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What’s Better Than Owning a ‘69 Charger Daytona? That’s Right, Owning Two of Them!

When I saw these auctions, I couldn’t make up my mind about which one to choose. Obviously, I went for both of them, because who wouldn’t want two '69 Chargers Daytona in their garage? I imagine standing next to them and actually having to pick just one to go grocery shopping would take quite a while.
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona 8 photos
Photo: Mecum Website
1969 Dodge Charger Daytona1969 Dodge Charger Daytona1969 Dodge Charger Daytona1969 Dodge Charger Daytona1969 Dodge Charger Daytona1969 Dodge Charger Daytona1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
The Charger Daytona came into existence out of necessity. Chrysler wasn’t doing all that well on the NASCAR front and had its engineers come up with a solution. And oh, boy did they deliver.

The Charger Daytona featured a 2’ (610 mm) high rear wing fitted on the trunk, which turned a couple of heads, no doubt.

Another design element that also attracted crowds was the front steel cone. But it wasn’t just for show. It made the car more aerodynamic, and it prevented the nose from lifting off the ground when it went at NASCAR speeds.

In fact, it was so well-made by Chrysler’s engineers, that on March 24, 1970, at the Talladega Super Speedway, it was the first car ever to officially break the NASCAR speed barrier of 200 mph (322 kph).

For obvious reasons, the street versions didn’t have the same NASCAR specs, but they came in two variants.

A standard option with a 440-ci (7.2-liter) Magnum V8, and one with an upgraded 426-ci (7.0-liter) Hemi engine. Both of our subjects of the day come in the standard 440-ci (7.2-liter) V8 specification. Which is no slowpoke to begin with.

The Omaha Orange Charger Daytona only had three owners, according to the auction’s description, and went through a concours restoration, meaning it has all or almost all of its original parts. Which is exactly what you’d expect from such a classic.

It has a manual four-speed transmission and, back in the day, its V8 used to output 375 horsepower (380 ps) with 482 lb-ft (654 Nm) of torque. The odometer says it has 81,019 miles (130,387 km) on it.

The red Daytona, on the other hand, comes with the same engine, but this one is coupled to an three-speed automatic transmission. It also went through a thorough restoration process, but the website doesn’t mention if it came close to a concourse standard or not. The odometer displays 49,804 miles (80,151 km).

While there is no price mentioned, there have been cases where a winged warrior was auctioned off for no less than $1.32 million.
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About the author: Codrin Spiridon
Codrin Spiridon profile photo

Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive).
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