Back in the day before modern technology, dealerships relied strictly on hard copy books and file folders when selling cars to the public. While dealers today still do offer print brochures for current models, the bulk of everything is now in digital format. Back when our beloved Mopar muscle cars were new, there was no such thing as an “Online Build & Price” or manufacturer websites that answered all of your questions.

When you sat down to order a car in the dealership, the salesman would bring out a big book to show you what was available to order. There were quite a few various ones such as the “Color & Trim Selector” or “Dealership Data Book”. The salesman would also usually carry a quick reference guide that’s called the “Salesman Pocket Guide”. These books would show you some of the major options and option groups available for each model line along with some photos to give you visual aid.

These were often printed at the beginning of the model year and did contain some errors at times. In the “Color & Trim Selector” book, you would be shown the different paint colors, stripe options and interior choices. Usually, these contained actual samples of paint choices on a little square card and for the interior choices, you were given the opportunity to actually look at and feel various grains and materials for the interior. The 1970 Hamtramck Registry has done a fantastic job on scanning and providing online copies of these books on their website.

These books have proved to be quite popular with Mopar collectors over the years. When they come up for sale, they usually get snapped up quickly. Recently, a very rare and unique book caught our eye on eBay being sold by our friend Robin McQueen of New Brunswick, Canada. What caught our attention even more so was the amount it sold for! The book Robin had up for auction was called “The Bold New World of Chrysler 1970”.

Back in the day, this book acted as a “Fast Facts” data manual that was used by salesmen to quickly provide details of a car model. Robin’s example was in fantastic shape as it was unused and was saved in a collection for most of its life. It covers the complete Dodge line as well as Chrysler, Imperial and Dodge/Fargo light trucks. What made Robin’s example even more rare and desirable is the fact it’s a Canadian edition!

Robin says when he put it up for sale; he didn’t expect it to bid up to the price it sold for. His book sold for a whopping $560 USD ($750 CAD) after an intense bidding battle of 46 bids. We sure hope it went to a good home as this book was a once in a life time find!