Dodge Charger Daytona (1976-1977)
You may be familiar with the original Dodge Charger Daytona from 1969. It was a big coupe based on the Charger with a pointy nose and massive rear wing. It was also designed for racing in NASCAR and produced in only 500 examples. The Daytona, with its cousin the Plymouth Road Runner Superbird, is still one of the craziest muscle cars ever left the factory. Less than 10 years after the memorable Daytona, in a terrible case of self-reinventing, Dodge decided to use that glorious name again (via Automobile Catalog).
This time, it was on a Dodge Charger, which was basically a Chrysler Cordoba, a big two-door personal luxury coupe with no muscle car credentials whatsoever. The move was not well received since the Cordoba had a lame 145 hp V8 engine. It was more focused on luxury and having a well-appointed interior than performance, and driving dynamics. Fortunately, buyers punished Dodge for using the precious Daytona nameplate for a not-so-special car. In the end, only 250 examples left the factory. And this Daytona’s reincarnation was on the margins of muscle car history.