Happy people smiling with their prized automobile; what could make a better advertisement for the enthusiast hobby? Surprisingly, few people know that the year-appropriate gift for a 37th anniversary is “Rare Muscle Car.” Bob and Sharon, pictured above, celebrated their 37th with the purchase of this 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. Not just any Daytona, this Peebles, Ohio beauty is the only silver Daytona produced with a red wing and red interior. The four-speed manual transmission makes this 440-powered aerodynamic NASCAR-inspired special authentic for buyers who can’t picture racing legend Buddy Baker selecting “Drive” before leaving pit lane. The listing here on eBay asks $325,000 via Buy It Now or take a chance with the Make Offer button.
The 375 HP 440 cid (7.2L) V8 may lose out to the mighty 425 HP Hemi’ in power and cachet, but it gives up little in real-world performance. Of course “real-world driving” for a 1 of 1 car that costs more than an average house likely involves minimal horse play, but this winged beast was not built to be babied.
A gorgeous red interior makes the perfect contrast to the subdued silver paint. Very little of what you see here circled a NASCAR oval, but the wood grain, shiny trim, and brilliant red bring make one classy combination. At 87 words, the spartan listing asks over $3700 / word. I’ve provided more verbiage and pictures to sell a $2200 car. Some people have enough cash to flippantly click Buy It Now without validating this Daytona’s provenance, but more likely a sale of this magnitude wouldn’t truly be conducted on eBay, but only after a serious of phone calls, inspections, scrutiny of documents, validation of numbers, and other research.
If you see any flaws on this Dodge, be sure to speak up in the comments. The over-the-top aerodynamics rendered the street-legal Daytona and their Plymouth Superbird counterpart so effective at speed they were written out of the NASCAR rule book after the 1970 season, according to Wikipedia.
If you ever see this face in your rear-view mirror, you’re probably within 500 feet of a car show. Compared to most grilles of the late ’60s, the Daytona’s curved chisel-nose looks more like a space ship. Of the 543 Daytona models produced, Hemi cars command the highest prices, but this one-of-one color combination and the four-speed should bring a premium among the 440 cars. If cost was no object, what car would you buy to celebrate your milestone anniversary?
Nice car but another honey no one wanted it so I guess I will have to keep it price.
If I recall correctly, the 500+ Daytonas did see well, it was the Superbirds that no one wanted. Of the two, the Daytona was the looker, if you ask me. Neither is practical, though. Useless to drag race, added unneeded weight. Can’t use the aerodynamics on a public road. The front ends made steep roads and parking a real challenge, always scrapping. Too long to fit in most garages of the day. The headlamp mechanisms were vacuum operated and not reliable (at least on the bird) Insurance salesmen got pretty wild about what they wanted to charge as premiums for these. Plus, not able to get air conditioning, that has always been a needed one for this chubby boy. The only thing this had going for it over a similarly equipped Charger, was the snazzy looks, and that I did like. This particular car I think is truly beautiful, but way more than I would be willing to pay for it even if I had a winning Powerball ticket. I refuse to be part of the ridiculous increase in car values that are ruining the hobby I once loved.
It’s not that no one wanted the Superbird, it’s that NASCAR switched from mandating a production run of 500 up to one per dealer, which nearly quadrupled the number produced. Daytona’s and Superbirds were never meant to practical, they were made solely to meet minimum requirements necessary to be approved by the sanctioning body.
As for increases in prices ruining the hobby. That’s ridiculous, it’s never been easier for enthusiasts to find inexpensive desirable an interesting cars. The problem is many potential buyers are set on a specific “dream car” and are too inflexible to adjust to the market. Even when I was just out of high school in the early-80’s my “dream cars“ were out of reach financially. Me and most of my friends were smart enough to adjust our expectations to fit what was available and put in the effort to find cars we could enjoy that fit our budgets. Some friends never figured that out, they never adjusted their expectations nor put in the work to find cars they could live with. The only difference between then and now is there wasn’t a public platform they whine on, even if there was, they probably would have been ignored, unlike today.
Steve R
@SteveR, I disagree. The SBs remained, sometimes for years, unsold. They had to be deeply discounted to sell. I remember personally seeing more than one like this. AS far as prices, even you mist admit that the steep rise in prices is pure speculation, not love for the cars themselves. A little is supply of a wanted resource vs demand, but not all of the price bumps can be attributed to that. Seems to be just another example of modern day economics.
William, speculative buying is nothing new, it’s a red herring to try and tie it to “modern day economics”. This has been happening throughout history, I’m sure you’ve heard of Tulip Mania in Netherlands during the 1630’s, if not you might want to look it up. Like I’ve said many times, there are plenty of inexpensive desirable cars available for those that are work within what’s readily available and put in the effort to find them. Sometimes people take the hobby too seriously, it’s not a necessity, going without something you want isn’t the end of the world.
Steve R
@SteveR, Of course speculation is not new, but it is cyclic. We are in the trough of the wave for the average person. As with your tulip example, all of these have one thing in common, it is not the common people causing the disturbance, but often they end up paying some price down stream. The bump in prices for what ever is being speculated, be it a standard item, or a luxury, usually is from people who come from the less needy classes. Speculation is only possible if you have already more then you need, but want even more. Of course, no one needs a classic car, but because of speculation many average people will not be able to own one. And, what you say about there being plenty of great cars out there for all the rest of us, many will not see the value in a four door 1979 LTD or such. Even the nice 2 door models with standard powertrains have been speculated up too far for many because they end up being cloned. Again, owning an old car is not a needed item, no one will starve without one, but I find it sad that many people whom owned something in their youth will not be able to relive that memory in retirement like I have been able to do. But of course, that equation goes beyond just the ability to buy a fun second car, the economics of life for the average person have not been kind for the obvious reasons that we all know and sour on.
The ‘ridiculous prices’ are THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REASON’ that the car hobby has lasted. You may have heard of….Mecom? RM? Maybe ? Barrett Jackson? Sustaining for the REAL car people! So you can play from your porch swing or garage!
the deal here you guys don’t want it! you guys would rather go nuts over junk rust bucket gutless ford broncos so why whine bout why they didn’t sell ! who cares! not me! I drive what I like and could care less what every body thinks, so there
You can keep your money. Sleep with it. I will sleep in the back seat of my old 70 Chevelle that I gave too much money for back in 1975. Prices have gone up since then. I guess if you love or even like old cars, the cost doesn’t matter. They sure aren’t getting any more affordable.
Its for big buck collectors…..plenty of those in the country and world.
I have customers buy at these auction on tuesday , wednesday, thursday, sunday for prices lower than the market. And the beauty is there are 100’s of cars you can inspect at 1 place. They are regular guys with only 1 special interest car at a time too.
A gorgeous Daytona made entirely of unobtainium.
Unless you’re Jay Leno, Reggie Jackson, etc.
I would expect an NOS type battery & A/C at this price.
Odd box inside the glove compartment – fuse box?
Was 440-6 pack available?
The 440+6 wasn’t available in the Charger till 70. And I’m PRETTY sure A/C wasn’t available on the Charger R/T with the 4-speed.
AC not available as the front end cooling was already limited. I read that someone (some old lady if the rumor is true, but that is prob an urban legend, LOLs don’t buy Superbirds) had a dealer install air in one after purchase. Don’t think it would work, it would over heat.
Possibly the nicest, cleanest one out there? But gosh I was hoping for more. At this price, and age this one is not practical for most of us, better off in a fine museum for generations after us to enjoy. Just a beautiful near perfect example. $325K though? Ow!
Talk about a retirement fund!
Flawless!!! What an incredible prestigious machine…
SHWWWWIIIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!!!
Thirty seconds on Google will show the owner has a Dodge Jeep dealership and is a long time collector. Everyone that would have an interest in this car likely already knows about it.
Steve R
https://www.facebook.com/matslv/posts/bob-sharon-malcolms-ohio-super-bird-collection-for-sale/10155833688087874/ Hmm… this says “1 of 2” in that color combo.
Why sell these, esp if he is a probable wealthy man. Got a coke problem like DeLorean?
Really?
One 4-spd and one automatic.
“Bob purchased this Daytona on July 4th, 1996 for Sharon to celebrate their 37 years of marriage.” Seems like he bought it more for himself
The man’s a genius!
Why assume he bought it more for himself, Kevin? Don’t you think a woman would appreciate a vehicle like this? As the brother of three sisters who could out-drive most men, and in fact handled driving chores for family, plenty of women would lust after a vehicle like this.
I would drive this beauty.
sick car
A very superficial criticism – the white walls look totally out of whack on this beauty.
Agreed. Red Lines make all the sense on several levels on this one.
How fast (top speed) where the street legal SB and Daytona, like this car?
That would be dependent on the engine output and rear end gear ratio.
Steve R
I had a friend with a 70 Charger RT that I think had a 3.23 rear end and an automatic drive. He told me it would do 140. Not sure if he ever tested that theory, though. These cars had awful power steering, anything over 80 was scary, I really doubt you would/could d 140 or beyond. The aerodynamics might have helped even more, but again, not safe or fun.
Around 1998 Chrysler had a Mopar Day at MIS Speedway in late July or August. A guy shows up with 1970 Plymouth Super Bird yellow with Black Vinyl Top. He had in the driver side quarter window a car ad from 1970 , Ken Brown who was a car dealer in Downtown Detroit on East Jefferson advertising the Super Bird for $2995.00. Who would have known how history would turn out!!!!!!!!
A friend of a friend had one of these back in the ’80s. I think he paid less than one thousandth of the price of this one. LOL. Times change. I remember it because it was the most beautiful Daytona I’d ever seen. The guy bought it after it had been involved in a front end accident. He was having trouble finding the Daytona specific pieces, so to get it on the road he just used the regular ’69 Charger front end he found in a salvage yard. Not sure if he ever got the “correct” pieces he needed to restore it or not, but personally I thought it looked gorgeous just the way it was, even if today it would make the purists cringe.
More on the speculation, an dearth of inexpensive classics bit. I know they are not home-grown irons, but over there, (i’m in the UK), are not Volvo’s considered? If you take an early 240, fit the hpt engine from the later 940’s, you can have serious fun. Likewise, the PV544 B20 engines can be hopped up to quite decent horses, an that model, with it’s 50/50 weight distribution, can be really thrown around, especially on the dirt roads they were designed for. Good luck, an happy Christmas to you all. Mark.
The total irony of this car, and MANY other muscle cars from ‘back in the day’, is that they did NOT sell quickly off dealer lots. Many carried over into the next model year drawing dust on dealers’ lots!! We carried a couple of COPO Camaros and Chevelles into the fall of 1969 and the Ford dealer carried over Cobra Jets while the Chrysler dealers had Hemis sitting around. How things change!! Having said that this piece is SWEET!!
I remeber when my cousin and her husband moved back hear from Ohio.I don,t recall if it was a Dodge or Plymouth,but it was Richard Petty blue and he didn,t drive it much. He had lost his job in Ohio and came back to W.Va looking for work. He had 1–ONE payment left on the car. The bank came in and grabbed it because he did not notify the bank he was moving bank. They put the car in a junkyard for storeage and it was their for along time and what happened to it is any ones guess. Goes to show you how dirty banks can be.They could have waited 1 month for the final payment.
Banks are friends to the rich predators to everyone. Think about all of the homes they stole from 2008- 2013! Refused to help people thru the crash that they knew would end. Coulda just added the debt to the end of the loan? Nope took homes with 60%-90% equity and very low balances , held em and flipped em! A-hole ruthless pencil pushers!
Beautiful car ! Way beyond my means but its ok, I love my Cuda. 90% of people who lost their homes to foreclosure had little or no equity in them, not the banks fault. Also our congress forced the banks to loan money to people who could not afford the houses in the first place. I lost my job too but didn’t lose my house because I had money saved. Too many people live way beyond their means and have little or no money saved for a down cycle. Average credit card debt in US is 10K . Get ready, another downturn is coming soon. Probably why this guy is selling while the market is high.
@Paidoff House, I agree with what you said, but there is plenty of guilt to go around. First, people should have known better to get high risk interest only or adjustable rate mortgages. My Papa taught me well that you do not buy anything you can not afford. He made an exception for a mortgage (Not even cars to be on loans, and to this day most of my car buys were for cash, even the new ones) but even then you needed it to be a small percentage of your budget and you kept a large rainy day fund. He said it is bad for your family to be living on the edge. The bankers were guilty of selling them for a profit, as well as the many middle men who kept reselling them. Then the hedge fund people who bundled these and lied about them being AAA quality and then bet against them. Lastly, the corrupt government that bailed out the big boys who were a big part of the problem and did nothing to repent, yet did not help out littler people. But I fully agree that this guy is selling now, getting out while the getting is good. The bubble has got to burst, what else can it do?
I wish I would have liked these far enough back to buy and keep one. I’d be able to trade it for now for a ’67 Shelby GT500 or something else. I can see why this would be a tough sell when other Chargers look better without that ill fitting slapped on nose. Wonder how the original Charger designer felt about this conversion?
Hey let’s start posting 300 SL Gullwing Mercedes too so we can see other unaffordable cars on this site.
I’ve always heard these overheated like a Mofopar!
IMHO and I am a mopar man this is THE ugliest car ever made.
Most of you guys r missing the point.Who cares if he is a car dealer,whom he bought it for.He is more than likely a gear head at HEART! Shoot at the very least just enjoy lookin at a beautiful piece of history! If i want to hear guys run a person & their i guess i will join facebook! Every one stay safe & Happy Holidays!
So it had a “full 100k restoration” in ’96… so much for it being original…
It’s apples and oranges comparing street to all-out racing, but it’s worth noting that the aero setup was functional and not some marketing fluff. These cars set oval lap records around 200 MPH i.e. well over 200 in the straights. https://www.allpar.com/threads/engage-the-story-of-the-200-mph-dodge-charger-daytona.229210/
I guess this is a dream car for some. 325,000 for a B body Chrysler that isn’t even a Hemi. I remember when these were a ridiculous used car for the street and prices of 1500 to 2500. I’d take that 325K and buy ten cars and each one would be more interesting and enjoyable to me. Lets see… an mgtc, a 240Z, a first gen Bronco, a 63 Polara 2 door sedan, a twin stick rambler, a Corvair Monza, a Bullet Bird Convertible, a new loaded Ford F-350 Crew Cab and I’m still not to 325K.
I was ready to click the buy it now button, then saw how the hood and nose fit, guess I’ll keep looking ;)
This is how almost all of these fit from the factory. It looks like you will never be the owner of a Dodge Daytona, if perfection is your goal. Actually, you will probably never own or enjoy a 50 year old car. Your money is safe from now on.
@454RAT, I do believe @Mike was being facetious.
One could buy a beater charger that needs a nose & fit all of these
http://aarqualityfiberglass.com/product/kit-dodge-daytona/
especially if 1 was a mopar body shop guy.
Then as Confucius would say: Please to excuse me, many time.