It is not often that one of the most celebrated cars heading into the largest collector's car auction in the world is portrayed in a barn with bales of hay and a grazing cow.
DETROIT, MI - It's a tale most collector car enthusiasts can only dream of.
Charlie Lyons, a retired firefighter who runs a classic car restoration business in Irvington, Ala., found a second-owner, 1969 Dodge Daytona sitting untouched for decades in a car port.
He had set out to look at a common Chevelle when he "heard tell of a Superbird that had hit a hog earlier in its life, and they put a Roadrunner front end on it."
Lyons said he went to investigate the Plymouth Superbird, and in the course of speaking with the owner it was mentioned that there was also a long-idle, 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona nearby.
"I haven't ever seen a Daytona other than in a museum," Lyons said.
He wanted to see that Charger Daytona. He wanted to buy it, and restore it.
But the owner of the Superbird was reluctant to put Lyons in touch with the man who had the rare car. Lyons persisted, and eventually began exchanging texts for weeks with the Charger Daytona's owner.
One day, out of the blue, the owner contacted Lyons and basically said, this is the price I want for it, if you pay it, it's yours.
Six figures at auction
Now, one of the most celebrated cars heading into the largest collector's car auction in the world is portrayed in a barn with bales of hay and a grazing cow.
It is not too often that one of Mecum Auctions' featured lots is a barnyard scene with a car that is clearly disheveled, with a weather-beaten exterior and a completely shredded interior.
But such is the marketing treatment given to this 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, found by Lyons in a Alabama car port earlier this year and expected to fetch six figures at Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee, Fla. next month.
This long-idled 1969 Dodge Daytona, found in a Alabama car port earlier this year, is expected to fetch six figures at Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee, Fla. next month. "This is not typical," said John Kraman, consignment director and NBC television commentator for Mecum Auctions. "The only reason we decided to embrace this car at a high price target is because of the significance of the car when it's restored."
The price estimate for the Daytona is $150,000-$180,000. Kraman said it will likely need about $100,000 worth of work.
The fluids that once lubricated and powered the car's drivetrain are long gone. Varmints appeared to have carried off chunks of the interior for nesting.
But, like so many historic homes in Detroit, the Hamtramck-made car's bones are solid. Once restored, the Charger Daytona is likely to be worth upwards of $300,000.
Essential rarity
The main reason the Charger Daytona is such a sought-after car - and thus valued so highly - is simply that it is rare. Only 503 were produced in Hamtramck from 1969 to 1970.
Another Charger Daytona on the auction block has an estimated price range of $250,000 to $325,000. Like the "barn find" Charger Daytona, it has a 440 Magnum V-8 with 375 horsepower.
Even more desirable to collectors is the Charger Daytona 426 HEMI V-8 with 425 horsepower and a 4-speed, manual transmission. Only 20 such models were built. One is in the Kissimmee auction with an estimated price range of $700,000 to $900,000.
Mecum Auctions has a promo video of the rare car:
With a 23-inch rear wing and front stabilizer cone, the Dodge Charger Daytona is referred to as one of four "aero cars," along with the Ford Torino Talladega, the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II and its direct relative, the Plymouth Superbird.
Why auction it?
Lyons would not disclose the price he paid for the car, but said that, contrary to some chatter he's seen on the internet, he did not take advantage of the man he bought the car from, a retired anesthesiologist who was just the second owner.
"He knew what he had," Lyons said. "In the conversation we had he said he realized he never was going to fix it."
Lyons, on the other hand, had every intention of restoring it, along with his sons Marcus and Kody. He estimates it needs about $50,000-$70,000 of work.
"The pictures are deceiving," he said, adding that the car is actually in better shape than the photos suggest, with all of its original parts in tact.
"It's just labor, really," Lyons said. "Everything is there."
So why then it is headed to auction?
Lyons said Mecum Auctions contacted him after his story was featured in Hot Rod magazine.
"They said, look, the craze right now for this car is to sell it just like it is," he said.
Lyons and Mecum struck a deal. The car is headed to Kissimmee for the Jan. 15-24 auction.
But for Lyons, the story may not end with the auction.
"It's an excellent old car," he said. "I'm going to take the car to Florida but I will gladly take it home. I put a reserve on it, and if it doesn't sell it's not going to hurt my feelings one bit."
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.