Thinking about it while I've been reading up on the subject, I think the
price may have been something of a loss leader.
It was a *great* deal price-wise looking back from TODAY, but back then
I don't think the factory Muscle Car phenomenon had got off the ground
yet. This was a year, maybe two before it really took off.
The demand wasn't there & Chrysler needed to sell a bunch of cars with a
426 Hemi before the 1966 NASCAR season.
Chrysler ran the 426 Hemi in 1964, but NASCAR banned it in 1965 because
the engine wasn't available in a production vehicle. So they offered it
as an option in 1966 & I'm pretty sure they had to sell a certain number
to make it acceptable to NASCAR.
On 2/22/2014 3:57 PM, J.C. O'Connell wrote:
that was still a damn good deal, even in '66 considering it had the 426
hemi
and 3 on the floor.
On 2/22/2014 3:42 PM, John wrote:
Not a Superbird, not even a Road Runner - a 1966 Belvedere II 2-dr, but
with a 426 Hemi & 3-speed on the floor manual transmission. I don't know
why, but that's what it was.
I think it was the same platform that would in later years be used for
the Road Runner & Superbird, but this particular model was at least a
couple of years before that happened.
It was still the days when Dodge was the brand little old spinster
school teachers drove ("The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" not
withstanding) because they stopped making DeSotos in 1960. The Chrysler
300 was a preacher's car because Cadillacs were too flashy for a "man
of the cloth" who didn't want to be seen putting on airs. Not much more
than a year after the debut of the Ford Mustang & the Plymouth Barracuda
was still regarded as just a sporty version Plymouth Valiant.
Prices went up a whole lot later on, but it was cheap because it wasn't
that popular (YET).
Keep in mind that at that time Durham, NC was a small town whose major
"industry" was the manufacture of cigarettes & as a market town for
tobacco farmers. It sat on the showroom floor the whole of my junior
year in high school; a good nine months which is a long time for a
dealer to have a vehicle sitting on the lot.
On 2/22/2014 2:10 PM, J.C. O'Connell wrote:
$2400 for the superbird?? no way!
On 2/22/2014 12:43 PM, John wrote:
It *was* remarkably low. That's why I remember it for so long.
It was about the same price as the plain vanilla Chevy 4-dr sedan my
father had bought the year before and I found that amazing.
On 2/21/2014 7:35 PM, Ken Waller wrote:
Sticker price as equipped $2400 including optional heater & AM radio.
Seems remarkably low.
Kenneth Waller
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller
----- Original Message ----- From: "John" <johnsess...@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Daytona Superbird
I never thought they were as cool as the Plymouth Belvedere II that
preceded them.
I remember back in high school the local Plymouth dealer was on the
way when I walked from school to my after school job & I'd sometimes
stop in to drool over a '66 2-door, 426 Hemi, 3-speed on the floor
(Hurst shifter I think - that may be just wishful thinking, but it
*was* a floor shift).
Sticker price as equipped $2400 including optional heater & AM radio.
On 2/21/2014 2:29 PM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
There was a production version of the Daytona — had to be to make it
legal for NASCAR — and the wing had to be high enough for the trunk
lid to open. That’s the story of legend anyway. But the car was
designed in a wind tunnel and it may well have been that the wing
caught more air when positioned high. The production versions of the
Daytonas and the Plymouth Superbird version were crudely assembled.
The gaps on the nose cone didn’t align and the pain on the rear
spoiler didn’t match the body color. Now when the obsessive original
equipment collectors restore them they try to make them less than
perfect. Shot several of them that were judged at shows over the
past
few years. The winning cars all were a bit off kilter.
On Feb 21, 2014, at 1:51 PM, knarf <knarftheria
u...@gmail.com> wrote:
Quick!
Why was the rear wing so high?
No googling, that's cheating.
Drool-worthy car. Remember seeing one on the street for the first
time. Oh baby!
Cheers,
frank
On 21 February, 2014 1:28:37 PM EST, Doug Franklin
<do...@nutdriver.org> wrote:
OK, Cotty, here's your chance! A real, honest-to-God Daytona
Superbird
with an actual racing history, and a 429, is for sale. No price
listed.
:)
http://www.motorsportretro.com/2014/02/1969-dodge-charger-daytona/
http://www.canepacollection.com/detail-1969-dodge-charger-daytona-used-5111490.html
“Analysis kills spontaneity.” -- Henri-Frederic Amiel
--
PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
PDML@pdml.net
http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow
the directions.