Dodge Charger Daytona
Encyclopedia : D : DO : DOD : Dodge Charger Daytona
Dodge, an American automobile brand, has produced three separate vehicles with the name, Dodge Charger Daytona, all of which were modified Dodge Chargers. The name is taken from Daytona Beach, Florida, which was an early center for auto racing and still hosts the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR's premier events. The first use of the Daytona name on a car was the early 1960s Studebaker Lark. The Daytona was the performance model of the compact Lark.
1969
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.One of the famous aero-cars, its special body modifications included a 17 in 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.
1976-1978
The name was later used in the 1970s for a sporty submodel of the Dodge Charger (luxury versions were badged Charger SE). The 1976 to 1978 Dodge Charger Daytona was a tape/stripe package. Both versions shared the bodyshell of the Chrysler Cordoba.2006-present
When the Dodge Charger was reintroduced for 2006, Dodge released a limited production Dodge Charger Daytona package that includes a sportier interior, classic exterior colors, a rear spoiler, and rear quarter panel striping with "DAYTONA" letters. Beyond the aesthetics, the Daytona Charger adds 10 hp via a larger stock air intake and a single-pass muffler.See also
The other "aero cars" of 1967-1971 NASCAR:- Plymouth Superbird
- Ford Torino Talladega
- Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II
External links
- [Musclecar Club Daytona page-original]
- [Daytona/Superbird page]
- [link] Extensive history of the Charger Daytona development
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.