The Mecum Kissimmee 2026 auction proved once and for all that very wealthy collectors drive pink cars. Amidst a sea of legendary Mopar iron, a jaw-dropping 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A finished in FM3 Panther Pink didn’t just cross the block. It obliterated it, selling for a record-breaking $242,000. This makes it the most expensive T/A on the planet, proving that high-impact colors are the ultimate financial fuel in the classic muscle car market.
What makes a pink pony car worth a quarter of a million dollars? For starters, it’s a “matching numbers” masterpiece featuring a 5.6-liter V8 engine and the legendary four-speed manual transmission. This specific car is one of only 989 manuals ever produced, and it comes complete with the coveted Hurst pistol-grip shifter, the original broadcast sheet, and a spot in the official T/A registry.
The color, however, is the real MVP. Panther Pink was only offered for a few months in 1970, and today, only 12 pink Challenger T/A models are known to exist. It seems the market has a soft spot for this “Moulin Rouge” hue. Three of the five most expensive T/As ever sold wear this rare shade. This pink powerhouse even dethroned the previous record-holder, a triple-black beauty that sold for $220,000 back in 2023.
As a reminder for those who weren’t around for the SCCA Trans-Am wars, the Challenger T/A was a one-year-only special designed to battle the Ford Mustang Boss 302 and the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. It featured a unique 340 Six-Pack engine that produced a factory-rated 290 HP, a massive “suitcase-sized” air intake, and a fiberglass hood. While its racing career was short-lived, its auction career is clearly in high gear.
While other T/As in Bright Red and Go Mango “only” fetched $143,000 at the same event, the Panther Pink T/A reigned supreme. Of course, in the stratosphere of Mopar money, even $242,000 looks like pocket change compared to the $3.3 million paid for a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertible.
