A gentleman from Laureldale, Pa, purchased this car on April 28th 1970 from W.W. Miller Motor Co., in Myerstown Pa. He purchased it for his young daughter. (however, he had it titled in HIS name)
She drove the car for approximately six-seven years when she finally tired of the color... "Panther Pink". (unbelievable, but true!) Against his better judgment, he had the car re-painted for her, to the color it is now.
Happy with the change, She drove the car for three or four more years, before she finally decided to get rid of it. Because he really liked the car, he took it back from her and used it himself for a few years. Sometime around 1984-1985, he parked the car in his garage and covered it with sheets and some burlap material. From this point on, the car was seldom out of the garage. From 1985 till 1993 he put less than five thousand miles on it.
I first met the owner in 1993 when I was dropping my daughter off at her friend's house. Her friend's house was right next door to his, and he was outside working in the yard. That day I happened to be driving my restored 1973 Challenger coupe and he came over to check it out. We hit it off right away and he invited me into his garage to show me HIS "baby". It had been sitting in his garage, untouched, for over two years. He was very proud of his car. We saw each other and "talked cars" two or three times a year, over the next couple years.
Sadly, he passed away in 1995. I was unaware of this until his widow called me in March of 1996 and asked if I would be interested in purchasing his Challenger. She said that he often talked to her about how I kept my car so long, and how nice it looked restored (I bought it new). Even though I was not in the market for another car, I decided to buy it. At the time I had no idea of the rarity of a Challenger convertible and I had NEVER heard of the color, "Panther Pink".
Along with the car came a lot of the original paperwork including the Owner's Manual, original Temporary Registration Certificate, Document of Limited Warranty, Consumer Information Document, Chrysler Marine brochure, Engine Starting Procedures tag, and various maintenance receipts. This is a "numbers matching" car except the broadcast sheet. I found one for a 1970 PURPLE T/A (not a 1970 FM3 convertible) in one of the seatbacks. I am being told that it is common to have an incorrect broadcast sheet. Hopefully I can find the right one someday.
The car had only 65,488 original miles on it when I picked it up in July, 1996. All that I have done to the car since I purchased it is install a new rug, a new antenna assembly and new tires. I also had to go to garage sales to find 8-track tapes so I had some "rock & roll" to listen to, as I cruised down the road. Hopefully, once I get caught up on college bills, I will be able to restore this beautiful car to the original condition & back to it's original, "Panther Pink" color.
DEALER HISTORY...
W.W. Miller Motor Company
Box #31 - R.D. #1
Myerstown, Pa. 17067
Ph.. 215-866-2158
W.W. Miller Motor Company was founded & run by Walter W. Miller for many years. It was located in Myerstown Pa, where Ebling's Lawn & Garden is today.
Sometime in 1968-9, Walter decided it was time to get out of the business. Since his daughter had no interest, he decided to sell. He sold the dealership to a Chrysler rep & the rep's brother, sometime before 1970. The business never really picked up and actually began to decline, so the new owner's decided to take drastic measures.
They normally had an expensive watchdog onsite at night, however one night they
took the dog home. Then they went back to the dealership and poured a 5 gallon can of gas on the building and lit a match. This was either the day after Christmas 1969 or the day after New Years 1970. Only a few cars were salvaged, everything else was lost. (Mr. Wagner stated that he was there assisting in the salvage)
Interestingly, they continued to operate W.W. Miller Motor Co. until around June/July, from a remote location in the city. After a few months, the authorities were able to piece the crime together and when they interrogated the brother, he admitted everything. The dealership closed for good in the summer/fall of 1970.
Based on that testimonial, it appears that THIS car was one of the last cars sold by the W.W. Miller Motor Co., Myerstown Pa.
Per Mr. Wagner, the Lebanon Daily News and/or the Lebanon Historical Society should have more info. One day I will research and verify the above facts/dates.
