To many muscle car historians, the “Black Ghost” needs no introduction. Hot-rodders have been hearing rumors for decades about a mysterious black Dodge Hemi Challenger street racer that ruled Detroit in the early 1970s. Nevertheless, knowing how rumors have a life of their own and how they seem to spontaneously propagate, some had dismissed the Black Ghost as urban legend. Deepening the mystery was a singular, odd trait: the car never hung out long enough for anybody to meet its driver. A few things were clear—the Black Ghost always knew when and where to show up, it was amazingly able to avoid the police, and it always cleaned house. It did this with complete stealth between 1970 and 1975, and then disappeared into the night for more than four decades, cementing its reputation as a ghost car.
Forty years is a long time, but instead of being forgotten, the mystery of the Black Ghost only deepened. Then, in 2016, the car surfaced. The Black Ghost Dodge Challenger is one of 23 R/T-SE four-speed Hemi coupes built for the 1970 model year, making it exceedingly rare. (For a detailed account of the Black Ghost’s options and history, we refer you its Mecum Auctions fact page.) Hemi-powered E-Body Mopars have long held the top spot in the muscle car kingdom, their ilk regularly fetching more than seven figures at auction, though the bulk of those are ’71-vintage convertible, four-speed cars. Notwithstanding this, the Black Ghost is definitely a candidate for breaking the $1-million barrier due to its status as a (mostly) unrestored Hemi survivor car, a one-family car, and, most important, its well-documented role as an undefeated Detroit-area street racer from the 1970s.
In the seven years since the Black Ghost surfaced, it’s been revived and has toured the country, appearing at some of the biggest muscle car shows including the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals and the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals. Scads of interesting stories have been written about it, and in 2020 the Black Ghost was inducted to the National Vehicle Registry at the U.S. Library of Congress, thanks to help from the Hagerty Drivers Foundation and the Historic Vehicle Association. Now out in the light of day, the Black Ghost has earned new fans and impressed old ones, and there are questions about the car and its owner. Many are asking, “What’s the backstory here?” We too had questions—and now we have the answers.
We begin with this tidbit: the Black Ghost 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T-SE will be auctioned by Mecum at its Indy event on Friday, May 19, 2023 (watch the Mecum Auctions Indy event on MotorTrend TV or MotorTrend+, May 17-20) as lot number R322. The car was special-ordered by Godfrey Qualls, a motorcycle cop for the city of Detroit, from Raynal Brothers Dodge in Detroit sometime in October of 1969. Qualls had previously served with distinction (he received the Purple Heart after taking grenade shrapnel) in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division as a paratrooper. As a police officer and thrill-seeker, Qualls walked a fine line as a cop by day and a street racer by night. As a result, extreme discretion was required, and Godfrey Qualls kept his nocturnal activity separated from co-workers and his immediate family.
Godfrey Qualls kept his secret until the end, which might not sound like a big deal, except for the fact that most street racers tend to tell anybody who will listen about their covert adventures, making the big-fish story bigger with each retelling. Quite apart from the car’s performance, the idea that a street racer could be so modest as to keep such a notorious car with a perfect record a secret for so many decades until his passing is fascinating. We can only guess that Godfrey Qualls, an inveterate gearhead, had the opportunity to hear secondhand accounts of his own exploits over the decades, but mostly chose a silent response to shield career and family.
Today, the Black Ghost is owned by Godfrey Quall’s son, Gregory Qualls. The 49-year-old cinematographer from Detroit was just a year old when his dad retired the car from the street, and he says he knew nothing about his dad’s street racing history but has come to accept it with equal parts pride and wonderment. Before his dad’s passing, the Challenger was just some car in the garage with blankets and boxes on top. When Godfrey’s prostate cancer came out of remission and attacked his bones, he knew his end was near. From his hospital bed, on Christmas Eve of 2015, Godfrey directed his son Gregory to extract the paperwork for the Challenger from its hidden location and bring it to him. Shortly after signing the car over to Gregory, Godfrey passed away, without telling his son its story. We recently interviewed Gregory to tell us his journey of discovery about his father’s secret life, but before we tell you about that, we have some good news: In honor of Godfrey Qualls’ long service to country and city, Dodge is releasing a limited production of 300 Black Ghost Challengers.
source