The Legendary 1969 Dodge Charger 500 And 1969 Dodge Daytona

Greg Zyla
Q: Can you please tell me about the legendary 1969 Dodge Charger 500 and how it grew into the 1969 Dodge Daytona with the big wing on back and aero front end? Thanks much, and keep these columns coming. Al Miles, Chicago, IL

A: Al, I'd be glad to. Specifically, the 1969 Charger 500 was purposely built to compete on the NASCAR tracks and go after the Ford and Mercury domination. Dodge designers decided it was time to strike back aerodynamically and make several changes. They took the 1969 Charger, added a straight rear window along with a  new grille to improve downforce on the superspeedways.
This all leads us directly to the unbelievable 1969 Dodge Daytona and 1970 Plymouth Superbird, the "grand daddies" of them all when it comes to aero and actual public availability. Instead of a grille change and a rear window upgrade, Dodge (and later Plymouth) went full-bore-forward by adding an 18-inch long nose extension and a 23-inch tall rear wing, all of which were tested at Lockheed-Martin's wind tunnel in Georgia. The wing, by the way, was bolted directly into the rear subframe so it would hold up at speeds in excess of 200mph. Chrysler also admits that the rear facing hood "scoops" were necessary for tire clearance, but actually reduced drag by three-percent. Combined with the front nose and rear wing, this setup gave MOPAR the slipstream and downforce needed to defeat the Fords and Mercurys. . .and boy did it!
Notable, too, was NASCAR's "public availability" rule that was way different in 1969 and 1970 than it was in 1963, when Chevy introduced its famous "Mystery 427" engine that required only 50 to be built.
Unlike 1969, with a rule of 500 units, NASCAR demanded in 1970 that any vehicle raced on its tracks had to be available on a "one-car-per-every-two-dealerships" formula. The Dodge Daytona snuck by with the 500 unit rule as it was introduced in 1969, but sibling Plymouth Superbird, released in early 1970, had to build 1,920 Superbirds based on dealer locations. Although not verified, it is said Plymouth built near 2,800 Superbirds, much to the public's delight. 
In contrast, only 503 Charger Daytonas were ever built, with 433 coming in street version 440 Magnum trim. The pro race teams and some lucky car collectors gobbled up the other 70 Hemi Daytonas.  
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