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The Dodge Charger Daytona – The First NASCAR Racer To Break 200 MPH

The 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona is one of the most important cars in NASCAR history, it was the first to break the 200 mph barrier and it proved so fast that its immediate successor was essentially outlawed on safety grounds a year later.

NASCAR tire suppliers Goodyear and Firestone both announced they couldn’t supply tires that were able to safely withstand the speeds of the Dodge Charger Daytona – this combined with the car’s wild looks and race-dominating speed led to it being one of the most controversial NASCAR competitors of its age.

Still today, 52 years after it was introduced, the looks of the Dodge Charger Daytona are divisive. Some love them and some hate them, the only thing people can generally agree on is that the car looks entirely unique.

Designing The Dodge Charger Daytona

The project to build the Dodge Charger Daytona started in 1968 when Chrysler’s Special Vehicles Group began experimenting with a more aerodynamic version of the regular production Charger. This car looked far less drastic than the eventual Charger Daytona, and its lack of success on the race track inspired further and much more comprehensive aerodynamic changes.

Above Image: The unmistakable nose of the Charger Daytona helped improve aerodynamics and downforce, allowing NASCAR versions to top 200 mph on the track.

The car that resulted from these changes would be the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. It was fitted with a new 18 inch “pointy” nose and chin spoiler to reduce high-speed drag and reduce lift. The rear of the car was modified to ensure that the rear window was flush and reverse scoops on both front fenders reduced pressure build up inside the wheel arches.

After fine tuning in a wind tunnel the Charger Daytona had a drag coefficient (cd) of just 0.28, by way of comparison the Ferrari F40 has a drag coefficient of 0.34, the Lamborghini Murcielago measures in at 0.33, and the McLaren F1 sits at 0.32 – smaller numbers mean less drag.

The key issue faced by the development version was rear end lift at higher speeds. This was solved with the addition of a 23 inch tall rear wing. There are two competing explanations for this unusually high rear wing, one school of thought says it that it had to be that high to clear the roof line, and the other more practical school of thought is that it had to be that high to allow the trunk to open and close.

Regardless of the reasoning for its height, the rear wing added the much needed rear downforce as well as some directional stability at high speeds – exactly what the car needed.

Over the course of the one year only production run just 503 examples of the Dodge Charger Daytona were built, enough to meet the homologation requirement but far short of many other NASCAR homologation specials.

The reason for these lower sales numbers was almost certainly the car’s looks, though there were some practical considerations – it was often difficult to find a parking space that could accommodate the 18 ft long vehicle.

Above Video: Some period footage of both the Dodge Charger Daytona and the later Plymouth Superbird in action.

The road-going Charger Daytona were built on the 1969 Charger R/T platform, this meant that the cars had the required heavy-duty suspension and brakes they needed, plus either a 440 cu. in. (7.2 litre) Magnum V8 engine as the standard choice or the slightly more powerful 426 cu. in. (7.0 litre) Hemi V8 which came at additional cost. Just 70 would be sold with the Hemi.

For 1970 the 1970 Plymouth Superbird replaced the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, both cars look similar and are often mistaken for one another, though the cars aren’t identical – the Superbird is a development of the earlier Dodge.

The 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Shown Here

The Dodge Charger Daytona you see here is an original survivor and importantly, it’s just 1 of 92 4-speed manual Charger Daytonas listed in the Chrysler Registry.

This car benefits from a full rotisserie restoration back to original specification, it’s the only one optioned in this manner per the Chrysler Registry Report. It’s powered by the Code E86 440 cu. in. 375 hp Magnum V8 which sends power back through a 4-speed into a D91 Dana 60 3.54 Sure Grip differential.

Restoration photos are included as well as a copy of the original window sticker. The car is due to cross the auction block with Mecum in March and at the time of writing there’s no estimate.

If you’d like to read more or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing.

Images courtesy of Mecum

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Abby Bowers – The Woman Behind Grease + Grain

This post is part of a new series on Silodrome where we find interesting people from the automotive world and ask them to tell us about themselves in their own words. We’ll be featuring artists, engineers, photographers, industrial designers, writers, filmmakers, TV personalities, car designers, and more.

Meet Photographer Abby Bowers – Grease + Grain

I started taking photographs of cars because I was bored at the sort of car shows we were at. They were too static and the cars weren’t old enough to keep my attention. But searching for odd angles and light with my camera kept me busy.

I bought my first digital camera in August 2019 (Olympus OMD EM-10 MKII). At the same time we were going to more vintage and classic car shows and I felt much more at home.

Modern cars don’t hold a fascination for me at all so suddenly at places like Bicester Heritage I had the inspiration I needed.

I come from a “Fine Art” background but my fascination was always with film photography and using old slides and projectors. I’ve always loved taking photographs especially in gritty, dark, less aesthetically pleasing instances.

I was always more of a thinking artist than a doer, and I think that has rubbed off onto my photography. I don’t just shoot a car because its beautiful, or famous or expensive and I very rarely shoot a whole car.

I like reflections, shadows and finding moments other people might miss. You’ll usually find me hidden behind something trying to get a bit of an abstract shot.

The best shoot I ever did was at the Herefordshire Trials. Stood in thick mud, in the pouring rain in the depths of the English winter. Absolutely frozen. Watching Pre-War cars battle their way up a treacherously muddy, rutty hill with huge puddles and sharp bends (image below).

Its much easier to capture the emotion and atmosphere that can surround classic cars when you are immersed in the action with the drivers. It was like some secret event hidden away in the forests where a group of mates got together to just do something completely ridiculous.

Tools Of The Trade

I use Lightroom to edit all my shots and its a pretty simple process – technically I have no idea what i’m doing. When I sat down to edit my first shots taken on a proper camera I just moved the dials about figuring out what they did until the photo made me go yes! Thats it! And thats what I’ve stuck with.

Turns out I like my photos dark and atmospheric. Some so dark people have complained! But I think that dark favours cars well, especially if they are emerging from the dark. I’m inspired by old family photographs, film photography, and gritty street photography, and I love any films or TV set in the 70’s or 60’s for inspiring the atmosphere of the shots.

I like to imagine my photographs hanging in an old fashion gentleman’s club, whilst people are sat around drinking whisky and smoking cigars.

If someone wants to buy a print I have them printed on soft, textured paper almost like watercolour paper so the dark looks really dark and the colours look intense. The more it looks like an oil painting the better.

If you’d like to see more of Abby Bower’s work you can click here to visit her website and here to follow her on Instagram.

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The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2” – Powered By A 542 bhp 5.0 Litre Jaguar V8

This is an original Bowler prototype built using the firm’s all-aluminum Cross Sector Platform (CSP) chassis, you can see the chassis itself in the image below, but long story short it’s an entirely modern design developed in-house at Bowler to be suitable for everything from high-speed Dakar desert racing to military use.

The Bowler Cross Sector Platform (CSP) Chassis

The CSP chassis is far more complex, modern, and rigid that the simple steel ladder frame chassis used on the Land Rover Defender and on its Series 1, 2, and 3 forebears. Bowler had been developing high-performance Land Rovers for decades but one of the most restrictive elements was always the old chassis design.

The new Bowler CSP chassis was built to accommodate Independent front and rear suspension with up to 27cm (10.6 inches) of wheel travel. It’s also made from lightweight aluminum alloy, and when paired with the full internal roll cage it forms an incredibly rigid structure not dissimilar to a space frame.

The vehicle you see here is the Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2”, it was essential in developing the new chassis and on integrating the 542 bhp 5.0 litre Jaguar V8 engine. The final package was so impressive that it was shortlisted by Autocar Magazine as one of their Top Ten Driver’s cars of the year in 2019, alongside cars like the McLaren 600LT, Lamborghini Huracan Evo, and the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 63S.

Above Image: The all-aluminum Bowler Cross Sector Platform (CSP) chassis, with the FIA-approved roll cage included it forms a rigid structure almost like a spaceframe chassis.

Bowler have been building high performance Land Rovers since the 1980s and they enjoyed a friendly relationship with the UK carmaker. It was after the release of the CSP chassis that the relationship grew stronger, up to the point that Jaguar Land Rover acquired Bowler in late 2019.

The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2” would form the underpinnings of the new Project CSP 575, the official continuation of Land Rover Defender production in heavily revised form, and now carrying the brand name Bowler rather than Land Rover.

Some have argued that the Bowler CSP 575 is far closer to what Land Rover should have released as the new Defender, though perhaps with some slightly less intense engine options. That said, the mass-market appeal of such a vehicle would likely have been limited.

The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2”

When it was first built the Bowler you see here was fitted with a slightly more tame turbocharged 3.0 litre Land Rover V6 in Bulldog configuration. It was later reworked by the factory to operate as a prototype/test bed for the 542 bhp 5.0 litre Jaguar V8 with 516 lb ft of torque, and it remains in this configuration now.

Above Image: The flared wheel arches are needed to accommodate the considerably wider track width over the original Land Rover Defender.

Power is sent back into an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox with a Bowler transmission cooler, and from there into a torque bias centre differential, complimented by an open differential to the front and an E-Diff to the rear. The track width is notably wider than the standard Defender, and the absence of visible diffs is a good indication than this is no ordinary Land Rover.

The vehicle rides on competition specification remote-reservoir Bilstein shock absorbers and coil springs with the above mentioned 27cm (10.6 inches) of suspension travel, and it’s fitted with ventilated disc brakes with Brembo calipers on all four wheels. The wheels are graphite six-spoke 18-inch Compomotive units shod with Cooper Discoverer A/T All-Season tires.

This Bowler is fitted with an FIA-specification 90 litre fuel cell, MSA/ FIA certified roll cage and twin competition type buckets seats, both of which are fitted with six-point competition harnesses.

If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can click here to visit the listing on RM Sotheby’s. It’s due to cross the auction block on the 13th of February and it’s offered without reserve, direct from the collection of former Bowler Motors Limited Director Richard Hayward.

The post The Bowler CSP V8 Prototype “P2” – Powered By A 542 bhp 5.0 Litre Jaguar V8 appeared first on Silodrome.

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Bio-Robotic Arm Controlled By Brain Signal Created by Kenyan Inventors

Kenyan inventors David Gathu and Moses Kinyua had to drop out of university due to lack of means to pay tuition fees. This did not seem to be a hindrance for these robotics enthusiasts.
They created a robotic arm made of several materials, including recycled wood, and controlled by brain signals. These signals are converted into electrical current by a bio-potential headset “NeuroNode”. This electrical current allows the arm to move vertically and horizontally.

“It is a biorobotic upper limb arm prosthesis that uses brain signals for the hand to move it according to your wishes. This biorobotic hand uses these brain signals, amplifies them, filters them and converts them into electrical current, which is further pushed to the robot’s circuitry, which means it can convert users’ thoughts into movement.”
David Gathu

The next step for the two young inventors is to find the necessary funds for larger scale production of their invention.

H/T: Euronews

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