Dodge Charger barn find is car people didn’t realize actually exists

  • This super-rare Dodge Charger was found by a YouTuber
  • Its backstory is almost tragic in a way
  • After not making it to the NASCAR track, it was largely forgotten

Published on Jul 31, 2024 at 4:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson

Last updated on Aug 01, 2024 at 11:42 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

This Dodge Charger barn find is a car that many people didn’t realize was real.

Yes, you read that right – a car virtually nobody knew about has been discovered.

YouTuber Zach Golbeck was the one to uncover it and share it with the world.

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A super-rare Dodge Charger barn discovery

The Gen 6 Dodge Charger is a one in million find, and Golbeck was lucky enough to come across it.

Rare cars in barn finds are nothing new by any stretch, as evident by this Ford Capri found in a car graveyard.

But still, this Dodge is something special.

The Gen 6 car began development in 2010, with NASCAR wanting it to resemble cars that you would find on the road.

Dodge’s car made its first debut at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2012.

Reportedly, Team Penske announced that they would be switching to Ford, leaving Dodge scrambling.

There were talks with other teams, such as Hendrick and Front Row, but nothing was made concrete.

As a result, the Gen 6 Dodge Charger would never see the racetrack.

Goldbeck estimates that four were created overall, but it’s not known how many still exist beyond the one featured in the video.

A closer look at the Charger that never made it

The Charger has been left out in the rain and the sun over the years, leaving it looking a little worse for wear.

According to Golbeck, when he first saw it, there were ‘cats running from under it’.

The car’s body is fibreglass, and has been left with mold stains after years of sitting out in the elements.

Inside the car, there’s not much wires, spare parts and a whole lot of rust.

There’s a whole lot to be done with the Charger.

Fortunately, Golbeck is enthusiastic about the prospect.

He told his subscribers: “It deserves to be seen.

“The pricey route would get it nice and make a full-fledged race car out of it, paint it, get the decals, make it look like the reveal car from 2012.”

He continued: “Or do a custom wrap on it. That’d be cool.”

“But that costs money. And you do want to race and risk destroying something with this much historical value? I don’t know.”

That’s a fair point.

Historical value can certainly go both ways of course.

In this case, it’s a tragic sort of history, seeing as how this car never made it to the track.

But then you have laughably bad cars like the Yugo GV, which are history in a whole another way.

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Ben got his start in journalism at Kennedy News and Media, writing stories for national newspapers, websites and magazines. Now working as a freelancer, he divides his time between teaching at News Associates and writing for news sites on all subjects.