1969 Dodge Charger
Second generation · 'Coke-bottle' B-body 1968–1970
The iconic 1968 redesign brought 'Coke-bottle' styling, a recessed grille, and the tunneled rear window — the Charger most people picture. Home of the R/T, the 1968 Super Bee-spirited muscle, and the 1969 aero Daytona.
Photo: “Dodge Charger Daytona (1969)” by Charles from Port Chester, New York / Wikimedia Commons , licensed under CC BY 2.0 . Cropped to 16:9.
The 1969 model year
Overview
For 1969 Dodge built the Charger Daytona, a homologation special created to win in NASCAR. A pointed sheet-metal nose cone and a towering 23-inch rear wing transformed the Coke-bottle Charger into an aerodynamic weapon. Only 503 were built; most carried the 440 Magnum, with around 70 fitted with the 426 Hemi. In NASCAR trim it made the Daytona the first stock car to break 200 mph.
Specifications
- Engines
-
- 440 Magnum V8
- 426 Race Hemi V8
- Body styles
- 2-door hardtop (aero)
- Production
- 503 (Charger Daytona)
Year over year
What changed
- Aerodynamic nose cone and tall rear stabilizer wing added for NASCAR homologation.
- Built in limited numbers (503) for the 1969 model year only.
Living with it
Reliability & ownership notes
- A blue-chip collector car; authenticity, wing/nose-cone originality, and provenance are everything. Hemi cars are the rarest.
Worth knowing
Notable
- Only 503 built; roughly 70 with the 426 Hemi.
- In NASCAR form the Daytona was the first stock car to exceed 200 mph (Buddy Baker, Talladega, March 1970).
- NASCAR's aero rules changes effectively ended the 'aero warrior' era after 1970.
Famous variants this year
Sources
Other Second generation years
Explore the 'Coke-bottle' B-body generation → All Second generation · 'Coke-bottle' B-body years →