Both Chrysler's Dodge and Plymouth divisions already had a race-proven engine in the 426-cubic-inch "Hemi". What was needed was a more streamlined street car to homologate for racing.
The decision was made to make the Dodge Charger more competitive by moving the grille flush with the front bodywork and altering the angle of the rear window so that it followed the contour of the roof line, all in an effort to reduce drag and gain precious speed.
Initially, 500 of these cars, dubbed the Charger Daytona 500, were produced for public consumption, all in accordance with the homologation rules. On the track, the cars were faster than the stock-bodied versions, but proved unstable at high speeds. It was back to the drawing board and into the wind tunnel.
What the Charger actually needed was more downforce to keep it glued to the track. The radical solution was to add a pointy 18-inch (45-centimetre) extension to the nose plus a giant stabilizer wing mounted above the rear deck. Outrageous, of course, but very effective and entirely within the letter, if not the spirit, of NASCAR regulations.
Nearly all 505 of the radically altered winged Charger Daytona models (the "500" designation was dropped) built for public consumption arrived with 375-horsepower 440-cubic-inch V8s, while a handful came with the 425-horse Hemi that was capable of launching the 4,000-plus-pound (1,800-kilogram) car to 60 m.p.h. (96 km-h) in about six seconds.
The Daytona was no drag-racer, but in "superspeedway" trim, the monstrous looking Charger proved its worth on NASCAR's faster oval tracks, winning 80-per-cent of the races in which it competed, including
the season opener Daytona 500. However, Dodge failed to achieve as many victories as Ford due to the predominance of short tracks on the NASCAR schedule where the aero-body offered no real advantage.
Following the 1969 season, Chrysler moved the program to its Plymouth division (SuperBird), which carried on for another year with considerable success until NASCAR, fearing a field of mutant models running around its race venues, legislated the cars out of existence.
Each of the 500 or so private-citizen Charger Daytona buyers probably endured much derisive laughter for making such a seemingly imprudent purchase. Today, though, the highly sought-after Daytona basks in the aura of its own lore and legend, a remnant of headier times when NASCAR's competitors literally ran amuck.
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| 1969 Dodge Charger (Photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
Initially, 500 of these cars, dubbed the Charger Daytona 500, were produced for public consumption, all in accordance with the homologation rules. On the track, the cars were faster than the stock-bodied versions, but proved unstable at high speeds. It was back to the drawing board and into the wind tunnel.
What the Charger actually needed was more downforce to keep it glued to the track. The radical solution was to add a pointy 18-inch (45-centimetre) extension to the nose plus a giant stabilizer wing mounted above the rear deck. Outrageous, of course, but very effective and entirely within the letter, if not the spirit, of NASCAR regulations.
Nearly all 505 of the radically altered winged Charger Daytona models (the "500" designation was dropped) built for public consumption arrived with 375-horsepower 440-cubic-inch V8s, while a handful came with the 425-horse Hemi that was capable of launching the 4,000-plus-pound (1,800-kilogram) car to 60 m.p.h. (96 km-h) in about six seconds.
The Daytona was no drag-racer, but in "superspeedway" trim, the monstrous looking Charger proved its worth on NASCAR's faster oval tracks, winning 80-per-cent of the races in which it competed, including
 |
| 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona (Photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
Following the 1969 season, Chrysler moved the program to its Plymouth division (SuperBird), which carried on for another year with considerable success until NASCAR, fearing a field of mutant models running around its race venues, legislated the cars out of existence.
Each of the 500 or so private-citizen Charger Daytona buyers probably endured much derisive laughter for making such a seemingly imprudent purchase. Today, though, the highly sought-after Daytona basks in the aura of its own lore and legend, a remnant of headier times when NASCAR's competitors literally ran amuck.
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