This Dodge Stock Car Is The Biggest, Coolest Lawn Ornament

If the 2006 film Cars taught us anything, it’s that old, broken-down race cars deserve a dignified retirement just like any other living creature. If cars do indeed have souls, as Pixar led us to believe, then we hope this 2004 Dodge Intrepid NASCAR (wearing confusing Charger livery) will either head back to the track or find a nice, quiet corner of a museum to rest in. Crossing the block at next month’s Mecum Indy auction, the roller is being sold without an engine or transmission, but that just means there are more possibilities for its next owner.

A Short, Intrepid Racing Career

Dodge returned to NASCAR in 2001 with its second-generation Intrepid sedan, doing battle against the Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and Pontiac Grand Prix. By mid-2004, the company’s focus had shifted to its upcoming front-drive sedan replacement, the rear-drive Charger four-door. This oddball, Budweiser-sponsored Number 9 car was the result, which mixes and matches the Intrepid’s NASCAR-spec bodywork with its replacement’s square, bluff front end.

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This particular car didn’t see a ton of racing action. According to the auction listing, the Budweiser/Charger-liveried Intrepid crashed during qualifying practice for the 2004 Brickyard 400 with Christian Fittipaldi behind the wheel. After that, it became a showpiece. Still, as a member of the Evernham Motorsports racing team, it deserves some notoriety. Evernham helped convince Dodge to re-enter NASCAR competition for the 2001 season, and the Number 9 Intrepid took pole position at the 2001 Daytona 500 – the same race where the legendary Dale Earnhardt, Sr. died in a crash on the final lap.

What’s Next For The Stocker?

This 2004 Dodge Intrepid Nextel Cup car would’ve been powered by a 358-cubic-inch V8, sending about 700-plus horsepower to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. These days, the car’s got nothing going on under the hood, and it is being sold as a rolling chassis. That said, it still retains its roll cage, Richardson bucket seat and Simpson harness, and space in the trunk for a robust fuel cell. Getting it into running condition would be a challenge, but likely no more so than building any other race car since most of the hard work is done – getting the chassis prepped and the safety features built in.

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We think its next owner should get it built up and back on the track for some historic races, but if not, the Charger-faced Dodge Intrepid still looks pretty unique as a piece of rolling motorsports art. The odd, novel livery and its provenance as a member of the impressive Evernham family merit some attention, so hopefully it’ll find a home in a motorsports museum at least. Heck, some lunatics once made a one-off Toyota Camry coupe with a NASCAR powerplant and managed to make it street-legal – maybe that’s the fate in store for this handsome Intrepid.

Source: Mecum Auctions