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