Should Dodge have built a 70 Daytona?

[hemigeno]

Well, sorta...

They didn't have all the Daytona's lined up ready to count at any one particular time, since they were shipped out over several week's time.   They did, however, have to put together a list of the car's VINs to submit to NASCAR to prove that they had the requisite number of cars produced.   I've seen a copy of the letter back from NASCAR approving the Daytona body style for use in the first Talladega race, but I don't think it mentions a nose count (no pun intended).

I've cross-checked the shipping list and found a few repeat VIN numbers, but only about 3 or so (it's been a while since I looked that up).   I can only account for 499 individual car's VINs, but there is at least one VIN of a Daytona that has shown up on the WW/NBOA owner's list that isn't on the shipping list, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few (VERY few) legit Daytonas that were not on the Shipping List that was submitted to NASCAR for verification.

Now, 1969 Charger 500's were a totally different story.   Danny (69_500) can tell you a lot more about what happened with them, but some people believe that Chrysler took the VIN's from several regular Chargers and/or non-Charger cars rolling down the line, and reported them as an XX29 car to NASCAR for their "verified" listing of cars.   That's why you'll see some people quoting production figures for the 500's in the 380 range rather than 500.   There's a healthy debate going on about those production figures, whereas Daytona's are generally regarded to be right at 500, give or take a few cars.

NASCAR could have smelled a rat with the C-500's and required a little better documentation on the Daytona's - who knows...

Personally, I've never heard that a NASCAR official ever visited Creative Industries to verify anything, but I suppose it's possible.

Geno

[Charger_Fan]

Thanks Geno, that's great info.

[hemi68charger]

As much as we all love them in hindsight, back then, there was no need for Chrysler to do so. If memory serves me, the corporations were allowed to run a body style something like 4 years after it was introduced. MaMopar could have just run the '69 Daytona for a couple more years without creating another model year inventory... But, as we all know, the combination of the winged car and the 426 hemi was prohibited in the '71 season, hence marked the dome of the winged car........ An example of this was the 1971 Daytona 500 were there was, Mario Rossi's #22 small-block powered Daytona. Incredibly, he finished 3rd and lead a lap....

Troy

[Ghoste]

After wrecking the nose and screwing up the airflow as I recall.

[hemi68charger]

After wrecking the nose and screwing up the airflow as I recall.

Yeap, it was an accident that domed Mario.... He gave it a heck of a try though.... I could only imagine the looks on NASCAR's Bill France if the #22 was able to win.........

Troy

[Ghoste]

I imagine there was some hand wringing even with coming in 3rd.

[69_500]

He should have won that race even though he was driving the car with a small block.

The story about running cars through the line again is about the 500's. It was always reported that there wasn't 500 of the 500's made, but rather 392. That was a the number thrown about for years. However Galen says  that there is 565 I think it is. I don't know where he came up with that number though. As I have talked to people who worked at Creative Industries, and they all have said that they would have been lucky to get 392 of  them out of the door before chrysler changed them over to building the Daytona's.
I was recently looking at a HEMI 500 that was on Ebay, and it has a stat that has always baffeled me. It says it was a HEMI 500 that is one of 559 produced according to GG, and that only 15 of them were HEMI 4 speeds. However I think that in just the list of HEMI 500's I have, I have over 15 of them as being HEMI 4 speeds. I also think that I have a total of 60+ HEMI 500's in the list. I would find it hard to believe that there were only 15 HEMI 4 speeds, when there is probably close to 100 HEMI 500's out there.

[hemigeno]

I would find it hard to believe that there were only 15 HEMI 4 speeds, when there is probably close to 100 HEMI 500's out there.

"Truth in Advertising" (especially on eBay) is an oxymoron.   

[69_500]

This is off topic here but Gene, the list of vin numbers you had at the Mopar Nationals? Were those out of the old Winged Warriors newletters?

[hemigeno]

This is off topic here but Gene, the list of vin numbers you had at the Mopar Nationals? Were those out of the old Winged Warriors newletters?

I had the two old WW lists there, plus I had printed out a copy of the Excel list I generated from the Daytona Shipping Lists.  I'm still refining and/or correcting that list (minor corrections only), based on the current series of lists that have been printed in the WW newsletters.  It's still a work in progress, but it's coming along.  Sooner or later it will be complete and as accurate as I can make it anyway.

[69_500]

I was just curious because it had 500 VIN's listed as well. The only list of 500 VIN's I have is of cars I've seen at shows over the past 27 years. Well that I've seen and wrote down, and that my dad has wrote down about cars. I don't think its as lengthy of a list as the one the WW have. I believe I only have info on 165 of the 500's.

[Lowprofile]

Thanks Geno, that's great info.

Thanks Geno!   Every once in a while ya learn something around here.......if you're paying attention!

BTW, I think the 70' makes a better looking Daytona.