1969 Dodge Charger Daytona | Dodge

Thanks to movie franchises, such as The Fast and the Furious, XXX, or, well, just about anything with Vin Diesel in it, there’s this idea you can jump into a classic muscle car, outrun any cop car, and tear up the streets. Now here’s the reality check: Classic muscle is nearly a half century old, and to put it mildly, a lot has changed.

The Daytona was a performance milestone. Designers built the car with aerodynamic aids to dominate NASCAR, and it could reach 200 miles per hour in stock form. But with its massive front beak, the car was almost 19 feet long, making it an unwieldy daily driver. Despite being prized as collectables today, we wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of surviving Daytonas have had some kind of repairs done to their trademark beaks.