Dodge Charger Daytona #6 at the 1970 New York Auto Show, April 4-12th.

[odcics2]

A few weeks ago a I received a nondescript envelope in the mail from my good friend in New York, Steven Juliano.
Inside it contained a vintage photo of AMX/3, and in the background, a 69 Daytona!!
Photo was taken at the 1970 New York Auto Show, held April 4th to 12th.
Found the July, 1970 issue of Car Life that contained an article on the event.
Guess what?  In one photo of AMX/3, the upper left hand corner shows a tire and wing stripe.

All these years, the #6 Baker Show Car that Chrysler paid Cotton Owens to make for them,
has been archived in this magazine. Oddly enough, the New York Show was on at the same time
the Alabama 500 was running.  

Well regarded Stock Car Racing Magazine covered the event and the fastest lap recorded during the race was achieved by
Lee Roy Yarborough, hitting 199.1, leading a draft.  Buddy Baker pushed a real Owens race Daytona to an actual recorded
lap of 198.   These are both great speeds, since the cars had no side glass!

[Aero426]

Gotta love the locking gas cap on a real NASCAR racer.   

[LilRedDave]

Here is the car that was at the Alabama 500. 

[odcics2]

Notice the flair on the actual race car versus the show car in New York.
Race car tire is cambered out, show car is not.

[Aero426]

Don't forget that Andy Agosta, the man who took care of the show car in 1970 said that when it was not on display, the car was in storage as part of the exhibit inventory.     The show car is clearly the one that exists today.    At the time of it being displayed, it was the property of Chrysler Corp.   It was probably still Chrysler's property when it was placed in the Darlington museum. 

[LilRedDave]

The 500 that Sam Posey ran for Cotton at Riverside in '70.

[LilRedDave]

'69 World 600 at Charlotte.

[LilRedDave]

'69 National 500 at Charlotte.

[LilRedDave]

'69 Fall Rockingham.

[LilRedDave]

Have you ever had a good look at the chassis on the show car?

[nascarxx29]

In color

[Mopar John]

So now we know there was a show Daytona and race Daytona at the same point in time!
There are differances in these pictures that should help prove which one remains today?
MJ

[nascarxx29]

there was a long post with cotton owens son and doug s  .Deated details over the car

[Old Moparz]

Too bad I was only 7 years old at the time because I was at the NY Auto Show with my Dad. I probably saw both cars & thought they were great, but I didn't own a cell phone with a camera back then. 

We lived in NYC until 1971 & later moved just across the river into NJ & went to this show as well as the custom car show every year from around 1968 until maybe 1975.

[odcics2]

Too bad I was only 7 years old at the time because I was at the NY Auto Show with my Dad. I probably saw both cars & thought they were great, but I didn't own a cell phone with a camera back then.  

We lived in NYC until 1971 & later moved just across the river into NJ & went to this show as well as the custom car show every year from around 1968 until maybe 1975.

Was the 1970 NY show at the old Coliseum?    

[Redbird]

Yes it was at the old Coliseum Building at Columbus Circle, where the Time-CNN (or Time-Warner-whatever they call it today) is now. The old Coliseum Building at Columbus Circle was an awful building to be a pedestrian at street level walking next to it.

[odcics2]

Have you ever had a good look at the chassis on the show car?

Yes. Pics are online, trying to sell the car.  

Compare photo from today to the vintage 1970 photo.
Look at the aluminum piece on the bumper. Rivets are exact.
Rear window straps are exact, like 1970 photo. 

Those pieces are like finger prints, no two exactly alike.

[wingcar builder]

they should have at least left it all original instead of restoring it all wrong. 

[Highbanked Hauler]

they should have at least left it all original instead of restoring it all wrong. 

   You got that right !!!!! Some spots look like they sprayed bed liner on it to cover something.

[odcics2]

 Look at the drilled brake drum at the 1970 Riverside January race.

Last road course Cotton ran. 

Now look at the drum on the #6 Showcar Daytona when he was working on it, freshly pulled out of the Darlington Museum.


Appears that the #6 Dodge at the Riverside 500 in Jan. 1970, was converted to a Daytona right after, and put on the show circuit by Chrysler.

Drilled drums were not normally ever used on speedway cars, but almost 100% always on the road course at Riverside.

[6bblgt]

.... but the '70 Riverside car does not have side glass, would they have reinstalled it for the show car?

[Aero426]

Inside of Posey's #6 car with road race seat and upper door frame detail.

[Aero426]

.... but the '70 Riverside car does not have side glass, would they have reinstalled it for the show car?

The short answer is that it is possible.   The inside upper door frame with glass regulator attached could be reattached to the mounting tabs on the roll cage.  If the car was a short track car and never had side glass, my opinion is that it becomes less likely.  

It is also possible that road race brake drums were swapped around off the Riverside car.      With bolt on parts, anything is possible.  

A key question is,  does the museum #6 have the cover plate for lead storage in the left rear wheelhouse?  

Also, does the museum #6 have evidence of the right side fuel fill inside the trunk?

[Aero426]

1970 SAE Auto Congress.   This shows the very unique dash layout, identical to the museum #6 today.     A dash photo of the Posey #6 car would be quite helpful.

[Aero426]

Same dash today.   For reasons unknown, the original Nichels Engineering supplied carpeting has been removed.

[odcics2]

.... but the '70 Riverside car does not have side glass, would they have reinstalled it for the show car?

The short answer is that it is possible.   The inside upper door frame with glass regulator attached could be reattached to the mounting tabs on the roll cage.  If the car was a short track car and never had side glass, my opinion is that it becomes less likely.  

It is also possible that road race brake drums were swapped around off the Riverside car.      With bolt on parts, anything is possible.  

A key question is,  does the museum #6 have the cover plate for lead storage in the left rear wheelhouse?  

Also, does the museum #6 have evidence of the right side fuel fill inside the trunk?

Take the recent photo I posted of the car and take a good look into the rear wheelhouse.
You will see a bolt head. (holding a cover plate)

[Mopar John]

Just wondering if any more details to help which one is which?
MJ

[odcics2]

Same dash today.   For reasons unknown, the original Nichels Engineering supplied carpeting has been removed.

Gas pedal dress up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

[Aero426]

How could the same actual race car be at the Alabama 500  the weekend of April 11-12, and at the New York Auto Show the same time?   

[Aero426]

New York Auto show advertisement.    Ends on the same weekend as Talladega.   

[odcics2]

 

[Aero426]

I was handed the following vintage press release yesterday at a model car swap meet.     It came from a friend who has the files of a local racing newspaper that is now defunct.    My friend had no idea of the significance.   He just keeps an eye open for things I might find interesting.     This one has some good information on the surviving #6 Daytona race car.

The press release is from Darlington Raceway and is from September 1973.    The #6 Daytona was formally donated to the Joe Weatherly Stock Car Museum by Chrysler on race morning of the Southern 500, 9/3/73.    

The press release has a couple pieces of misinformation.    One is the citation of it being the "first stock car to run over 200 mph on a closed course" .       Well, yes, that was a Daytona.    Just not this one.  We know this from period photos of the record run and the ABC Wide World of Sports video on You Tube.

The second piece of misinformation is that the car was the Southern 500 winner.    We know from period photos the museum car and the actual race winning car are not the same.  

The takeaway from the press release is the following statement:  
"Owens and Baker were the major forces in getting Dodge to donate the duplicate copy of Dodge Daytona #6 to the Museum."

[Aero426]

The complete press release.     The 24th Southern 500 was run on September 3, 1973.

[Aero426]

The accompanying Chrysler press photo.

[odcics2]

The "73" on the bottom right of the photo is the release date.   

[tan top]

 for any new members or anyone needing a re fresh , more reading here ,

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,63521.0.html


http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,93938.0.html

[odcics2]

Anyone else notice the extreme flair on the front fender of the #6 Daytona in the press release photo?
Looks like the back edge would be grabbing the air as it travelled along the side of the car!  Yikes!

[Aero426]

Anyone else notice the extreme flair on the front fender of the #6 Daytona in the press release photo?
Looks like the back edge would be grabbing the air as it travelled along the side of the car!  Yikes!

Sure looks that way.    COG was known for not following performance recommendations that had been proven to work.    To be fair, he was not the only one.   

[odcics2]

Anyone else notice the extreme flair on the front fender of the #6 Daytona in the press release photo?
Looks like the back edge would be grabbing the air as it travelled along the side of the car!  Yikes!

Sure looks that way.    COG was known for not following performance recommendations that had been proven to work.    To be fair, he was not the only one.   

No wonder the #6 never broke 200 mph!     

[odcics2]

Anyone have any pics of other auto shows, back in the day, that show the #6 Showcar Daytona?

Maybe LA or Atlanta??

[odcics2]

  Any photo updates?  Any other auto shows that had the #6 there?   LA? Atlanta?