1970 Dodge Diamante Show Car
On the first day of Dodge Challenger production, the most highly optioned Hemi E-body ever assembled was pulled directly off the assembly line before it could reach a customer. It was a triple-black 426 Hemi convertible four-speed with a 4.10 Dana rear axle and power windows, carrying VIN JS27ROB100022, and it was also the first production Mopar ever equipped with a Shaker hood scoop.
The car was shipped to Syntex Inc. in Dearborn, Michigan, where it was converted into a two-seat Targa-style roadster and painted Pearl Yellow. Dodge named it the Yellow Jacket and toured it to gauge public interest in a two-seat Corvette competitor. When the reaction was underwhelming and the paint began wearing thin after a few weeks on the show circuit, Dodge sent it back for a full restyle. The nose was redesigned with a sloping Daytona-inspired front end with hideaway headlights, the taillights were updated, and the car was repainted in a stunning Pearl White Diamond coat, reportedly produced by crushing real diamonds and mixing them into the paint. Dodge renamed it the Diamante.
The Diamante toured through 1974. Then the paint got scratched during transport and Dodge sent it to George Busti of Creative Customs for a repaint. Busti was not given specific instructions and, as he reportedly hated white cars, returned it painted in Candied Tangerine Orange. Dodge freaked out and put the car in storage with only 600 miles showing on the odometer. When Chrysler neared bankruptcy, the storage company demanded payment. Chrysler auctioned the Diamante off in 1978. It changed hands several times before Mopar collector Steve Juliano purchased it in 1998 and restored it back to its original Pearl White. One of one. The very first Hemi Challenger ever built, and it never belonged to a single customer.
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