Richard Petty on his favorite race car
- Thread starter funknut
- Start date
- Local time
- 3:37 AM
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2008
- Messages
- 18,821
- Reaction score
- 43,844
- Location
- In GTXtacy Illinois
I was hopin he was going to say the Superbird, but Ill take the Charger. lol
He had Charger Envy since Pearson blew past him in '66! Smart man!
- Local time
- 4:37 AM
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2009
- Messages
- 18,115
- Reaction score
- 34,199
- Location
- State of insanity
He's referring to the 3rd gen Charger, not the 66-70 models.
Absolutely 
chargervert
Well-Known Member
Good enough for the King! Good enough for me!
JR_Charger
Well-Known Member
With the interest in the analog car driving experience these days, I'm surprised the value of 3rd gen Chargers hasn't shot through the moon. You will never get a stronger endorsement than Richard Petty's. Never. New drivers will come and go, but they won't be from that era. The King's place is permanent. Arguably the greatest driver of his time, absolutely the biggest personality and he still presents better than any other driver.
Didn’t he have a little say in the designs? I also thought they were the first cars for production that were wind tunnel tested? Idk for sure but I’d love to hear his stories...
chargervert
Well-Known Member
Worked for me,I never used to care for them,now I own six of them!
JR_Charger
Well-Known Member
There's an interview where he says he went to Plymouth and told the boss he wanted a wing and nose cone on his Road Runner, and the Plymouth guy said "No, you're winning with what you've got so keep running that." Ford's office was across the street, so Richard went and had a talk with them after the Plymouth meeting, and drove for Ford until Plymouth caved and gave him the Super Bird.
I haven't heard anything about Petty having influence on the 3rd gen designs, except through the Super Bird.
Here are some videos you might enjoy -
Mute the volume on this one, the audio is only an annoying electronic song -
At least they give you wind tunnel sounds with this one -
I wish they'd say what the results were.
I'd love to see an actual NASCAR 3rd gen tested, preferably with side windows instead of the drag-inducing open window and safety net. And a street car.
I’ll agree. The ‘71-‘74 2 door Coronet (Charger) was better aerodynamically than the ‘68-‘70 Charger but… most cars built today are more aerodynamic. And just look at them.
- Local time
- 4:37 AM
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2009
- Messages
- 18,115
- Reaction score
- 34,199
- Location
- State of insanity
The 71-74 B-bodies, both Dodge and Plymouth, were better in so many different ways than their predecessors. If only they were able to keep the previous higher compression/performance engines.
fullmetaljacket
Well-Known Member
- Local time
- 3:37 AM
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2010
- Messages
- 1,311
- Reaction score
- 2,374
- Location
- Brooklyn, New York
This solidifies my love of the 3rd Gen Chargers and Plymouth RR/GTX's. The chargers looked like they were flying even when standing still.
- Local time
- 4:37 AM
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2009
- Messages
- 18,115
- Reaction score
- 34,199
- Location
- State of insanity
Strictly aerodynamics, Chrysler had to do extensive mods to the prior gen bricks-on-wheels to attempt to render them competitive. And succeeded with the Daytona and Superbird. Subsequently, the aerodynamics resulted in the next gen styles. Hence, 71,72,74,75 championships for Mr. Petty.
JR_Charger
Well-Known Member
They can't all be RWD, but I think most of the 2020's cars are pretty good looking. Better than almost anything in the 2000's and 2010's. I've seen some Japanese cars that look like origami, that's not so good.
I'm trying to love the 71-74 Coronet, but I haven't been able to do it yet. The 3rd gen Charger could be better looking too, particularly the rear window treatment, but it functioned as intended. What are you going to do, lose?
It bothers me that so much work went into the 3rd gen and it didn't get to live up to its potential on the track or the street. I'd love to know how fast the 3rd gen Daytona could have gone with an unrestricted motor and the windows closed.
I never see these in real life, other than mine. There's a guy around here who has a couple 3rd gen Road Runners and a 2nd gen Charger, but it's been 20 years since I've seen a 3rd gen Charger IRL. What happened to all of them? Did they rust away in junk yards because people prefer the prettier 2nd gen?
I wish there was a huge book documenting all the race-inspired changes made for the 3rd gen.
JR_Charger
Well-Known Member
I suspect what got Richard out of the Road Runner was getting his doors blown off by team mate Buddy Baker's 71 Charger. I can't remember which race it was, but Buddy Baker smoked the King good. I can imagine the thoughts going through Richard's head as his own team mate soared by him like he was standing still.
Nice set of wheels!
YY1
Well-Known Member
I started following him in IIRC the '73 or '74 season, which IIRC was the last year with the 72 Plymouth.
Most of my memories are of the 73/74 bodied Charger.
I also believe he ran that car well past the '75 season.
...but these are the memories of a 5-7 year old in a era when you were lucky to see one other race besides the Daytona 500 on broadcast TV.
Technically those two cars should be the same aerodynamically.
Most of my memories are of the 73/74 bodied Charger.
I also believe he ran that car well past the '75 season.
...but these are the memories of a 5-7 year old in a era when you were lucky to see one other race besides the Daytona 500 on broadcast TV.
Technically those two cars should be the same aerodynamically.
Similar threads
