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The rare classic racing car gets put through its paces to find out if it is ready to return to its owner following a long period of restoration.
Earlier this week, Nick’s Garage was teasing viewers on its Instagram to keep an eye out for “a very special project” that is finally crossing the finish line. Well, the wait is over and Nick Panaritis of Indy Auto has released a YouTube video showcasing the final test of a 1969 Dodge Charger 500 before it gets returned to its rightful owner.
Nick admits that he took on a massive task when he agreed to restore this ’69 Charger, and he is very excited to share the results with both his audience and the owner, Eugene Castles of Austin, Texas. After meticulously checking off each and every step of the restoration, Nick is happy to say that all that’s left is taking this bad boy out for a road test drive.
In the late ‘60s, Dodge needed to make some improvements to its highly coveted Charger race car so that it could better compete in NASCAR against Ford and General Motors. At that time, regulations required Dodge to build and sell at least 500 models of the car to the public, as per its homologation rules. And that’s where the name Charger 500 comes from. However, Dodge only produced 392 units of the classic muscle car, making it a super rare find.
While that heading might sound like the beginning of a popular Christmas jingle, it's also music to Nick's ears as he is crossing off the last task on his restoration list for this 1969 Dodge Charger 500. It's been in and out of Nick's shop for the last two years for mechanical work, dyno testing, painting, and the works, including an overhaul of the engine, transmission build, new set of gears, and upgrades for more horsepower.
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Now the day has finally come to put it through the paces and really push it to make sure that this classic is in tip-top shape and ready to go back to its rightful owner. The goal is to make sure the car doesn't experience any issues with regard to steering, suspension noises, shifting, and spinning the tires. Give the video a watch to see this dream car in action.
Whether some people call this Charger 500 original or not, it does retain all the original pieces, including the intake manifold, exhaust, and carburetor. So, this '69 Dodge Charger is, in fact, a numbers-matching car.
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Before taking the car out for a spin, Nick explains that when you overhaul a car with thousands of new pieces, it's important to really drive it and make sure everything works properly together.
Despite pushing the car hard to ensure the aforementioned, Nick ensures that “this is not a thrill ride.” Even so, we are sure that driving a collector's item such as the '69 Charger 500 is definitely a thrilling ride.
Michelle Marus is an automotive enthusiast who combined her passion for cars and writing into a career. She is a member of the American Muscle Car community and frequents local shows and events with her Camaro. Michelle loves all things cars and hopes to learn even more through her first-hand experiences, as well as her research and writing.