Written by independent automotive journalist Larry Edsall
Among the Mopar winged warriors heading to the 2019 Scottsdale Auction at No Reserve are a 1969 Dodge Daytona (top, Lot #1429) and a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Re-creation (Lot #1430).
Among the featured cars on Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale docket are a pair of Mopar muscle cars from a Canadian collector who specializes in such pointed-nose, high-wing, HEMI-powered Dodge and Plymouth products from the late 1960s and early ʼ70s.
One car is a rare and limited-production 1969 Dodge Daytona (Lot #1429) that made its way from California to Sweden before returning to North America. The other is what the consignor affectionately refers to as the “White Monster” – a 1970 Plymouth Superbird Re-creation that also took an interesting detour, an above-and-beyond Resto-Mod process that produced a vehicle with more than 1,300 horsepower.
The Daytona is restored in its original factory Code R4 Bright Red with a white rear wing and tail stripe. It was restored at Restorations by Julius in Chatsworth, California, after Julius discovered it in a farmer’s barn in the Chicago area. The car reportedly went into the barn to undergo restoration, which likely saved it from rusting out in an adjacent corn field.
More than one of the quarter panels already had been replaced, and Julius told Hemmings Muscle Machines ‒ which featured the car in its June 2009 issue ‒ that the work had been done properly.
“We left the quarter-panels on that had already been replaced,” he told the magazine. “They had been installed properly. There was literally no rust or collision damage uncovered ‒ even in the trunk ‒ when we removed the paint to expose bare metal. The same applied to the doors, hood, decklid, even the nose and wing.”
Julius not only got the car, but its original matching-numbers engine, a 440 Magnum, which was rebuilt but then was set aside in favor of a late-1966 NASCAR-spec 426 HEMI, a swap common back when the car was new.
Upon completion of the restoration in 2007, Julius sold the car, and the new owner liked the way he could drive and enjoy the car with a Chrome-Dome solid-lifter HEMI without any risk to the original powerplant.
Two years later, the car was sold to prominent Swedish collector Ted Lindsten, who drove it for a while, but then sent it back to Julius to have the original engine reinstalled before the car was consigned to an auction, where it was purchased by the Canadian collector.
In addition to its original 440 Magnum engine, the car has a 727 high-performance TorqueFlite automatic transmission, black bucket seats, wood-grain console, Tic-Toc-Tach tachometer, AM radio and 8-track player, and power steering. It rides on steel wheels with dog-dish hubcaps, and has barely been driven since its second visit to Julius’ facility. The Daytona comes with a detailed Wise Vehicle Inspection Report from Dave Wise of MMC Detroit LLC. This vehicle is in the MMC Detroit Global Registry and on the Daytona Vehicle Identification List.
The second car is a ’70 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird re-creation (Lot #1430) and was a three-year project that ended up going well beyond the original concept. The result was what the consignor calls the “White Monster.”
The consignor’s collection includes the only authentic, 426 HEMI-powered #22 Coca-Cola NASCAR racer driven by Bobby Allison.
He liked the stance of the race car and wanted to be able to drive one of his HEMI Mopars on a daily basis, so he instructed his builder to create a car that would be a reliable and fun daily driver. Instead, the builder proved to be as much an artist as a car builder. Over the course of three years, says the consignor, “He built this incredible piece of art that turned out to be a driver.”
Well, maybe for the right owner in the right location.
“I drove it once and it is insane,” the consignor reports.
The car is an absolute, over-the-top, no-expense-spared build with a list of features too long to note here. Highlights that make it a daily driver are an Art Morrison Max-G chassis, 4-point roll cage, and 18-inch front and 20-inch rear Budnik wheels with Mickey Thompson tires. It also has an Octane on Demand dual fuel system feeding its twin-turbocharged, all-aluminum Nelson Racing 572 HEMI “Elephant” either 91-octane or racing fuel to the engine. The engine makes 1,337 horsepower on the dyno.
The engine has dry dump lubrication and Ron Davis custom radiator and dual SPAL fans. Water-to-air intercoolers are concealed inside the nose cone. There are 13-inch Wilwood brakes at each corner. The rear end is a custom 9-inch Currie Enterprises unit. Strange axles and 3:55 posi-traction are part of the setup.
The paddle-shifted transmission is a race-prepped 4L80E 4-speed automatic.
All body panels were handcrafted. For example, the rocker panels are extended and wrap around for a smooth junction with the frame rails. The underbody has been “cookie” sheeted.
Halogen headlamps hide behind electric-actuated doors. In addition to a Vintage Air heating and cooling system, the interior has a RetroSound audio and Dakota Digital gauges.
With both of these “Wild Wings” being offered with No Reserve at the upcoming Scottsdale auction, the winner bidder is certain to cause a flutter, whether on the street or at a meet.
For up-to-date information on these and other vehicles on the 2019 Scottsdale docket, click HERE.
