If you’re a Mopar nut or simply love NASCAR and its history, than there is no doubt that you have at least heard of the Dodge Charger Daytona. These odd looking race cars were designed and built to dominate the oval track. There special aerodynamic features and high performance engines allowed for impressive speeds, but sadly there weren’t many built. Of the 30 or so built, it is believed that only 6 of the original race cars exist today. Recently another one of these rare cars was discovered rusting away in South Carolina, but it is in less than great shape. Paul G came across this Daytona here on eBay, where it is already bid up well over $50k. Then again, I guess it isn’t every day that someone drags out one of the most iconic and recognizable Mopars ever built, especially one with such an interesting history! Special thanks to Paul for this tip!

This Daytona has quite the history indeed, starting with its time as James Hylton’s race car. Hylton was a rather successful driver in the ’60 and ’70s. He used this car for just three races in the ’69 season, where he saw moderate success. From there the car took a rather bleak turn. Each of the Charger Daytonas that were built for Nascar duty came from Ray Nichels Engineering shop. Once the cars arrived there from Chrysler they were stripped down and rebuilt for racing duties. The Hemi 426 engines were custom built by Nichels for incredible performance, but as with any performance machine they had a tendency to be self-destructive. These tendencies would eventually turn this car into a death trap for its second owner.

Talmadge Prince was the second owner and driver of this Daytona, he was also the first and only person killed in one of the Nascar Charger Daytonas. During the 19th lap of the Daytona 500 qualifier, the engine suffered a major failure and dumped oil on the track. The oil slick caused the car to go sideways and was struck by a Bill Seifert’s car head on, sadly killing Talmadge in the process. After the tragic event the car apparently went into storage at the Prince family’s car dealership. From here on out the car’s history gets somewhat hazy. It clearly went into new ownership after the Prince family sold off the dealership and it appears to have had the damage it sustained repaired. It was then lost from record or public knowledge until its recent discovery.

This car has already caused quite the stir in the Mopar community, as it has some questionable features. The roof and much of the body isn’t original, but that would make sense given the extensive damage it suffered in the crash. When these cars were still in duty, they were race cars, not collector’s pieces. Many parts were modified, repaired, or replaced throughout the events of a season. While the chassis is one of the crucial parts of a car like this, the engine is really what makes this car different from any of the street going Charger Daytonas. The massive 426 was built to impressive tolerances and featured a number of racing specific pieces. The seller claims the engine is mostly there, although the heads are not correct. This engine is worth serious money on its own, with or without the original heads, so I’m sure there are a few Mopar guys lusting after it already.

This car has an incredible past, most of which is documented and verified by James Hylton. It is an important piece of Nascar history, so hopefully it will make its way into the hands of someone capable of restoring it. The amount of rust is going to make the project a rather difficult one, but the seller already has replacement floors and some of the other crucial pieces. Given the car’s tragic start, I hope the next owner does this car proper justice and returns to its period correct appearance. So does anyone here remember when #48 was still racing?