Ever fall in love with a car so trashy that even your friends thought you were a lunatic for buying it? Well, say Hello to the Dumpster Fire Daytona!

This car is internet famous because while it loosely resembles the fabled Nascar-spec 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, the truth is that it’s a really crappy clone and nobody wanted this car. It was for sale on the internet for years before I jumped on this grenade and rescued it.

But what could be so bad about a car that’s so good? For starters: Every. Single. Panel. Is. Dented. It’s also rusted clean through top to bottom, front to back. The only thing holding the roof to the A and B Pillars are hopes and dreams. It’s the holiest of holy fake Daytona’s ever, which is why I tried to buy it two different times and fate always intervened.

Finally, in the Summer of 2022, the car landed in my email box and I was able to strike a deal for this it without ever test-driving it or seeing it in person. When I finally did lay eyes on this Charger I realized what a steaming pile of crap it truly was and I didn’t care. From 20ft away it looked like the dirtiest, most dangerous Pro Street Dodge Daytona ever and I loved it for that. Best of all, I had a stockpile of slightly abused speed parts at home that I used to turn the immobile shell into something even more dangerous and yet drivable.

Dumpster Fire is now powered by the 383 Chrysler big-block that originally powered my other Charger called Death Metal. The clutch-assisted Gforce racing five-speed manual trans behind the 383 is the very gearbox that was in my 1955 Chevy aka Blasphemi when I won Hot Rod Drag Week’s A/GAS class and set the class record. The Dana 60 rear axle is the same bent rearend that came in my barn find 1967 Pontiac Firebird aka The Rubber Duck.

Dumpster Fire is built upon the dreams and memories of so many great project cars from my past that it’s easy to overlook the sketchy, illegal rollbar and disintegrating floor structure. It’s easy to overlook the fact that this car could be valuable if it wasn’t so far gone.

It’s a literal dumpster fire of a project and I love it because it will never be perfect or even nice and I can drive it anywhere without fear of damage to the car’s sheen or my reputation. I damaged that a long time ago! Lol. So grab this shirt and celebrate the idea that all cars are cool no matter how they began, how you found them, or how trashy they are as you cruise down the block.