- the 2020 dodge charger widebody daytona 50th anniversary edition marks the arrival of the 717-hp version of the hellcat to the charger lineup.
- the car is an obvious and loving tribute to the 1969 dodge charger daytona.
- ordering starts in the fall, with only 501 units to be produced, and vehicles will arrive in dealerships in early 2020.
here's an existential query: when you've already got 707 horsepower, can 10 more make a tangible difference? dodge certainly thinks so, and with the introduction of the—take a deep breath—2020 dodge charger srt hellcat widebody daytona 50th anniversary edition, the charger is finally collecting those bonus 10 ponies that the challenger srt hellcat received for the 2019 model year.
although it'd be nearly impossible to recreate the bulbous nose and high-flying wing of the 1969 dodge charger daytona for a current production vehicle, the 2020 charger daytona 50th anniversary edition does co-opt the rear stripe graphic treatment. it also gets a unique “daytona” decklid and a coat of daytona-exclusive b5 blue paint. the car will be available with pitch black, triple nickel, or white knuckle paint, too, but the exclusive b5 blue will probably be the one that collectors zero in on. (on white knuckle cars, the daytona decal and spoiler are blue, and the hellcat badge has a bright finish.) a set of 20-by-11-inch warp speed wheels with a unique satin carbon finish wrapped in 305/35zr pirelli all-season performance tires (three-season tires are optional) provide traction, while black brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes with vented rotors do their best to erase speed.
as with the challenger, the charger daytona's extra 10 horsepower come via a revised powertrain calibration. dodge hasn't mentioned if the calibration will migrate to the rest of the charger hellcat lineup, but it seems like an obvious move.
as a reminder, the 1969 charger daytona was designed specifically for nascar competition, and a prototype of the car was the first to post a 200-plus-mph average lap speed, a record that stood for 17 years. only 501 units, just enough to meet production homologation requirements for the series, were produced. fittingly, dodge will only make 501 copies of the 2020 dodge charger srt hellcat widebody daytona 50th anniversary edition.
interior nods to the original daytona include blue accent stitching on the black heated and ventilated leather and synthetic leather performance seats that feature "daytona" embroidered seatbacks. the blue accent stitching continues throughout the interior, appearing on the center console armrest, door panels and armrest, dashboard, and shifter. the flat-bottom steering wheel has contrasting silver and blue stitching accents, while velour-bound floor mats have a touch of blue stitching. both are unique to the daytona 50th anniversary edition. the instrument panel and console bezels are carbon fiber, and a faux-suede headliner completes the look. and because any limited edition is pointless without a callout, a custom ip badge located on the passenger side with hellcat and daytona logos identifies each vehicle as x out of 501.
the special edition is slated to make its official in-the-metal debut on saturday, august 17, at the modern street hemi shootout event during the annual woodward dream cruise in pontiac, michigan. dealer orders for all 2020 dodge charger models, including this one, open in the fall, and vehicles will start arriving in dodge/srt dealerships in early 2020.