Boris Mis lives in the town Norrköping, Sweden. The car you’re looking at is his first American vehicle. And what a debut it is! A 1970 Dodge Challenger in the color “Dark Burnt Orange” — or simply “Burnt Orange,” as the shade is known in Plymouth lingo. It originally rolled off the line with a lively 383 cui, but that engine has since been swapped out for an even punchier 440.
Mis bought the Challenger in 2012 after initially searching for a 1968 Dodge Charger. Although this is his first American car, he’s no rookie when it comes to automobiles in general, or American muscle in particular. He has frequently driven Yank tanks as a chauffeur on trips to and from car meets, and he has fully restored a fair share of other cars.
“Well… I’ve restored several cars in my life. The first was a 1969 Fiat 850 Sport, which I fixed up around 1977, mainly to learn bodywork. Honestly, the engine wasn’t that impressive. The pistons in that straight-four looked like they came out of four moped engines. After that, I restored a 1968 VW Type 1. I even painted it myself. Beige…not exactly a beautiful color,” Mis says.
The paint job was done in his father’s garage, so all of his dad’s tools ended up beige too. “Great, now no one can steal your tools, Dad. They’re color-coded!” Mis joked. His father was less than thrilled.
“After the Beetle, I restored two Opel Rekords — one from 1975 and one from 1971. That was around 1983, I think,” Mis recalls.
I once heard a casual acquaintance describe the Dark Burnt Orange shade as “raw blood pudding.” He hated the color as much as I loved it, and still do. But we’re like cats and dogs, he and I. Yes, “Dark Burnt Orange” is a color that was widely dismissed in the ’80s. Not surprising, considering it’s so quintessentially late ’60s/early ’70s. A time people were eager to forget a decade later.
Mis loves the color so much that even the engine block is painted Dark Burnt Orange. Now that’s devotion. Hmmm… just think of all those people in the ’70s who tossed their brown-orange interiors in favor of going all black. I wonder how many regret that now.
The Challenger is equipped with a 440 cui that’s been tweaked: a hotter camshaft, MSD ignition, a better-breathing intake manifold, and a pristine 750 carburetor. Behind that sits a freshly serviced 727 automatic transmission, and finally, the classic 8¾-inch rear axle with 3.55:1 gears.
“It had 4.11:1 when I bought the Dodge, but the revs were insane. Plus, it guzzled three liters of gas per 10 kilometers. Power-wise? It’s an absolute beast. The other day, I tried to do a burnout and nearly wrapped the car around a tree. It felt like I had 700 horsepower. But I’d guess the actual output is somewhere north of 400 horses,” Mis says.
Regarding that near-disastrous burnout, I suggest that maybe Mis can also appreciate the practicality of a Dark Burnt Orange interior. Brown vinyl — or faux leather, as it’s also called — has its uses. Mis laughs and adds, “400 horsepower is plenty… for old men.”
The Challenger was in decent shape when Mis bought it, but with old cars, there’s always something to do. Often quite a bit. Among the things he’s tackled are fixing rust holes in the trunk, installing new carpet and a headliner, replacing the fuel tank, converting the brakes from drums to discs, swapping the torque converter for one that suits his driving style, rebuilding the front suspension, repairing the transmission,
and painting the entire undercarriage.
There’s a concept my friend Peter Larsson once taught me. Not the editor-in-chief, but the Peter whose white 1966 Corvette I featured in a story ten years ago, published in Gasoline #11/2015. The term is “Day Two appearance.” It refers to a car whose owner has grown tired of the stock look but hasn’t gone all-out with customization. Instead, there are cosmetic tweaks, some mild engine mods, and a mix of subtle and not-so-subtle enhancements.
Mis identifies completely with that approach. “I’ll remember that term. Yeah, I’ve changed the steering wheel, wheels, and tires, painted the 440 and the engine bay, added remote-controlled cutouts, upgraded the intake and carburetor, installed three-inch headers, fixed the dash clock…” Yeah, the list goes on.
But the Dodge hasn’t been chopped, doesn’t have a snorkel scoop, or widened fenders. You need to look closely to spot all the details.
All over Northern Europe, gearheads are obsessed with Autometer gauges. But not Mis. He runs German-made Bosch instruments. Why?
“Well… There was a mix-up when I placed the order. Bought them from some Swedish company and didn’t notice at first. I was mostly focused on making sure the temperature gauge read in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. So I messed up. But now that you say you like them… I’m keeping the gauges!” Mis laughs.
Future plans? First and foremost, it’s time for a new wiring harness — something Mis isn’t thrilled about but knows has to be done. After that, he’s facing a clear fork in the road: either the Challenger gets a supercharger, or he buys another muscle car. A 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle — another restoration project. “I actually had a red ’69 Chevelle, a real SS, lined up. The older gentleman in the U.S. selling it had worked as a GM mechanic and taken amazing care of the car. I think he sent me over 200 photos in total. But just as I was about to transfer the money, everything went silent. We eventually got hold of his wife, who told us he had sadly passed away. So that deal never happened. But I’m still very happy with the Challenger!”
Finally, a funny anecdote: During the photo shoot for this feature, I posted a picture of the Challenger on my personal Facebook feed. I have a wide and varied circle of friends, and usually, only the car nuts react to vehicle pics. But this time, everyone loved it. Thumbs-up from musicians, women over 70, librarians and literature professors, the guy who only listens to Norwegian death metal, the former addict who’s been to hell and back — and even a friend who hates Mopar® vehicles. Wow.
Apparently, Mis’s Dodge resonates with a whole lot of different people. The question is — would it have gotten the same love if it were still wearing its original outfit? That is, white vinyl top and white stripes.
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