KEVIN MONK’S DODGE DAYTONA

We head back to 1986 to take another look at one of the most iconic street machines of all time

THE Dodge Daytona – and this car in particular – is a very special vehicle. It was a NASCAR stocker, years ahead of its time. These days, Daytonas are incredibly rare. Most were swiped from the showroom floor and raced. To find an original lightweight is incredible, because only 44 were made from a run of 502. To find one outside the States was considered an impossible dream – until we discovered Kevin Monk’s machine.

Sydney bloke Kevin is a car freak. At last count, he owned 16 ’32 Ford rods, a whole host of other machinery, and 45 garages! It was Kevin’s love of ’32 Fords that brought this man and this machine together.

In 1973, Kevin travelled to the US in search of ’32s. First stop was Los Angeles. There, he learned of Mopar muscle and was quickly converted to the faith. A meeting with Big Willie Robinson (a legend who heads an organisation named the International Brotherhood of Street Racers) gave Kevin some clues to finding a Daytona for sale. Big Willie recommended the

Daytona/superbird Car Club of America – but they knew the score. If there were any spare Daytonas going around, they’d know about ’em – and have the inside running.

Kevin reckoned that was game, set and match, so he faced facts and headed off in search of ’32s. With three other rodders in tow, he travelled along Route 66. In Arkansas, they took a bypass off the main freeway and motored up a country road. Kevin spotted a long, orange car under a tree. They called into a farmhouse to investigate. It belonged to an

TO FIND A DAYTONA OUTSIDE THE STATES WAS CONSIDERED AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM – UNTIL WE DISCOVERED KEVIN MONK’S MACHINE

elderly couple and – you guessed it – was a Dodge Charger Daytona!

Incredible as it might seem, the old fella’s missus used the beast as a shopping trolley until fuel prices started getting a bit tough. The Daytona was parked and a little Ford Pinto took its place. Kevin was beside himself. The Daytona had obviously been there a while – grass had grown up around it and there was farmyard grime everywhere. But it was all there. And the speedo read 23,000 original miles. The Aussie delegation primed the carb, test-drove the car for a couple of hours on the freeway and then Kevin struck a deal – for US$2000! The owner reckoned it must have depreciated at least 50 per cent, so that was a fair price.

But there was a catch. The farmer was heavily into old planes, having already restored one with another two on the way. He needed parts to complete his projects, and any bits Kevin found would conclude the deal. So our man took the Daytona and continued along Route 66. He found the parts and closed the deal.

But the adventure didn’t stop there. In 1973, there existed a 98 per cent import duty on cars. There was no way the authorities would cop the Daytona’s US$2000 price tag. There had to be a way around the problem. Kevin bought a tin of heavy-duty grease, sealed any gaps in the body, poured a couple of litres of engine oil over the entire car, then drove around an LA construction site for an hour or so. The dust and muck that stuck artificially devalued this classic in a hell of a hurry.

The original wheels and rear wing were taken off and put in the boot. Then Kevin broke the centre of the boot lock with a screwdriver – it was a long way back to Oz and Kevin wanted to keep everything he’d paid for.

When it hit the docks, the customs officials didn’t bat an eyelid at the Yank junker. Kevin soon had the car back at the garage, totally stripped and rebuilt. And that’s where its true identity was discovered.

Lightweights came with a metal rear wing, and when Kevin stripped the paint he discovered a few tell-tale signs. This car did have a metal wing, no undercoat (to reduce weight!), and carpet with no underfelt. Kevin resprayed the Daytona in a Holden colour, Sebring, which was as close to the original as he could get. The RHD conversion was completed and our rego mob had no option but to hand over the plates.

The Daytona’s details were filed on the federal rego computer, where nosy cops can read all about the car’s legality. But they don’t get many opportunities. You can’t take risks with a Super Stocker.

THE DAYTONA HAD OBVIOUSLY BEEN THERE A WHILE – GRASS HAD GROWN UP AROUND IT – BUT IT WAS ALL THERE. AND THE SPEEDO READ 23,000 ORIGINAL MILES

BY THE time the Monk Daytona was featured in Street Machine, it had already been immortalised in the legendary 1982 Aussie car flick

Running On Empty.

Kevin sold the car to his son Daniel in 1998, who treated it to a full rebuild that removed the flares, rake and slot mags – and added a colour change to a Ford blue. It was then sold to US car collector John Pappas in 2001, who still has the car today.

Greg ‘Beach’ Ball of Pro Street Restorations fame built many cars for Kevin Monk back in the day, as well as maintaining the Daytona and using it for parts runs! He is now great friends with John Pappas and had the opportunity to drive the car in Detroit, including in the 2018 Woodward Dream Cruise!