The Charger Daytona is a special homologation car for stock cars. One example of this is the expense involved in setting a qualifying record at Alabama International Motor Speedway in 1969. The original owner was also the first driver to broadcast live from the cockpit during a race. He also drove in 48 NASCAR races. For the average muscle car fan, a big-body Mopar’s sharp nose and big rear wing mean that a Plymouth Superbird is on the way. This fighting bird with wings is not Big Bird, even though it is yellow. Instead, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona is for sale on Bring a Trailer. This site is owned by Hearst Autos, the same company that owns Invoice-pricing. This Daytona can be driven on the road and has a long past. It became the first stock car to surpass 200 mph, outperforming Plymouth’s top attempts. Plymouth produced more Superbirds than Dodge-produced Chargers, allowing for a standardized aerodynamic package to be developed for high-speed circuit racing. The Daytona was made in a wind lab and had a coefficient of drag of 0.29, while the Bird had a coefficient of drag of 0.31. It might not seem like much, but a few extra miles per lap add up in a 500-mile race. This model was given to Don Tarr, a seasoned racer who participated in numerous NASCAR races between the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was his prize for setting a record at Alabama International Motor Speedway in 1969 while driving a 1967 Dodge Charger. Tarr was a fascinating guy. He was born in California and spent his childhood in Africa. After that, he came back to the US to study medicine. He quickly started circuit racing in Ford and Chevys after moving to Florida. In 1969, he started driving a Dodge. In the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, he came in sixth, which was the best place of his career. A gentleman driver in the middle of the pack, Tarr was very focused on putting big-bore power down those banked turns. This was amazing for someone who may have only raced as a hobby. During the 1970 Daytona race, he was the first driver to appear on ABC’s Wide World of Sports and talk from inside a car. He was an important part of his country community until he was in his early nineties and was known as a nice and skilled doctor. Dr. Tarr likely drove this car a lot well into his eighties. He kept it until 2016. The current owner has given it a minor makeover recently, which included replacing the connectors and wires to make it more modern. It looks very original. There is only one Charger like this in the world. It was shown at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega in the mid-1990s. But since it had 77K miles on it, it was driven instead of being parked. The 1969 factory report states that under its big yellow hood is a 440-cubic-inch V-8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, producing 375 horsepower. A three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission delivers power to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. There were only 500 Charger Daytonas produced, making them highly sought after today. This one comes from a great family because it was owned by a driver who knows how to control such a big beast at high speeds. The sale ends on June 25.
