Think I can contribute some information to this thread.
The Dodge that is referenced earlier, competed in the Canadian 1965 Shell 4000 Rally with David Pearson as driver and Fred Browne, an engineer form Cleveland, OH, as navigator. Browne would navigate other Chrysler factory rally efforts. The car may have been a WO car and was prepped to rally standards by Scott Harvey. After the Rally, the car was returned to Chrysler and reportedly converted back to a drag car, but not before it was lent to Martyn Schorr at Hi Performance Cars magazine. He drove it on the street and wrote an article on it for the magazine. If anyone has the article I would like to see it. The car is said to exist today in drag racing configuration.
The rally effort was not successful with the car retiring on the first day (of six days in total). New for 1965 disc brakes failed, while the car’s lack of a heater/defroster made it unsuitable for cold weather operation. Another story says that Pearson, used to turning left, simply drove off the course every time the road turned right. After his retirement from the race he very eloquently stated “Ah’m not gonna bust mah keaster on this thing no more!”.
There are pictures of the rally car in Jim Schild’s book “Proving Ground” and Martyn Schorr’s book “Mopar: The Performance Years”.
Both the Rally and Daytona Continental efforts were the result of NASCAR’s Hemi ban in 1965. Chrysler stated publically they would seek other venues to showcase their products.
The Continental Belvedere may have started life as a stripped 318 powered car before it was sent to Chrysler stock car development, where the late Peter Dawson lead its conversion to a road race car. Dawson would serve as Team Manager for the race and Harvey and the late Peter Hutchinson would drive the car. I have spoken with Harvey. Larry Adams was also said to have been involved with the car, but I haven’t been able to locate him. Does anyone have any contact information?
The picture mentioned showing the car surrounded by those involved appears with an internet article on Dawson by Roger Meiners located here:
http://www.moparmagazine.com/2009/may_june/grassroots_engineering.htmlThe Continental effort was not successful as the car retired after about 60 laps. After that the trail goes cold. I am interested in any and all information on the car and/or its participation in the Daytona Continental.
