For 1971, planners looked at the 1970 sales and simplified the range slightly, otherwise largely leaving Challenger and Barracuda intact. They added in the 340 V8, a lightweight but powerful engine that gave serious performance without hurting agility; with the 340 in the line, the U-code 440 four-barrel was dropped. The 383 was detuned to 300hp and was only available with the R/T; and the 440 Six-Pack was now 5hp lower. The visible changes for were switching from a single tail lamp design in 1970 to two distinct lights in 1971; and using a new twin-inlet grille, painted silver on standard models and black on R/Ts, which also got fiberglass quarter-panel louvers. The slow-selling ragtop R/T was not available, but a few savvy buyers optioned 340 non-R/T hardtops and ragtops with the Go-Wing, Shaker, Rallye Gauge Cluster, and the side stripes that mimicked the R/T versions. The 1971 340 R/T, like 1970's A40 340 performance Challengers (often badged as R/Ts), had a tachometer with a higher redline than their big block brethren. By the same token, you could order a 340 R/T look-alike with a shaker and a go-wing, and most of the R/T paraphernalia, without the higher insurance premiums. The 1971 SE's back window grew to normal size. The Challenger Deputy, a low-cost version with fixed rear side glass and a 198 slant six, joined the base, SE, and R/T models.
