Photo: yasiddesign/Instagram
Nowadays, we take aerodynamic development for granted, even in non-performance vehicles, but, if we rewind to the stock car racing of the late 1960s-early 1970s, things were pretty different. For one, Chrysler engineer Larry Rathgeb, who was behind Dodge's NASCAR efforts during the era, took a serious gamble when switching the focus from sheer horsepower to airflow manipulation by introducing the Charger Daytona. Sadly, the legendary engineer recently passed away at the age of 90, following a battle with the coronavirus. But his legacy remains.
We're talking about efforts that saw racecar driver Buddy Baker hitting 200.447 mph on NASCAR's Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on March 24, 1970, which made for a closed course world record - alas, Rathgeb missed the 50th anniversary of the feat by just two days.
Now, you might wonder how the rendering we have here, which chops the Dodge Charger Daytona into post-modern form, is a tribute to said pioneer.
Well, Rathgeb did so much more than fit a super-sized wing and a nose cone to a racecar. He defied tradition, focusing on a result that would stand out. And this virtual build aims to gift the Dodge Charger Daytona with the kind of dynamic abilities that would allow it to run with new-age muscle car heroes, of which there are plenty to enjoy.
Unlike in the case of the 2020 Dodge Charger Daytona, which skips both the pointy front end and the massive wing due to pedestrian crash safety regulation, this remastered retro hero keeps the sharp nose, albeit while adding an air dam.
Its tracks have been enlarged and are now filled by much larger wheel shod in fatter tired, with the widebody take introduced here appearing to take the original design into consideration.
However, the most important transformation comes at the posterior of the muscle car. That's where the high-rise wing has made room for a "wraparound" unit, which meets a wickerbill hold in place by a pair of rods.
The eye candy comes from digital artist Yasid Oozeear, who is also a pioneer in his field of work, albeit with his renderings being guaranteed opinion splitters.
Now, you might wonder how the rendering we have here, which chops the Dodge Charger Daytona into post-modern form, is a tribute to said pioneer.
Well, Rathgeb did so much more than fit a super-sized wing and a nose cone to a racecar. He defied tradition, focusing on a result that would stand out. And this virtual build aims to gift the Dodge Charger Daytona with the kind of dynamic abilities that would allow it to run with new-age muscle car heroes, of which there are plenty to enjoy.
Unlike in the case of the 2020 Dodge Charger Daytona, which skips both the pointy front end and the massive wing due to pedestrian crash safety regulation, this remastered retro hero keeps the sharp nose, albeit while adding an air dam.
Its tracks have been enlarged and are now filled by much larger wheel shod in fatter tired, with the widebody take introduced here appearing to take the original design into consideration.
However, the most important transformation comes at the posterior of the muscle car. That's where the high-rise wing has made room for a "wraparound" unit, which meets a wickerbill hold in place by a pair of rods.
The eye candy comes from digital artist Yasid Oozeear, who is also a pioneer in his field of work, albeit with his renderings being guaranteed opinion splitters.
Google News