One to Watch in Monterey: Winged Car Edition

When it comes to the best of Mopar muscle, the cars with wings always seem to fly the highest.

We’ve watched strong pricing on both Superbirds and Daytonas at auction over the past several years, culminating with several million-dollar-plus examples sold in 2022 and 2023.

Barrett-Jackson set a new record with the $1,650,000 it achieved for a ’70 Hemi Superbird in Las Vegas in 2022, and Mecum sold a 6k-mile 1969 Daytona for $1,430,000 in Kissimmee at the beginning of 2023 — one of over a dozen examples to cross the block there, and the lowest mile original engine 4-speed Daytona known.

So what do you get when you take a great example of a Hemi Daytona — the rarest model of winged Mopar — and bring it to the already hot market of Monterey in August? We’re about to find out.

Mecum’s Monterey sale will present a 1969 Dodge Daytona Hemi car this August, offered as lot S128. The car was restored by Roger Gibson, and if you’re wondering, that’s the same Gibson who did the work on the $1.43m car sold in Kissimmee in January.

The car is one of 70 Hemi cars built for ’69, and it shows 64,305 miles from new. It’s finished in Hemi Orange and features the Hemi engine, an automatic transmission and a black interior. It has its original drivetrain, original sheet metal, correct VIN stampings and used a bunch of NOS parts in its restoration. So it’s a good color combo, has the right options and the right restoration, and it’s a rare example to start. The only downside here — and it’s really just a preference item — is the auto versus a generally more valuable 4-speed transmission.

Mecum has this car estimated at $800,000 to $1,200,000, which seems right compared to the $1.43m Kissimmee Daytona’s 4-speed and low miles, and the market’s movements on these cars to date. That said, there are a lot of heavy hitting cars heading to Monterey this year, and the market’s primed to see some big results for those cars.

The Daytona will be offered at Mecum’s Daytime Auction in Monterey, which will present 600 vehicles at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa from August 17-19. Learn more about it here, and see Mecum’s complete M o n t e r e y run list here.