Vehicle Description
2007 Dodge Charger R/T Daytona
It was 1968: the Chrysler-owned Dodge and Plymouth brands were more
than confidently competing in NASCAR circuit races, winning win
after win, and the team had Richard Petty, one of the toughest
drivers in series history. It seemed that Mopar was safe, and no
one could compete with the Dodge Charger and Plymouth Belvedere.
But that all changed at the end of the year when Ford put the
Torino Talladega coupe, a streamlined version of the Torino model,
on the track. It left the former Nascar star far behind. At the
same time, Petty realized he could no longer maintain championship
status with Plymouth and dealt the team another blow by defecting
to Ford. The company urgently needed to develop a new plan of
action. The only way out was to put a more powerful rival on the
track who could not just compete with Ford, but surpass it. There
were two variants: either to force the Hemi engine by 90
horsepower, or to work on aerodynamics. The first option was ruled
out almost at once - the engine was already running at its maximum
capacity. To increase the power, it would be necessary to assemble
a new engine, and there simply was no time. That's when Dodge
engineers decided on perhaps the riskiest experiment in its
history. At that time, the knowledge of aerodynamics was only
beginning to accumulate, and anti-fenders in the ring racing were
not used at all. At least, that was until 1969, when Dodge decided
to get ahead of the curve by showing the world that very "Daytona".
The car was based on the Charger 500, but added a nose with a
sloping line and a huge high rear wing. To say that the car was met
with a barrage of criticism, it is not to say anything - the
radical appearance of "Daytona" even today looks quite ambiguous,
let alone the late sixties. Journalists were shocked that such a
unit would not only compete in NASCAR, but also drive on public
roads - under the homologation program, companies had to produce at
least 500 road versions of race cars.
As we all well know, the winged Mopar warriors cleaned it up on the
track, but sales were a tad slow on the showroom floors. Fast
forward to 2006 and the Charger was back and while it sported a few
more doors than its winged older brother, it was almost as
potent...even in standard R/T form and sold like hotcakes. The
Dodge Charger was a powerhouse disguised as a family toter and
grocery getter. Rear wheel drive, check, 340hp 5.7L V8, check, all
the racing and horsepower heritage Mopar is famous for, check. Add
in a title verified 13,769 actual miles, retro throwback Sublime
Green Metallic paint, and a numbered edition, (529 out of 1,500)
and we have a sure fire winner. Read on and prepare to have your
outlook of sedans changed, your mind blown, and your friend green
with envy thanks to this low mileage ass kicker.
Exterior
Bathed in its original deep end of the pool Sublime Green Metallic
nary a flaw can be found,just a few areas of orange peeled paint
and a tape line. This is mainly reserved for the front bumper,
driver's fender and driver's door. Starting with the very modern
neoprene front bumper with its oval grille and center cross hair
design mixed with outboard one-piece headlamp assemblies, we see
smooth design that was used across the Chrysler model lineup this
year. A matte black stripe covers the hood bulge that runs back to
the glass, giving a nod to the muscle cars of yore. Moving down the
long slab sides the only variations from the all green theme are a
small chrome highlighted HEMI badge on either front fender, a
pencil thin glossy black rub strip on the doors and a slightly
growing matte black Daytona stripe on the rear quarter panels.
Factory tinted glass gives not only a cool look but also helps keep
other racers, (hey it is Road & Track right?), from seeing who's at
the wheel. Wrapping up the tail end are body integrated tail
lights, a cavernous trunk with a small black spoiler atop, and
another neoprene bumper with cutouts for the dual exhaust to exit.
20-inch Niche black finished wheels adorn all 4 corners and are
wrapped in staggered width high performance radials from 2018.
Interior
Swinging open the door and we are met with a dark charcoal and
light beige panel. Power window, power lock and power mirror
controls are held within as are one of the many speakers. This
theme of colors also appears on the long deep dash with a litany of
gauges being in front of the leather wrapped steering wheel that
contains audio as well as other controls. An AM/FM/Multi CD/MP3
player with Navigation is in the center of the dash as are the
heater and A/C controls all within a Sublime Green insert. Power
and heated front bucket seats with Dark Slate smooth leather
bolsters and suede inserts with green Daytona embroidered headrests
flank a central console which contains the shifter and multiple
storage compartments. More Sublime Green accenting is here as well
for the console inserts. A long bench in the rear stretches door to
door and is of the same design as the buckets. Slight age wrinkling
is noted on the driver's seat but nothing out of the ordinary. The
rest of the seat appear to never have been sat in. Black carpet
floods the floor and looks showroom new while a gray headliner
hangs above and has a factory installed power sunroof.
Drivetrain
Lifting the striped hood we see a true powerhouse of this sedan.
The factory installed 5.7 liter 340hp Hemi V8 rests between the
Sublime Green inner fenders. This mill is fed by EFI and bolted to
the back of this elephant is a Mercedes-Benz derived W5A580 5-speed
automatic transmission. A 3.06 geared rear axle puts all this power
to the pavement with the help of a limited slip unit.
Undercarriage
Showroom new is the best way to describe the bottom of this car.
Suspension is independent on both front and back and 4 wheel power
disc brakes bring all the horses to a stop. Dual exhaust feed spent
fossils to the rear after passing through the factory installed
mufflers. All buttoned up and looking great.
Drive-Ability
It was time to draw straws to see who got the chance to drive this
killer sedan. Naturally I won as I kept a supply of cheater straws
in my shirt pocket...a twist of the key and the HEMI roared to life
and after slipping the shifter into D I was off to the Classic Auto
Mall Test Track. Here the car had limitless acceleration, beyond
stellar braking, and handling like that of a European sports sedan.
I returned with all smiles and my cohort in the passenger seat
looked slightly pale and walked a little slower than normal after
feeling the stampede of this elephant.
Never was a sedan thought of as a muscle car, but the folks at
Dodge broke the mindset when they introduced the Charger R/T
Daytona. Withabig Hemi V8, gobs of horsepower and all the modern
amenities one could want, this 4-door isn't one to be toyed with.
Presently in our Hallowed North Mallway and ready to breath fire at
any opponent who crosses its path. This is the sedan you need.
2B3LA53H77H725594
2-Canada
B-Dodge
3-Passenger Car
L-Manual Belts, Front & Side Airbags
A-Charger
5-Premium Price Class
3-4 Door Sedan
H-5.7 Liter 340hp Hemi V8
7-Check Digit
7-2007
H-Brampton, Ontario, Canada Assy Plant
725594-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morg...for more information please contact the seller.
