One of two famous "winged warriors," the Dodge Charger Daytona was introduced in 1969 as a homologation car for the NASCAR series. With only 503 units built for just one model year, the Charger Daytona is now a valuable and sought-after classic. And like many cars that are expensive to get, the Daytona has been replicated in many forms.
This clone based on a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T is one of the better-looking replicas. I'd dare say it's among the best I've seen so far because you can hardly tell it's not an original Daytona.
Sure, Mopar gearheads will immediately spot the tunneled rear window, the "R/T" badges on the front fenders, and the different yellow hue, but let's face it, this Daytona would blend in with its original siblings. And both the nose cone and the massive rear wing appear to be true to the full-fledged Charger Daytona.
What about the yellow paint, you ask? Well, this Charger was a Hemi Orange car from the factory, but it was refinished in a color called Rally Yellow. According to the owner, this hue was taken from the color palette that British automaker MG used in 2008. Granted, it's a bit different than the yellow paint used by Dodge back in the day, but it's flashy enough for the Daytona's radical exterior.
The car's interior looks just as good and still sports the original "houndstooth" seat upholstery. On top of that, it comes with a new carpet, new door panels, and a new dash pad. It's also been upgraded with a Sony audio system with a CD player and Bluetooth capability.
This clone is very similar to an original Daytona under the hood too. This R/T came with a 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 under the hood, which was almost identical to the mill offered in the Charger Daytona. The numbers-matching unit was recently rebuilt and sports a long list of new and upgraded components.
Thanks to a 0.040-inch overbore, high-lift camshaft, Holley carb, and MSD distributor, it now cranks out 437 horsepower. That's 47 horses more than a Daytona fitted with the 440 V8 and 12 horsepower more than its rare Hemi-powered sibling. And it hasn't been driven much since the rebuild. While the odometer shows 59,821 miles (96,273 km), the V8 has only about 60 miles (97 km) on it. As you'd expect, there are no issues or leaks to worry about.
Offered with a clean Florida title, this Daytona close is being auctioned off as we speak on Hemmings. The bidding has reached $45,000 with nine days to go, but the reserve hasn't been met.
Yes, I know a replica will never be as desirable as the original, no matter how good it looks and drives, but it will never be as expensive either. This close will probably go for less than $100,000, which is just a fraction of the price of an original Daytona. For reference, 440-equipped cars usually change hands for more than $250,000, while Hemi-powered examples go for more than $600,000.
All told, do you think this replica is worthy of the Daytona name? Let me know in the comments section below.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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