Dodge Charger Daytona
NASCAR in 1969 stipulated that any car raced in their series had to be available for sale and must build a minimum of five for the general public. Since the charger 500 was not fast enough, Dodge came back in the wind tunnel and created one of the most outrageous and most sought after Chargers, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.
The Daytona used a pointed nose piece that added 18 inches in front of the car. This gave the car the aerodynamic loads that engineers were looking for, but the rear still tended to lift at speed. To solve this problem, we mounted a large wing on the trunklid that would give the Charger Daytona and its sister car, the Plymouth SUPERBIRD 1970, the nickname of "wing cars". The wing was 23 inches in height and the trunk could be opened without hitting the bottom of the wing. Slightly modified fenders and a hood of the upcoming 1970 Charger were used at Daytona. Rear facing scoops were added to the front fenders, right above the tires, which mimicked their NASCAR brethren. But while it looks cool it does not add any aerodynamic adavantage. Only used to help with tire rub.
Charger Daytona only 503 were built with either 440 Magnum or 426 Hemi power. Daytona all wore red, black, white or striped Bumble carrying the name "Daytona" in the middle of the band. The wings were painted the same color as the stripes. The "wing cars" would be so fast and dominating effectively illegal for the NASCAR 1971 season, according to a new regulation was introduced that restricted all "aero" cars to a maximum engine displacement of 5.0 L (305 in ³), down from the previous 7.0 L (429 in ³).
NASCAR in 1969 stipulated that any car raced in their series had to be available for sale and must build a minimum of five for the general public. Since the charger 500 was not fast enough, Dodge came back in the wind tunnel and created one of the most outrageous and most sought after Chargers, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona.
The Daytona used a pointed nose piece that added 18 inches in front of the car. This gave the car the aerodynamic loads that engineers were looking for, but the rear still tended to lift at speed. To solve this problem, we mounted a large wing on the trunklid that would give the Charger Daytona and its sister car, the Plymouth SUPERBIRD 1970, the nickname of "wing cars". The wing was 23 inches in height and the trunk could be opened without hitting the bottom of the wing. Slightly modified fenders and a hood of the upcoming 1970 Charger were used at Daytona. Rear facing scoops were added to the front fenders, right above the tires, which mimicked their NASCAR brethren. But while it looks cool it does not add any aerodynamic adavantage. Only used to help with tire rub.
Charger Daytona only 503 were built with either 440 Magnum or 426 Hemi power. Daytona all wore red, black, white or striped Bumble carrying the name "Daytona" in the middle of the band. The wings were painted the same color as the stripes. The "wing cars" would be so fast and dominating effectively illegal for the NASCAR 1971 season, according to a new regulation was introduced that restricted all "aero" cars to a maximum engine displacement of 5.0 L (305 in ³), down from the previous 7.0 L (429 in ³).