As a product of NASCAR’s “aero wars”, the Dodge Charger Daytona is considered one of the greatest muscle cars ever. The famed “winged warrior” would roll onto the starting grid at the inaugural Talladega 500, despite a boycott of the series top drivers due to unsafe tire failures. The Daytona would take the checkered flag that day, although most of the field was made up of fillers from another series.
It would later go on to break the 200 mph (322 km/h) mark, on March 24th, 1970, at Talladega with Buddy Baker behind the wheel. The car would win two races in 1969 and another four in 1970, for a total of six. Charger Daytonas also won a number of USAC and ARCA races and set numerous race and pole records.
In order to meet homologation, Dodge needed to build at least 500 units for the street in order to get the car on the track. Dodge delivered 503 units to dealers (that number is sometimes disputed, but Dodge official says 503 is the number of units produced) in 1969, the car’s only production year.
This beautiful one-owner Bright Green (F6) 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, went up for auction at the Mecum Dallas event yesterday. The car was originally purchased new at Florissant Dodge, Inc. in the Greater St. Louis area.
Kept in long-term storage by the original owner until 2001, the car was brought out to be restored. The restoration was completed the following year, and the body was media-blasted and refreshed in its original color.
Under the hood of this particular car, was the standard 7.2-liter (440 cubic-inch) MAGNUM V8 delivering 375 horsepower (280 kW) and 480 lb.-ft. (650 N⋅m) of torque. In Daytona form, it was paired with the robust 3-speed A727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
Included in the purchase are the original window sticker, invoice, and broadcast sheet. The documents allow us to take a deeper look at the car’s options list.
- (C6W) – Dodge Charger – 2-Door Hardtop – Charger Daytona – $3993.00
- Bucket Seats
- Vinyl Trim
- Front Air Foam Seat Cushion
- Electric Clock
- Rear Bumper Guard
- Heavy-Duty Rear Springs
- Heavy-Duty Torsion Bars
- Sway Bar
- Heavy-Duty Shock Absorbers
- Heavy-Duty Drum Brakes
- Heavy-Duty Battery
- Red Streak Tires
- Daytona “Bumble Bee” Stripes
- (A36) – Performance Axle Package – $92.25
- 3.55 Axle Ratio
- Sure Grip Differential
- (B41) – Disc Brakes – Front – $48.70
- (B51) – Power Brakes – $42.95
- (C16) – Console – $54.45
- (D34) – TorqueFlite Transmission – N/C
- (D56) – 3.55 Axle Ratio – N/C
- (E86) – 440 CID Engine, 4-BBL MAGNUM – N/C
- (G33) – Left Side Remote Control Mirror – $10.45
- (J25) – Windshield Wipers – 3-Speed – $5.40
- (J46) – Locking Gas Cap – $4.40
- (N85) – Tachometer – with Clock – $50.15
- (R11) – Music Master AM Radio – $61.55
- (S77) – Power Steering – $100.00
- (S81) – Steering Wheel – Sport Type – $26.75
- (V88) – Delete Stripe – N/C
- (W21) – Chrome Stamped Road Wheels & Trim Rings – $86.15
- (Y39) – Special Order – N/C
- (T83) – Tires F7OX14 Red Streak Tires – N/C
Sub-Total – $4,576.20 + $62.00 for Destination Charges = $4,638.20
Considering inflation throughout the years, that $4,638.20 would be equal to $37,443.80 today. Considering the median income of American families in 1969 was around $9,400, the Charger Daytona was far from an affordable automobile at the time.
When the car crossed the auction block, it ended up fetching $418,000 in total. A pretty good return from its original $4,638.20 price.
To see more photos, you can visit the dedicated Mecum page for the car. You can also check out when the car crossed the auction block in the video at the top of the page.
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