The Heide Performance Products Dodge Daytona

The HPP Dodge Daytona part 1-The design 

We were on our last day at SEMA this year when I came across what looked to be a new Dodge Challenger modified to look like a 1969 Dodge Daytona.  It was late in the day and the show was closing so we had little time to get good pictures of the “HPP Daytona” but earlier this week I found that Heide Performance Products, who built the modern Dodge Daytona was based in Madison Heights, Michigan.  I emailed the company and HPP president Gordon Heidacker invited me to come to the company headquarters and see the car up close.  Needless to say, I jumped on the chance to get a private look at such a unique vehicle and yesterday I spent a few hours talking to Mr. Heidacker about the company and their HPP Dodge Daytona. 

I have been going to events like the Mopar Nationals for 20 or so years now, and I have seen just about every type of Mopar that has been turned into a home brewed Superbird or Daytona.  From Rams to Neons, Satellites to Volares, enthusiasts have slapped a huge spoiler on the back and called it a wing car but this Daytona from Heide Performance Products is nothing like that.  The designers at HPP have crossed all of their T’s and dotted all of their I’s in making sure that their Daytona is clearly different from the Dodge Challenger.  Right now, I know that some of my Mopar purists are reading this and thinking “the Daytona was a Charger, not a Challenger”- but I will get to that.   

One of the key points of interest with the HPP Dodge Daytona is the involvement of the Chrysler Corporation.  Gordon Heidacker spent 23 years working at Chrysler and during his time as a company executive he was involved with projects like the Dodge Viper and Plymouth Prowler and he helped to lay the groundwork for the Mopar Skunkwerks (the division responsible for building modified vehicles for events like the SEMA Show).  After spending over two decades helping to build unique cars for Chrysler, he decided that he wanted go out on his own and he began Heide Performance Products.  The hope for this new company was to build exciting custom cars and to aide in the design process a former designer for Saleen and ASC, Jack Pennington, was brought on as the lead designer for HPP.  

Shortly after forming the company, Gordon was asked by Chrysler if his new company could build a 2-door Charger and make a modern Daytona out of this Charger coupe.  Heidacker accepted the project but after some of the planning, he found that taking the time to re-engineer the Charger into a coupe would be lengthy and in the end, they would end up with a car nearly identical to the current Dodge Challenger.  Chrysler looked at the planning work done by HPP and agreed that the Challenger would work just as well, so Heide Performance Products began designing on their Dodge Daytona and the result was this drawing (click here to view the drawing). 

HPP took their proposal for the HPP Daytona to Chrysler and a few hours later the company’s bankruptcy was announced.  Even with the looming financial issues, Chrysler liked it and gave HPP the go ahead to begin the fabrication of the HPP Dodge Daytona.  In July, HPP took delivery of a TorRed Challenger R/T delivered from Chrysler (it was the car at the NAIAS last year), equipped with a 5.7L Hemi and a 6-speed manual transmission and on July 31 the build began.  Their goal was to finish the car in time for SEMA and at 3am on October 28th- less than a week before the show began in Las Vegas, the car was finished ready.  They rushed to get their spokesmodel Stacey to the shop, setting up a small area to get pictures of the lovely lady with the Daytona and then have them printed for the SEMA Show less than a week later.  After less than three months to take a Dodge Challenger R/T to a fully customized, 600 horsepower Dodge Daytona their efforts were appreciated by nearly everyone who viewed the car at SEMA.  Mr. Heidacker told me that discussions with viewers at the show were very positive from younger enthusiasts to people in their 80s, and both men and women liked the vintage styling to this modern muscle car.  Overall, HPP was very happy with the reception by other exhibitors, the public, and the media.   Click here to view the transformation from a Dodge Challenger to an HPP Dodge Daytona!

The HPP Dodge Daytona Part 2-the car

When HPP set out designing their Dodge Daytona, they wanted a car that was distinctly ‘Daytona’, but they wanted it to be modified to improve its function as well as its form.  The body is obviously heavily modified, with the elongated nose giving the Challenger body the stretched front area reminiscent of the original Charger Daytona.  Like the original, there is a set of electronic headlight covers and just below them a large, aluminum trimmed radiator opening to help keep the Hemi nice and cool.  Along the lower valance of the Daytona, the flat black spoiler has dual brake cooling ducts and a center vent that directs air through the intercooler.  This is the first car produced and the center cooling grille area will also house the turn signal lights and the projection style fog lights once they begin production.  The front fascia runs into the front fenders, relocating the side markers higher on the car and the 2009 Challenger rectangle lights have been removed in favor of small round lights, similar to those found on 1968 model year Dodges.

The huge rear wings is the punctuating feature of the HPP Dodge Daytona with a black stripe sporting the Daytona name, as well as a bright blue Mopar M and the HPP logo.  The tail lights of the Challenger have been removed in favor of two long thin tail lights, much like you would find on a 1969 Daytona.  The bottom of the rear fascia holds a functional air splitter, helping the aerodynamics to work with the front fascia and the rear spoiler.  There will be an option for rear-exit exhaust, but the concept HPP Daytona has a unique set of four square exhaust tips coming through the body on both sides of the car.  One interesting touch of the HPP Dodge Daytona is the custom designed wheels and tires.  These HPP aluminum rims are finished in brilliant silver and black.  The Daytona logo and a touch of red trim combine with the custom red-line drag radials adding grip and vintage style to the HPP Daytona. 

Inside, the HPP logo is proudly displayed on the door panels and floormats and the custom billet HPP shifter is topped by a metallic gold shift ball to match the theme of the interior and exterior trim.  The black leather seats carry both the HPP and Daytona names, with gold trim and inserts coordinating with the gold accents added throughout the interior. 

Last but certainly not least is the HPP Dodge Daytona drivetrain.  When it was a Challenger, this car started with a 5.7L Hemi mated to a 6-speed manual transmission.  The Hemi’s 372 horsepower is increased to around 600bhp thanks to some help from the folks at Vortech, who provided a centrifugal supercharger and intercooler setup for the build.  Next, the power was increased thanks to a throaty Magnaflow 3” exhaust system leading from the engine to the HPP quad exhaust tips.  Finally, the handling was improved by a set of KW coilovers, lowering the Daytona body over the custom wheels and tires. 

There is no price yet for the HPP Dodge Daytona, but the folks at HPP are involved in talks with Mopar to produce more Daytona show cars for Chrysler.  HPP did an awesome job with their new HPP Dodge Daytona, pleasing spectators at the SEMA Show and the Chrysler execs alike, and if the Daytona is a little too extreme for you, HPP has a new Challenger in the works that will likely keep the look of the original car but it will offer some of the uniqueness and performance similar to the HPP Daytona.  If Mopars aren’t for you - fear not.  Mr. Heidacker is a fan of all sorts of vehicles and he was quick to point out that HPP doesn’t just make Challengers or Mopars, as the company hopes in the near future to roll out something based on the Chevrolet Camaro, as well as a surprise custom car based on a partnership with Audi/Volkswagen. 

For now, the folks at Heide Performance Products have done an awesome job of producing what is probably the best Dodge Daytona since the original hit the streets in the late 60s.  Interested parties can contact HPP through their website (click here for more information) and when you purchase an HPP Dodge Daytona, Mr. Heidacker intends to include a photo album with a step by step walkthrough of how your Challenger became a Daytona. Every car produced will receive a limited edition serial number.  There are a wide variety of modified Challengers available on the market, but none call on Mopar heritage more than the HPP Daytona and with a 600 horsepower Hemi, the Daytona is more than just a looker.  To those involved with the build, I applaud you as both a Mopar guy and a car guy, as you’ve created a great modern version of one of the most legendary Mopar performance cars of all time.  Jack Pennington, Ed MacDonald, Greg Powrie, Shaun Visser, Dennis Blondie, and Joel Rothenberg all contributed on the build and Specmo, Motovicity.com, Vortech, Magnaflow, and KW Suspension contributed items to help make this Daytona what it is. 

From myself and all of my readers, I applaud Heide Performance Products for making a very cool car and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for this Madison Heights based company.  A special thanks to Mr. Gordon Heidacker for taking the time to answer my questions and to give me access to the HPP Dodge Daytona! 

Check out the gallery below for some more pictures of the awesome HPP Dodge Daytona and click here for a large gallery of images of the car.  For more information about HPP, their Daytona, or any of their other concepts, check out the HPP website by clicking here! 

For a complete list of other vehicles covered by the Detroit Examiner at SEMA 2009, click here, and stay tuned to the Detroit Autos Examiner for breaking news and continued SEMA reviews and auto show coverage!

All images courtest of HighHorsepowerPhotography.com