Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

Clone Racer: 1973 Dodge Charger

If you’re OK with not owning the genuine article of a pricey car, replicas can be a good way to go. Personally, I’d have zero issues driving a Beck 550 Spyder kit, but some folks only like the real-deal. This Dodge Charger is somewhere in between, as it wasn’t built as a kit car but it wears the iconic nose and wing of a Charger Daytona – but it surely is not the real thing. Check out this 1970 model here on eBay where bidding is up to $5,700.

Now, the history of this Charger is going to be hard to pin down, but the car has been tubed and the rear end narrowed, which is a pretty good indication of a drag car past. It looks fairly forlorn in these photos, but it does come with a 440 and 727 automatic transmission. The mill isn’t hooked up at the moment, so there’s still plenty of work to do – but right now, this appears to be a good value in just the parts.

Someone clearly got crazy with a bucket of red paint, but if it was just meant to be a loud, fast drag car, I doubt the details were of much concern. The seller does allude to the presence of rust, so perhaps its Florida location indicates it sat somewhere wet and salty for a period of time. The roll cage is another clue to a history that involved some level of amateur competition, but I don’t see any trophies in the trunk. You’ll also need to source some seats before you go racing.

There it is – the wing everybody recognizes but few can afford. Well, until now, at least. Even the painted stripe helps close the divide between real and fake. This Charger likely fools a few folks when it’s just passing by in traffic, but you’ll never have to worry about taking out an assigned value collector car insurance policy in the six-figure range. Could the nose and wing find their way onto a more accurate replica, or is this Charger best used as a donor for its engine and transmission?

Comments

  1. Avatar Blyndgesser

    That’s a 1968-70 body, not the 1971-74.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Scot Douglas

    Not for me. That car has far too many problems. One being a reasonable line between the transmission and rear end. :D

    Like 0
  3. Avatar gord

    check out the welded torsion bar, driver side on one of the underside pix!! that would be like welding part of a spring to a coil suspension!!

    wonder if they have the correct bracing in the trunk
    had a wing once, true wing, but sold it as project never came together… this appears to be a real wing since 3 pieces not one like the fibreglass ones

    wing alone would set you back at least 3-4k i would expect probably more

    Like 0
    • Avatar whippeteer

      The seller states that the wing is fiberglass.

      Like 0
  4. Avatar sir mike

    Well other than being ugly lose the nose and wing and make it a Charger again.Somebody looking for a pro-street project has a good start with this.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Dave Member

    Although…a winged ’73 would be at the least, interesting…

    Like 0
  6. Avatar JW

    I’m with sir mike on this one, lose the ugly nose and sell the wing then put it back as a drag car Charger.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Jeffro

    I wonder what rust lurks under the red paint?

    Like 0
  8. Avatar rando

    Looks like it was going to be ProStreet. And that fad passed pretty much. Looks like the wheelbase is off a tad and like someone else said, the line between the trans and rear may be off? There is a crossmember that looks like it is in the way.

    OTOH, I had a customer that built a clone/tribute back around 2000. He never tried to claim it was real and would tell you up front it wasn’t, if you couldn’t spot the differences (tunnel back window was the big giveaway). He used it for charity events and fun stuff. It always drew a crowd. When he would be parked in front of my shop, folks would stop in. Always. Or come by a few days later to see who was there with a Daytona. He also had an ADAM 12 tribute and seems like a couple other things. Nice guy. Fun to talk to.

    This car could be a real attention getter.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Toddjim

      My vote is sky blue with the big “43”

      Like 0
    • Avatar Skloon

      I have seen using Vega hatches to mimic the back window used

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Cubs win

    I say roll with it. It’s cool and most of its there.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Doug Towsley

    Thad and Rando get big thumbs up, I say roll with it and build a cool tribute car such as the links Thad posted. As noted, it WILL turn heads and be fun, There was a local restaurant with a motorsports theme that built a big pile of rocks and on top of it was the empty shell of a Dukes of Hazzard General Lee on a 4×4 chassis. People would come from all over to get their pictures taken in front of it. Slap a paint job on it, and put it on the roof of a business and you be a landmark for sure!

    Not an unheard of concept,, Here in Portland, back in the day and entrepreneur bought a war surplus B17 Bomber, flew it to Portland and had it mounted in his parking lot and put gas pumps under it. Also a restaurant. (He even got the 50 cal guns allegedly and I saw a picture of them in storage once) Known as
    “The Bomber” Still a landmark today!
    Great read! : http://www.thebomber.com/history/

    Like 0
    • Avatar Thad

      The 71 Wing Cars were at the MCACN’s this past November and they look INCREDIBLE in person (especially the Superbird). The Bomber is really similar to The Bunker in Waterford WI.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Gus

        There is a Dukes of Hazzard car on taverns roof in Allens Grove, WI
        not far from Waterford.

        Like 0
  11. Avatar MARK BOYCE

    Back window correct look

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Doug Towsley

    Auction ended early, Somebody made him an offer he couldnt live without. I would love to know what it sold for. We stored a mid sixtys factory racer Mopar here for a year for a friend who was in a divorce. We had to tarp it and hide it behind our house because despite being in the Boonies,, we had a regular slew of visitors wanting to buy it.
    My buddy kid has a charger Mopar I think it is,, He has a small house in the city and had thwarted multiple attempts at it being stolen. He went to the store one day with it in his driveway. Normally he has it blocked in with other vehicles.
    He came home, was only gone 20 min, and a guy had already backed a tow truck up and was hooking on. Only because of multiple witnesses was the guy allowed to leave with his life,, Old vintage cool mopars are gold, even a shell of a car like this is a license to print money.
    If anyone finds out what it sold for I am sure many would appreciate knowing.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Thad

    Hey Gus, I’ve been to the Boar’s Nest in Darien (Allens Grove). I love that place!

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Wayne S.K.

    The nose on that thing is uglier than something I woke up next to one time after a night of debauchery…

    Like 0
    • Avatar RoadDog

      It would be right at home in the next Mad Max sequel!

      Like 0

Leave a Reply to Doug Towsley Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.