Bobby Allison's 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona Nets $1.3 Million at Auction
Bobby Allison's 1969 Dodge Hemi Daytona Nets $1.3 Million at Auction
Published: 17 Aug 2025, 09:23 UTC • By:
Ciprian Florea 
click: 23 photos https://www.autoevolution.com/news/b...on-256037.html
Photo: Mecum Auctions
Built in only 503 examples for NASCAR homologation, the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona is now a desirable and highly expensive gem. The Hemi version, of which only 70 were made, fetches over $500,000 at public auction regularly, and three examples have sold for seven-figure sums. One of them is a fully-fledged NASCAR racer.In January 2023, a race-spec Hemi Daytona crossed the block for $1.43 million (including fees) and became the most expensive of its kind, a feat it shared with a road-going model. Since then, the latter, which is the world's most highly optioned Daytona, changed hands again in 2024 for a record $3 million.
About one year later, the NASCAR-spec Daytona went under the hammer again and became the second of its kind to fetch over $1 million twice. The vehicle sold for $1.32 million at Mecum's Monterey 2025 auction; it's one of only six vehicles hammered for seven-figure sums at the event.
The only Daytona with a NASCAR past sold at a high-profile event, the Coca-Cola-liveried "winged warrior" was previously driven by Bobby Allison. Allison, a Hall of Fame driver and winner of the Winston Cup in 1983, is one of the reasons why this Daytona netted over $1 million twice.
Bobby didn't win the series in the Charger Daytona, but he ran this car at speeds of over 200 mph (322 kph) for four laps on August 24, 1969. The Mopar with a copy of the lap time sheet as proof. Additionally, it was signed by the man himself in two locations on the dashboard.
Found in a barn decades ago, the Daytona was restored in its correct red and gold Coca-Cola no. 22 livery. Allison personally inspected the vehicle and verified its authenticity in a handwritten letter dated November 1999.
The fabulous restoration earned the car a first-place award at the 2005 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. And even though it's been 20 years since then, the "winged warrior" still looks pristine inside and out.
The Daytona no longer relies on its original engine, but that's far from surprising for a race car. However, it packs a period-correct 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi built and dyno-tested by the legendary Dick Landy. The mill packs 650 horsepower, significantly more than the Street Hemi version (425 horsepower).
But unlike the 503 Charger Daytonas built for homologation, this one is not road legal. Still, it's a fabulous piece of Mopar NASCAR history, and the sticker reflects that it's also a highly desirable classic.
The Daytona was the fifth most expensive vehicle auctioned off at Mecum's Monterey 2025 event. The list was topped by a 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S that traded for $1.98 million. It was also the most expensive American-made classic, tied with a rare 1932 Duesenberg Model J Sweep Panel Dual Cowl Phaeton.