Now’s your chance to own a piece of Dodge history. Actually, it’s more than that. It’s a piece of American racing history. The Dodge Charger Daytona is not only iconic for its legendary looks, and its instantly recognizable wing. It’s most notable for the fact that NASCAR banned it from competing after it broke the 200-mile-per-hour barrier. The reason that this specific car is so extremely rare is that it is the very vehicle that broke that 200 mph barrier.

This car was the first to hit 200 MPH on a closed circuit

This 1969 Dodge Daytona will sell at Mecum Auctions’ Indianapolis 2022 event later this month. It’s being sold without a reserve, too. Mecum estimates that this car will bring between $350,000 and $450,000. When you dig into its story a bit, it’s easy to see why it’s worth so much money.

This particular car, serial number DC-93, is the very car that became the first vehicle to break 200 miles per hour on a closed-circuit course. On March 24th, 1970, Buddy Baker took DC-93 around the iconic Talladega oval with an official lap speed of 200.447 mph. Though it barely surpassed the 200 mph barrier, it firmly cemented its place in history.

That wasn’t the first time this car had gone over 200 mph, though. Its first time was at the Chelsea Proving Grounds in July 1969, where it hit a top speed of 205 miles per hour. Best yet, this only scratches the surface of the wild history that comes with this awesome car.

DC-93 didn’t even start life as a Daytona car. It was a standard Dodge Charger 500 press vehicle that made its rounds to various media outlets for reviewing. However, it was stolen during its press travels. Dodge recovered the vehicle eventually, and it became the test platform for the iconic Daytona.

After it took its place in the history books with the 200 mph record, it competed in NASCAR racing as car number 88. Iconic drivers who’ve been behind the wheel of this car include Bobby Allison, Dan Gurney, Bobby Isaac, and James Hylton.

What made the Dodge Daytona package special?

Aside from the iconic massive rear wing applying as much downforce as engineering of the time could allow to the rear wheels, the Daytona has plenty of other tricks up its sleeve.

First, the pointed front bumper includes a sealed undercarriage from the tip of the nosecone to the k-frame. Dodge engineers put their best foot forward in making this car as aerodynamic as possible. The resulting coefficient of drag is a remarkably low 0.29.

Dodge coupled this remarkably efficient aerodynamic design with a whole lot of horsepower. Under the hood is a Hemi 426 V8 with a dry-sump oil system and a Holley Dominator carburetor. The resulting power output was an astonishing 575 horsepower.

Though this is a race car and does not come with a title, it is sold with a bill of sale. Additionally, the sale includes a handful of vintage photographs and documentation on the car. Finally, it includes a letter of authenticity from late Chrysler engineer George M Wallace, who worked on the development of these cars in the 1960s.

Ultimately, it’s safe to assume that the buyer of this car is going to tuck it away into a personal collection or display it at a museum somewhere. Typically, it’s a bit upsetting for car enthusiasts to see cars go undriven. However, in certain cases like this, it makes a good bit of sense.

At any rate, this auction is certainly one to keep an eye on!