A 96-year-old owner reunites with his long-forgotten 1968 Dodge Charger, lovingly restored after decades in hiding.
For nearly three decades, a 1968 Dodge Charger sat untouched in a storage unit, buried under dust and memories. Now, at 96 years old, its original owner, Peter, has watched the classic muscle car roar back to life—restored to its former glory and ready to roll once again.
Peter bought the Charger new and once ruled the streets in the roaring V8 machine, much to his wife’s dismay. “It was a little louder than necessary,” he laughs. Eventually, he parked it and forgot it, assuming it had been sitting for about 30 years. He wasn't wrong.
The Charger was rediscovered under layers of grime, its original burgundy paint almost unrecognizable. Even so, the tires still held air, and the body, while dirty, was remarkably solid. Beneath the hood lay a 440-cubic-inch V8 upgraded with a six-pack carburetor—an uncommon setup for a '68 model, as it wasn’t offered until 1969.
AMMO NYC, a high-end detailing studio, took on the challenge. Getting the car out of storage was a task in itself, with the brakes locked up. Peter, ever the old-school problem solver, suggested using cardboard under the wheels. It worked.
The Charger underwent a complete cosmetic transformation. Power-washing, hand-brushing, and polishing revealed its brilliant burgundy paint and brought the leather interior back to life. Yes, there were signs of a former mouse residence in the trunk, but even that couldn’t stop the Charger’s comeback.
Mechanically, the V8 wouldn’t fire. The team replaced ignition wires, plugs, and tackled low compression before finally coaxing the engine to life. They rebuilt the valvetrain, replaced the master cylinder, and overhauled the braking system—turning the car from a static relic to a functioning machine.
Five weeks later, Peter returned to the studio. Hearing the deep growl of his Charger again moved him. Though he no longer drives, he rode shotgun, grinning from ear to ear. “They don’t make them like this anymore,” he said, soaking in the rumble of a machine—and a lifetime of memories.
