Dodge Daytona: Encyclopedia II - Dodge Daytona - 1960s

Dodge Daytona - 1960s

The 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona was a high performance, limited edition version of the Dodge Charger. It was produced in the summer of 1969 for the sole purpose of winning NASCAR races. And win it did: it won its first race out, the inaugural Talladega 500 in the fall, and with Bobby Isaac behind the wheel, captured the 1970 Grand National championship, NASCAR's highest honor.

Special body modifications included a 23" tall stabilizer wing on the rear deck, a flush rear backlight (rear window area), a special sheetmetal "nose cone" that replaced the traditional upright front grille, specific front fenders and hood that were modeled after the upcoming 1970 Charger, stainless steel A-pillar covers and fender mounted tire clearance/brake cooling scoops. The Daytona was built on the 1969 Charger's R/T trim specifications, meaning that it carried a heavy-duty suspension and brake setup and was equipped with a 440 Magnum engine as standard. Of special note to collectors is the optional 426 Hemi engine, which only 70 of the 503 Daytonas carried. It had a corporate cousin in the Plymouth Superbird.

Both are now rare and valuable collectibles, with 440-powered Daytonas reaching into six-figure territory and 426-engined cars passing the $300,000 mark.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "1960s", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki