1969 Charger Daytona

Considering the fact that Dodge actually lost $1,500 on every Daytona sold as a result of the special parts needed to build this unique muscle car, it's clear the company was putting a premium on performance in the late sixties.

Created with NASCAR racing in mind, the Daytona was originally planned for a 1970 debut, but the program was accelerated at the last minute, and the car was produced instead in the 1969 model year, and was built only that year. Only 503 of these cars were produced - just enough to qualify it for the NASCAR circuit.

The car was an instant hit with the buying public, however, as Dodge received over 1,200 orders for the 500 available cars in just three weeks. At the peak of the car's production, about 20 units were rolling out of the factory each day. Dodge, of course, didn't even try to meet demand. If it had, the company would have likely gone broke!

To this day, the Daytona ranks among the most popular muscle cars among collectors, both for its rarity and its unusual styling.

Oh yes, and for its performance. When equipped with a monster 426 Hemi under the hood (records show that somewhere between 32 and 70 Daytonas received that distinction, the rest getting a standard 375 hp 440 Magnum), the Daytona is easily one of the great performance cars of its time. Capable of generating some 425 hp, the Daytona 426 Hemi was clearly a racer - and guaranteed it would get your heart racing as well.

On the track, the Daytona was so revolutionary it brought about changes in NASCAR rules. What kind of racer was this car? In 1970, the Daytonas and the similar Plymouth Superbirds won 38 of 48 major NASCAR races!

The unique bullet nose, "bib" spoiler, flush-window fastback roof and the huge wing on the towering twin stabilizers made the Daytona the most aerodynamic car of its time. The improvements in the car's styling made it about 20 percent more aerodynamic than its competition on the track, giving it an advantage of about 500 yards per lap in races like the Daytona 500.

It's believed that about 350 Daytonas remain today, and their popularity with collectors continues to grow. Today, finding a top-condition Daytona that has survived is like finding a rare gem, but we did it, and we bring you a close-up look at these racing demons, on Episode 976106 of My Classic Car!