Rough but Running: A 1979 Dodge Magnum GT Seeks a New Owner

Dodge’s late-1970s push to keep Richard Petty in its NASCAR lineup produced one of the brand’s more unusual footnotes: the Magnum. Launched for 1978 and gone after just two model years, the car arguably owed its very existence to the racing program, and its short life has left survivors like this one as genuine rarities at shows today. A 1979 Magnum GT in tired condition is now listed for sale in Minneapolis, Minnesota, carrying a $2,000 asking price on Facebook Marketplace — a figure that, so far, hasn’t attracted a buyer.

The Magnum grew out of Dodge’s B-body Charger, which had been reworked for 1975. Both cars shared showroom space in 1978, but by 1979 the Magnum stood alone as the Charger exited. Under the hood, a 318-cubic-inch V8 came as standard equipment, while a 360 was available — in Police Interceptor form, that engine was rated at 195 horsepower. The seller doesn’t specify which powerplant this car carries, and the photos barely reveal the engine bay at all. An automatic transmission handles shifting duties regardless.

What makes this example a GT isn’t a separate model line but an option package. Buyers who ticked the box got a heavy-duty suspension, a special axle, GT badging and a fancier dashboard. The GT also wore side stripes that drew comparisons to the Torino made famous by television’s “Striped Tomato.” Sales never took off — roughly 47,000 Magnums found homes in 1978, dropping to about 25,000 the following year — and the nameplate vanished from Dodge’s lineup, not resurfacing until much later.

This particular car tells a hard-luck story. Its red paint has faded significantly, and most of the body panels show dents or rust that has eaten through the metal. A sunroof is present, though it may have been installed after the car left the factory. The driver’s side window is missing after a recent storm blew it out, so a replacement will be needed. On the plus side, the seller reports the car runs well and says it has covered perhaps only ten miles of use — though when that driving happened is left unexplained. The odometer shows 39,000 miles, a reading the weathered exterior makes difficult to accept at face value.

Inside, the radio and various accessories are said to function, even if the listing is vague about exactly what equipment is fitted. The Magnum’s scarcity is part of its appeal — at a car show, an owner is unlikely to park next to another one. But a $2,000 project with rust, missing glass and murky documentation is a gamble, and observers have noted that the sparse photos and thin details have done the seller few favors. For a Mopar enthusiast willing to look past the cosmetic damage and confirm the structure underneath, this GT could still be worth a closer inspection before any money changes hands.