1969 Dodge Daytona

By Jay Hirsch

For those not familiar with the Dodge Daytona and its cousin the Plymouth Superbird of 1969-70, you are now looking at one. It is not a “custom car” that someone made in their garage. These two cars emerged at the tail end (no pun intended) of the muscle car era.

The mid-1960s ushered in the short-lived muscle-car era. It began when Pontiac dropped their big 389 V-8 under the hood of a 1964 Tempest. This combination of a potent, high-performance engine in a relatively light body had the net result of a fast, inexpensive cruiser.

By the end of the decade, all American car companies had their own version of the Muscle Car. Even American Motors got into the act with their Rebel Machine, AMX and the Javelin.   

Not to be outdone by anyone, Chrysler brought out the outrageous Daytona and Superbird in 1969. The Daytona was basically a full-blown NASCAR race car, straight from the factory at about $3,700.  This was a time period when a NASCAR qualified race car had to be a factory-built car available to the public. Dodge built 1,000 Daytona’s for public consumption.

That front bumper of the car, which is designed for slicing though the wind, is 17 inches long and all metal. The roof-high spoiler is designed to keep the car on track in the straight and narrow at speeds reaching 200 mph.

There were two adjustment screws at either side of the wing, which enabled a technician to alter the downward flow of air current on the car. Just the tiniest turning upward or downward would have a tremendous effect at speeds of 130 mph and above.

The Daytona came in colors to match its character. There was Hemi Orange which is not a true orange but more of an orangey-red, almost like the sun about ten minutes before sunset on a clear day with just a little moisture in the air, giving off a reddish-orange glow. Then there was Plumb Crazy Purple, which was a deep, bright Crayola purple, a bright lime-green, a yellow and plain white. Unlike the Superbird, the Daytona did not have a vinyl roof. The car was all one color of metal from top to bottom

The only transmission available was the three-speed automatic Torque Flite. The manual transmission could not handle the tremendous torque that the engine put out. The interior of the Daytona was a little plusher than the Superbird. There was a choice of fabric and colors for the seats, which also had more cushioning than the Superbird. Air conditioning was not available, for it would add weight and cut down on performance — after all this is a performance car. The powerful sound of this engine was emitted out its rear dual exhaust. To stop the car, heavy-duty, manually-adjusted brakes were used.

In addition to the Magnum 440 used on the Daytona, there was the rare and very potent 426 Hemi with hydraulic valve lifters, 2-4 bbl Carter carburetors, putting out 425 hp @ 5,600 rpm. This engine option added about $800 to the cost of the Daytona.

In an era when “awesome engines” were the rule, the 426 Hemi ruled the kingdom.  History has passed judgement on the Street Hemi, making it the most desirable, awesome and sought-after muscle car engine made.

As for handling, the Daytona, with its wide, low profile 15-inch tires, is not as much of a barge as one may think. Given its almost two tons of iron and long overhang, the car is not one to take hairpin curves at high speeds. Otherwise it handles and rides like a big cruiser that is perfectly at home on a NASCAR straightaway. The car is just a hairline more comfortable to ride in than the Superbird, which in this case is the difference of night and day.

The Daytona was not an expensive car, but at the same time it was not inexpensive.  In the $4,000 price range there were many cars available that were more practical for everyday or weekend driving. With its long slanted nose, there was little bumper protection if a car was backing up and the Daytona was behind it. The driver backing up would see the hood of the Daytona and not the long slanted nose, until there was a crunching sound of metal. 

Going down the highway there was the problem of visibility. The Daytona did not blend into the woodwork. Even at speed limits it was a magnet for the “cherry tops.” Then there was the added insurance coverage, as most car insurers at the time did not like highly-visible, high-speed performance cars as potential clients. By 1970 many of the Daytonas and Superbirds were being discounted at dealerships. This was a young guy’s car, and in the real world, not too many young guys had $4,000 to fork over for a limited-use, high-profile-vehicle.

This Daytona has undergone a complete restoration by its owner. A few times a year he takes the car to local a racetrack at MoPar events and “opens it up”; he has had the car clocked at 174 mph. The tires on the car are not the ones he uses on the track.

In June 2008 the Daytona was invited to the Greenwich Concours where there were other muscle cars of bygone days — a 1931 Duesenberg and 1937 Supercharged  Cord. Not bad company for a car that at one time was a magnet for cherry tops.

In 1973 and 1974 oil became a political football. The time period has been named “the first oil embargo.” There were drastic increases in the price of gasoline, limited supplies and long lines at gas pumps. In some areas of the country people were lining up for hours to get gas. 

This had a dramatic effect on the popularity and sales of muscle and big-engined cars, with the net result of the cars becoming less desirable.

Today muscle cars, and the Daytona in particular, are highly prized icons of an era when the word muscle was synonymous with big engines…not steroids.