Rough But Running: 1979 Dodge Magnum GT Seeks a New Owner for $2,000

Dodge’s late-1970s flirtation with a personal-luxury muscle coupe never quite caught fire, and a surviving example of that short-lived experiment has now surfaced for sale in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The car is a 1979 Dodge Magnum in GT trim, listed on Facebook Marketplace at $2,000, and according to the seller it still runs. The asking price is modest enough that the ad has nonetheless failed to attract a buyer so far.

The Magnum’s origin story is tied directly to NASCAR. Dodge rolled out the model for 1978 largely to give Richard Petty a competitive option, and the nameplate lasted only two model years. It shared its underpinnings with the B-body Charger, which had been reworked in 1975; Dodge sold both cars in 1978 before fielding the Magnum alone in 1979. Production figures tell the story of a car that never found its audience: roughly 47,000 units in the first year, falling to about 25,000 in the second before the model was dropped. The Magnum name would not return until a much later, very different vehicle wore it.

Under the hood, the Magnum came standard with a 318-cubic-inch V8, while a 360 was available — including a Police Interceptor version rated at 195 horsepower. The seller of this particular car does not specify which engine is installed, and the photos barely show the engine bay at all. The GT package was an option rather than a standalone model, bundling a heavy-duty suspension, a special axle, distinct badging and a more elaborate dashboard. An automatic transmission is fitted regardless of engine choice.

Cosmetically, this Magnum has clearly spent a long time outdoors. The red paint has faded considerably, and much of the sheet metal carries dents or rust that has eaten through. The GT side stripes invite inevitable comparisons to the striped Ford Torino made famous by Starsky & Hutch. The car has a sunroof that may be a later addition, and it will need a replacement driver’s-side window after a storm recently shattered the original. The odometer shows 39,000 miles, though the exterior condition suggests far heavier use. The seller claims it runs well and may have covered only about 10 miles since some unspecified point.

Even among Mopar enthusiasts, the Magnum remains a rare sight at shows — a factor that works in the car’s favor for anyone willing to take on a project. The low entry price is balanced against substantial bodywork and the general uncertainty created by thin photographs and sparse details in the listing. For a buyer with the patience and space to tackle rust repair, it represents an unusually affordable route into a genuinely uncommon piece of Dodge’s NASCAR-era history.