Allpar Daytona Article

[DC_1]

I didn't see this posted here anywhere so I thought I would point out this article of the the Daytona history as told on Allpar

http://www.allpar.com/racing/200-mph-Daytona.html

[Ghoste]

Cool, there is a wealth of interesting reading on Allpar.  Thanks for the link.

[Aero426]

Some of it is even accurate. 

[Ghoste]

They're about on par with any other internet source though.

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

Yup... some of it is made up... like about what happened to the 200 mph Daytona....

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/b_body/mopp_0201_1969_dodge_daytona/viewall.html

Ryan

[nascarxx29]

Saw this but not complete online .Maybe someone gets this magazine  1969 charger daytona spoiler alert .Appears to be 1 of 13 pages


http://livingvroom.com/2012/07/1969-dodge-charger-daytona-spoiler-alert/
http://livingvroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/HCW-feature-69-Daytona.jpg

[Aero426]

It's a Hemmings electronic magazine you can purchase and download.    The teaser tells you that it is another magazine scribbler who hasn't done the right homework and wrote down what some yahoo told him:

"Although the Daytona topped 200 mph and won at the first-ever NASCAR race at Talladega, retail sales were a flop. It was too big, too pricey and, frankly, not as attractive as the Charger R/T."

Well, at least he got the first part right about winning the race.    

[WINGIN IT]

"Although the Daytona topped 200 mph and won at the first-ever NASCAR race at Talladega, retail sales were a flop. It was too big, too pricey and, frankly, not as attractive as the Charger R/T."

Do we know how sales were back in the day?
Is it something easily confirmed?
Same with the price, wasn't it at the higher end of cars for sale during that era?
The other parts are  subjective...

[Ghoste]

The Daytona sold quite well, perpetual internet rumor be damned.  The Superbird was a little tougher to sell but there were more of them and the insurance industry had really got cracking by 1970.  Still, it didn't sell nearly as poorly as the stories would have you believe.  It almost seems like half of them sat on the lot for years and years and years and had to be converted to regular cars to sell.  There are some Plymouths that took a while and there may have been a handful converted to regular cars but not like these stories that endure and grow.
Pricey?  Well, the msrp was certainly more than a regular Charger but like the limited editions today that is up to the buyer to decide if it was too pricey.  These writers need to look at some of these things within the context of the time and the fact is that by 1969 the leading wave of baby boomers (remember them, the ones who fueled the musclecar rage?) were having their first kid and selling the hot car.  The second wave of boomers were having trouble getting insured in the cars and so much so that in many cases the insurance premium was as much or more than the car payment.  So which payment was really too pricey?

[GOTWING]

it was cheaper to discount then convert back to a road runner. another "urban legend" with no proof. if you owned a dealership would you really sink that much more money into a car you can't sell? new parts from the firewall forward,body and paint work, assuming they left the rear window alone. here we go again on this topic!

[Ghoste]

I thought we had determined from that thread that there may have been a couple done?  Note that I used "may" both times here.

[Aero426]

The original owner of our old Daytona told me that he was aware that it was a special car, probably a one time production run, and he traveled about 30 miles to buy it.    He said he took whatever he could get as far as the color.    I don't think they had any trouble unloading 500 Daytonas. 

The tone of the article teaser is that they didn't make more than 500 because it was not a sales success.   Well that was never the point anyway. 

[odcics2]

The Daytona was a sell out to the dealers. Just think: 10 per state average.   

[odcics2]

Yup... some of it is made up... like about what happened to the 200 mph Daytona....

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/b_body/mopp_0201_1969_dodge_daytona/viewall.html

Ryan

Maybe if Allpar got a few emails, they would correct it?   The article was written in 2006. Maybe the writer never saw the Mopar Muscle article? Maybe he didn't buy the Rare Finds" book by Jerry Heasley last year?         

[Ghoste]

Worth a try.

[TheAutoArchaeologist]

Yup... some of it is made up... like about what happened to the 200 mph Daytona....

http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/featuredvehicles/b_body/mopp_0201_1969_dodge_daytona/viewall.html

Ryan

Maybe if Allpar got a few emails, they would correct it?   The article was written in 2006. Maybe the writer never saw the Mopar Muscle article? Maybe he didn't buy the Rare Finds" book by Jerry Heasley last year?        

Well the article from Mopar Muscle is from 2002.... if you were doing a article on the the 200 mph Daytona in 2006, it would have been good idea to do some research.  

You Google "200 MPH Dodge Daytona", and even back in 2006 I'm sure the article would have popped up near the top of the results.  As of right now it is 6th from the top.

I agree though, someone should email and inform them.  Otherwise incorrect information will continue to circulate.

[odcics2]

Correction submitted.



p.s. On aerowarriors, you can now download the 200 run.

http://aerowarriors.com/mpgs/200mphrun1.wmv

[odcics2]

Allpar article is now corrected.