Challenger, he found a period-correct 426 HEMI to drop under the hood, so now the car makes 425 horsepower, which ain't half-bad.
Wyso also reversed the gear order on the shifter, to accommodate a more natural shift in drag racing. Yes, this drag car has an automatic, which DePaulo claims is faster than a manual. That might need a serious fact-checking, but then again, this is a street car now, so it doesn't really matter. To make it street legal, DePaulo replaced the wrinkle slicks with the curious choice of some low-profiles. He says he has the original rims that came from the factory, but because the car has been tubbed, they don't fit. Hopefully, the pimp-ride rims are temporary until he can find something more appropriate.
The Bill Wyso Challenger Rides Again
In a truly great moment in the video, Kelly is given a chance to crank up the Challenger and take it for a spin. According to her, she never even sat in the front seat, with the exception of riding on her father's and grandfathers' lap. When she fired up that Hemi, it was clear she could feel their spirits living on in the vehicle. In fact, she placed an old Polaroid photo of her as a young child with daddy, Bill Jr., and poppop, Ziggy, on the dashboard as she took their car for a drive.
When it debuted in 1970, the Dodge Challenger was extremely well-received and sold 76,935 vehicles, making it one of the best-selling muscle cars of the year. While those are some big numbers, according to Amazing Classic Cars, this particular vehicle is quite rare. Dodge only made 5,873 Special Editions with a V-8 and of those, a mere 296 came with the 440+6. Factor in the hardtop and automatic transmission and there may have only been a handful of these badboys ever produced.
Of course, being the Bill Wyso 1970 Challenger R/T SE makes the car a one-of-kind. Dave DePaulo is lucky to own this awesome piece of history and has proven to be a worthy caretaker for the legendary drag car. Kelly seems happy that her family heirloom ride is back on the streets and the Challenger is even getting some love from a Facebook page dedicated to the old-school drag racers at Lebanon Valley Dragway.