Introduced in 1969 as a homologation special for NASCAR, the Dodge Charger Daytona was arguably the most radical muscle car on public roads. Come 2023 and its racing legacy, limited-production run, and impressive performance turned it into one of the most desirable vehicles from the golden era.
With only 503 units built and with some of them wrecked or left to rot away, the Charger Daytona is quite the rare gem nowadays, regardless of drivetrain configuration and options. However, some are scarcer than others, starting with the very desirable HEMI version, of which only 70 were produced.
By comparison, the 440-equipped Daytona may seem a bit mundane, but many of these cars left the factory with option combinations that make them unique. And while they don’t fetch a million bucks without a 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) V8 under the hood, they’re all six-figure classics that cost Ferrari and McLaren money nowadays. The silver Daytona you see here is one of those cars.
Granted silver might not be exactly appealing on a winged Charger, at least not when compared to all the cool “high impact” colors that Dodge offered back in the day. I’d take Plum Crazy, Green Go, Top Banana, and Go Mango over this A4 Silver Metallic any day of the week. Lots of customers said the same back in 1969 and that’s exactly why this hue is so rare nowadays. Out of 503 Daytonas built, only 12 were ordered in this color.
That’s impressively rare on its own but that number drops even more when we bring the black wing stripe into the equation. That’s because only five cars left the factory in this exact exterior color combination. And according to most Daytona historians, only three of them have survived. But that’s not all. While most black-striped Daytonas were fitted with black interiors, this one received dark red upholstery. It might not be unique among examples of all colors, but it’s definitely the only silver Daytona like this. All told, it’s a one-of-one gem.
Restored sometime in the early 2000s, this Daytona looks amazing from all angles. And it still rocks its numbers-matching 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB V8 engine, rated at 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet (651 Nm) of torque. The mill mates to a three-speed Torqueflite automatic, which Dodge offered alongside a four-speed manual gearbox.
But the really cool thing about this Daytona is that it gets a lot of action on public roads. Even though it looks like it just left the factory, it’s not being treated as garage queen according to its Canadian owner, who not only takes it to car shows but also drives it regularly. And that’s a big deal with so many classic muscle cars barely coming out of storage nowadays.
So how much is a unique Daytona like this worth? Well, it’s hard to make an accurate estimate, but a black-striped silver example sold for $302,500 in January 2023. But that car did not have a red interior and also featured an aftermarket HEMI engine. Given this car’s unique configuration and all-original status, I’d say it would easily go for more than $400,000 at a public auction.