Buy Buddy Bakers' Daytona

[Aero426]

The Baker #6 race Daytona was hammered sold at $195,000 + commissions = $214,500.

*whew*



Quite a step down from its last gavel price - it wasn't bought back by the seller, was it?

That does not appear to be the case in any of the cars.    The seller kept 8 cars, none of which were in the auction.   He posted a very candid personal note on the HAMB hot rod board explaining a few reasons why the collection was sold off.   Basically, he now has two very young children,  the collection was located 800 miles away and a lack of time to be involved became an issue.   Then there was the financial earthquake which caused him to examine his priorities.   Now I do not expect he is rubbing his last two nickels together.    This is a man who spent $1M for Paul McCartney to play at his future ex-wifes 50th's birthday, LOL.    

[Aero426]

hmm wasn't it at 600 thousand before 

800k.

[therealmoparman]

There seems to be a lot of confusion over the 1969 Dodge Daytona built by Cotton Owens. The confusion comes from you folks who are actually the ones who are "slowly rewriting the history of this car." Allow me to clarify this once and for all.

Who am I? I am Cotton's grandson. I know the history of this car because I heard it directly from the horse's mouth. You can find a picture of me sitting in this car on the cottonowens.com website.

Firstly, this car was indeed the Southern 500 winner. The car later raced at Charlotte, where it was wrecked. The car was rebuilt by Cotton and made into a show car. It was later parked at the Darlington museum, where it remained for almost 40 years. It was then retrieved by Cotton, and I listed the car for him on ebay, where it sold for $801k. Of course they did not race it with carpets! Lots of modifications were made to make it a car suitable for the show circuit and the museum.

Secondly, this same car was the first car to exceed 200mph in a NASCAR sanctioned race - at Talladega. However, for it to be an "official" record, it has to be done with timing equipment, run both directions, etc. Therefore, Chrysler engineers built the #88 car and set out to "officially" claim the 200mph record for the recordbooks. This is all well documented on the cottonowens.com website. They used Buddy Baker as the driver because he was Cotton's driver and therefore a "factory" driver. Chrysler promoted the 200mph record with the #6 car, because it was an actual race car, and indeed because it did break the 200mph barrier. This is also well documented by Chrysler and you can even find an ad from that era on the website - http://cottonowens.com/photos3.html

Anyone suggesting anything to the contrary is simply incorrect and spreading half-truths. This is the real story. Period. Enough already! All you have to do is visit the website.

[Aero426]

Lots of modifications were made to make it a car suitable for the show circuit and the museum.

Welcome back to the board.     I am going to ask some specific questions about the car, so you can continue to clear the air.

What are the specific modifications that were made to make it suitable for the show circuit?      

Why would the car be made different than from the way it raced?

[tan top]

      intresting stuff (TRMM)   ,

Lots of modifications were made to make it a car suitable for the show circuit and the museum.

Welcome back to the board.     I am going to ask some specific questions about the car, so you can continue to clear the air.

What are the specific modifications that were made to make it suitable for the show circuit?     

Why would the car be made different than from the way it raced?

[Redbird]

I understand how at Bonneville records have to be done in 2 directions to negate any wind "push". I didn't know that for a car to get an official NASCAR record the car had to be run both directions, must have been something to see the car running clockwise then counterclockwise around the track, wow! Besides the 2 directions what else did they have to do? Something to learn every day!

[learical1]

on a closed circuit race track, you would eventually drive with and against the wind.  No need to go in the opposite direction.

[odcics2]

There seems to be a lot of confusion over the 1969 Dodge Daytona built by Cotton Owens. The confusion comes from you folks who are actually the ones who are "slowly rewriting the history of this car." Allow me to clarify this once and for all.

Who am I? I am Cotton's grandson. I know the history of this car because I heard it directly from the horse's mouth. You can find a picture of me sitting in this car on the cottonowens.com website.

Firstly, this car was indeed the Southern 500 winner. The car later raced at Charlotte, where it was wrecked. The car was rebuilt by Cotton and made into a show car. It was later parked at the Darlington museum, where it remained for almost 40 years. It was then retrieved by Cotton, and I listed the car for him on ebay, where it sold for $801k. Of course they did not race it with carpets! Lots of modifications were made to make it a car suitable for the show circuit and the museum.

Secondly, this same car was the first car to exceed 200mph in a NASCAR sanctioned race - at Talladega. However, for it to be an "official" record, it has to be done with timing equipment, run both directions, etc. Therefore, Chrysler engineers built the #88 car and set out to "officially" claim the 200mph record for the recordbooks. This is all well documented on the cottonowens.com website. They used Buddy Baker as the driver because he was Cotton's driver and therefore a "factory" driver. Chrysler promoted the 200mph record with the #6 car, because it was an actual race car, and indeed because it did break the 200mph barrier. This is also well documented by Chrysler and you can even find an ad from that era on the website - http://cottonowens.com/photos3.html

Anyone suggesting anything to the contrary is simply incorrect and spreading half-truths. This is the real story. Period. Enough already! All you have to do is visit the website.

So many errors in the above statement...     Like all of it. 

Cotton had two race Daytonas. One won the Southern 500.   The "show car #6" was neither of those. In fact, it never raced as a Daytona.
Cotton's Daytonas never ran over 200, with the best lap being 198. at the April 1970 race, documented in Stock Car Racing magazine. (8-70 issue)
To go over 200 without side glass would require over 640 horsepower. Cotton told me himself he could get 620 HP out of a hemi, briefly. Nascar race hemis were actually good for 585 - 595 Hp, consistently, for 500 miles.  Simple physics. 

The #88 was built in November, 1968 as a Charger 500. (Nichels chassis number DC-93) It was the first race "Daytona" to be created - June 1969. Tested at Chelsea Proving Grounds  July 13 and 20th.  Top speed was 203+ with a smaller Holley carb, not a Dominator..
(I consider the red #71, former 1968 "2x2", long nose-short wing as a mule car. A low speed one at that, good for 120.)

This is the real history, backed up with vintage photos and documentation, not hearsay.   

[Ghoste]

Exactly!  And in this case the pedigree of the person providing the hearsay is irrelevant, there is no evidence whatsoever to back up his counter claims in the matter except to name drop said pedigree.

[odcics2]

Exactly!  And in this case the pedigree of the person providing the hearsay is irrelevant, there is no evidence whatsoever to back up his counter claims in the matter except to name drop said pedigree.

And there is a recently made 64 Dodge that is being represented as the original racer!
It has opening doors and the cage opens with them!