1969 Dodge Daytona Bobby Allison Racer - Mecum Auction

[maxwellwedge]

http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=FL0110-89901

[hemi68charger]

Interesting......... Nice paint, not-too-nice clone job...............

[maxwellwedge]

Clone? It sounds like a real car that never raced DB. They have their dates a little messed up though...

[hemigeno]

Might be a real chassis, but they skipped making a lot of details right... no plug on a race Daytona??      Plus, what's up with that nosecone and the fender scoops?  They seem way too squared off to me.

This isn't the same #22 Race Daytona that was advertized out the wahzoo on Barrett-Jackson a few years ago, was it?  I remember that one being a lot more correct.

[maxwellwedge]

Ooopsy - No plug - my bad!

[Aero426]

That is the biggest piece of fantasy I have ever read.  

The guy has vintage raced the car in Florida, that part is true.   As to the car itself, it appears to be a complete home-brew job.  What a surprise there are no underhood shots.

Gene, it is not the car sold at Barrett-Jackson.   THAT one might not be a real Allison car either, but at least it was a real Nichels car. 

[maxwellwedge]

That is the biggest piece of fantasy I have ever read.  

The guy has vintage raced the car in Florida, that part is true.   As to the car itself, it appears to be a complete home-brew job.  What a surprise there are no underhood shots.

"Fantasy"  - Good one! Keeping it clean and family rated! 

[Aero426]

That is the biggest piece of fantasy I have ever read.  

The guy has vintage raced the car in Florida, that part is true.   As to the car itself, it appears to be a complete home-brew job.  What a surprise there are no underhood shots.

"Fantasy"  - Good one! Keeping it clean and family rated! 

Not a good fantasy either, let me tell you.   

[Dave Kanofsky]

I thought that write up was horribly incorrect in most details.  
I was going to start a post on it here only to find I was late to the party.
What do you mean they never raced the 305?  The little sewing machine almost won it!

The shape of that wing ain't right either...

[hemi68charger]

That is the biggest piece of fantasy I have ever read.   

No kidding..............

[Dave Kanofsky]

Mecum moves a lot of wing cars - has anyone contacted them to "educate" them a bit?

[Aero426]

This is the car that was sold at Barrett-Jackson several years back.    Compare the difference.

[Ghoste]

Contacting Mecum will be as productive as contacting e-bay.  Trust me, the auction companies only care about item accuracy if there is some way that it is going to cost them money.  As long as they can point the finger at the consignor and let themselves off the hook and as long as the descriptions are not so blatantly screaming wrong that there is no possible way anyone will bid on it, they DO NOT care!
They will tell you they are not fact checkers or historians they are merely arranging a venue in which buyers and sellers can meet for their mutual benefit and it is up to them to determine pedigree's.  They will try to ensure clear titles and thats about it.
In this case they are going to state that Bobby Allison has verified it and thats what the owner told them.
The really sad part is that each time one of these fantasy cars gets sold like this, it beomes slightly more legitimized.

[moparstuart]

http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=FL0110-89901

[hemigeno]

For the record, here are the pics in the auction description:

[hemigeno]

Batch #2

[hemigeno]

And the text... ahem... fantasy:

By 1968, the advantage previously enjoyed by Chrysler's Hemi in NASCAR had been virtually eclipsed by its competitors. Ford had answered the more aerodynamic Charger 500 with its own slippery versions of the Torino and Mercury Cyclone, so Dodge pulled out all the stops and unleashed the wild, winged Daytona. With its pointed front nose and high rear wing, the Daytona put Mopar back at the front of the grid, and the Aero Wars were under way.

After almost two years of domination by just two manufacturers, NASCAR founder and President Bill France let it be known that the winged cars would be subjected to severe displacement limitations, and most car owners immediately abandoned them, with one significant holdout: a young rebel named Mario Rossi.

Rossi and his driver Bobby Allison had invested much time and treasure in their Number 22 Daytona, and so decided to experiment with a destroked 305 cubic inch small block. Allison tested the new combination at Daytona and Talladega but never drove it in competition.

Recently the car was visually inspected by Bobby Allison and certified as the test car used in the 1970 NASCAR season. The Certificate of Authenticity, which is signed by Allison and accompanies the car, reads:

This car was built and raced by Mario Rossi. This car was driven by Bobby Allison during testing at Daytona and Talladega in preparation for the upcoming 1970 NASCAR season. Because of the NASCAR rule change from the 426 Hemi engine to the 305 CI displacement limit this car was not raced.

The only test car known to still exist, it has gone through a ground-up restoration and subsequently been driven by "Flash" Gordon Sprague in 10 historic stock car events, winning all 10 races.

Highlights:

- Sold on bill of sale, race car
- This car was originally owned by Mario Rossi and was used as a test car prior to the then upcoming significant NASCAR engine rule change
- The change would make the engine go from 426 CI to 305 CI
- Bobby Allison tested this car at Daytona and Talladega as a 305 CI
- This winged test vehicle has historical signicance as it was banned before Allison was able to compete with it
- Recently the car was visually inspected by Bobby Allison and certified as the test car used in the 1970 NASCAR season
- This car comes with the original certificate of authenticity signed by Bobby Allison
- This is the only test car known to exist
- This car has since had a ground-up restoration and competed in 10 historical stock car racing associations
- This car was driven by "Flash" Gordon Sprague winning all 10 races

[200MPH]

it looks like a badly done clone to me 

nose and wing details

[68X426]

OK it's a fake. But how did Bobby sign off on it and sign on it??

[200MPH]

probably got him to autograph it as a "tribute car " and the seller maybe mis representing it as the real deal..kind of like Duke clones 

[Old Moparz]

That thing would be a lot of fun to show up at a small dirt track and run it. 

[RTDaddy]

If I recall, Mecum has advertised in Mopar Collector's Guide.  Maybe MCG will be at the auction, or maybe they would want to lend a hand in short-circuiting this subterfuge.  This is about as blatant as it gets.  I'm not sure how they conned Bobby into signing off on that one, but the wing is wrong, no window plug is wrong, the fender scoops are wrong, the shape of the nose is way off, the fender radii are incorrect, and on and on.  What do you think?

"IF YOU'RE UNDER CONTROL, YOU AIN'T GOING FAST ENOUGH."

[moparstuart]

That thing would be a lot of fun to show up at a small dirt track and run it. 

i was thinking demo derby

[Ghoste]

Maybe Bobby signed it and stated something like "you know, it looks just like the one I tested for Mario".  Truthfully I wouldn't beat Bobby up too bad for it.  Those guys drove so many very different cars over the years how could they be expected to know details about one out of dozens from forty years ago?

[Aero426]

probably got him to autograph it as a "tribute car " and the seller maybe mis representing it as the real deal..kind of like Duke clones 

Bobby's office was contacted by email. His daughter who handles his business affairs replied that Bobby verifed the car as a test car that he drove in 1970.   

Buyer beware.