T/As of myth and legend

Okay, so I thought it was funny. On this page I'm going to try to
delve a little deeper into two of the mysterious creatures shown above.
The Western Sport Special T/A and the 1971 Challenger T/A.

Just like Jason in those Friday the 13th movies, some things keep coming
back to life, no matter how many times they've been killed. The WSS T/A
is much like that. And like the creatures at the top of the page, the stories
about their existence never end. I can't tell you that I've solved this mystery
once and for all, but I'll give you what information I have. Directly below
are a few pictures of the car that many site as evidence of the existence of
the Western Sport Special T/A. Check them out closely before we proceed.

Click on the photos to view full size.

Photos used by permission of the photographer, Jeff Coe.

Notice that the Transit Towne Dodge logo was not always present.

Photos courtesy of Jeff Bangert. His friend Wes Cree used to own this car. Jeff and Wes obviously know more about this car than anybody else. Check out Jeff's WSS T/A page about this car for more information and photos. http://www.transamcuda.com/wssta.htm
Here are some recent shots that I took at the Carlisle All-Chrysler Nationals.

There is no doubt that Western Sport Special Challengers do exist.
It is option code A91 and is coded on the fender tag. It is widely
believed that all WSS cars were built exclusively in the Los Angeles
plant. This is not true. There were at least 2 documented cars built
in the Hamtramck plant and rumors persist of at least a few more.

The A91 package consisted of:	So how does this T/A compare?
Western Sport Special Decals	It has one on the rear spoiler, though all other WSS Challengers had it on the rear fenders. If you look closely you will see that the decal actually says just "Western Special", not "Western Sport Special".
Vinyl Roof	It has one.
Wood Grain Instrument Panel applique (J64) w/standard dash	It has a Rallye Instrument Panel which includes J64 automatically.
Remote Control Driver Side Mirror (G33) (Every WSS Challenger that I have fender tag info for is coded for the G34 painted racing mirror.)	Yes it has this, and also a passenger side one (G31).
Rim Blow Steering Wheel (S83) (Steering wheels aren't coded on the fender tag.)	It had the Rim Blow steering wheel at one time. More recent photos show it has a standard wheel.
Sill (M25), Belt and Cowl Moldings (M31).	Only the Belt Molding is there.
Front Splash Pan Scoop	It does not have it.
F78x14 White Wall Tires (Tires aren't coded on the fender tag.)	No, but one would reasonably expect that the T/As tires would take precedence over the WSS ones.
Rear Astrotone Painted Taillight Panel (A63)	No, it's got the black panel found on T/As.
Pedal Dress-Up (J41) (Not coded on the fender tag.)	It has them.
Bumper Guards (Front and Rear) (Bumper Guards aren't coded on the fender tag.)	It has them.
Rallye Wheels (Wheels aren't coded on the fender tag.)	It has them.
There may have been even more equipment that came as part of the Western Sport Special package.	The Western Sport Special T/As were also supposed to have Rear Exit Dual Exhausts (N41) and Wheel Lip Moldings (M26). This car has both of those (Wheel Lip Moldings aren't coded on the fender tag.)

I do have a picture of the fender tag, but I will just list the numbers above
instead (minus the Sequence Number). A few things immediately jump out
at me upon inspection of those numbers. First is that the top is coded EB5
for Bright Blue Metallic paint, not V1X for the Black Vinyl Roof. There is
no code for the Western Sport Special Package (A91). It is coded as a
Trans Am car (A53). The exhaust is N44 for the Side Exit Exhaust, not
N41 for the Dual Rear Exit Exhaust. (I should mention here that it's a myth
that California AARs and T/As came with Rear Exit Exhausts. So why then
would it be necessary for WSS T/As to have them?) This car is also missing
the mandatory option for every California car (N95), California Emissions.

It's really not a good idea to offer a concrete answer to this mystery based on
just one car. But this is the car that many people site as the prime example that
Western Sport Special T/As do exist, much like the famous picture of the Loch
Ness Monster at the top of the page. That picture is now known to be a fake
and I'm afraid that's the same conclusion that I'm left to draw with the WSS T/A.
It may be a deliberate hoax (unlikely back then, but now?), an owner modified
car, or possibly a dealer's attempt to get rid of a few left over T/As from his lot by
adding a little something extra. At this point nobody knows for sure. But the case
for the WSS T/A being a factory offering isn't very compelling. The evidence
points to this being just a regular T/A because of the lack of the A91 option.

Thanks to Jeff Bangert, Jeff Coe, Rich Moyer, and Barry Washington
for providing the info regarding this particular "WSS T/A".

There really isn't that much to say about the mythical 1971 Challenger T/A.
I've heard the stories about people who would have had reason to be at the
factory back then having seen several '71 T/As. But my guess is that they
were actually looking at the new '71 R/Ts which had stripes similar to the
ones on 1970 T/As. Others claim that at least one was built since there is an
ad for a '71 T/A (see below). What you're actually seeing is a 1970 T/A
that's been graphically enhanced (airbrushed?) to look like a '71. Since
the ad exists, one would assume that Dodge had at least planned on a
second year for the T/A option. And though the 340 Six Pak was to be
replaced by a 340 4-bbl setup, just about everything else was to return.