It’s not often that I find myself perusing the pages of TMZ.com, but that’s just how I stumbled across this rare gem: a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, now reportedly owned by none other than the Grand Poobah of Hemi-loving rednecks, Mr. Joe Dirt (aka David Spade). This flawless example of the Charger Daytona crossed the Mecum Auctions block last month, and while these bullet-nosed winged wonders go up for sale every now and then, the newsworthy bit here is the price Spade paid for the car: a cool $900,000.

Only 503 Charger Daytonas were ever built, but this particular car commanded top dollar due to its provenance, amazing condition and low mileage. Unlike the ratty-looking Charger Daytona that Spade drove in the original Joe Dirt movie, his new acquisition has been fully restored, wearing a flawless coat of the car’s original T5 Copper Metallic paint. Mecum had initially estimated that this Charger Daytona would sell for between $800,000 and $1 million, and it didn’t disappoint.

The gorgeous Charger Daytona was one of 24 vehicles (mostly classic muscle cars) to be sold off as a part of the Wellborn Musclecar Museum Collection, with other cars in the collection including another Daytona painted in Omaha Orange (sold for $280,000) and Burt Reynolds’ personal 1978 Pontiac Trans Am (sold for $90,000).

Click past the jump to read more about David Spade’s newly acquired 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona .

Why it matters

As rare as the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona is, the high price paid for this pristine-condition model will surely set the bar for future sales (both private and at auction). The $900,000 gavel price of this car at Mecum was a record for a Charger Daytona.

David Spade’s 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

According to Mecum, this Daytona was practically brand new. There were just 6,435 miles on the odometer, which is said to be the lowest known mileage on an original-engine Charger Daytona. This winged muscle-car’s history is well-documented, including its time as an International Show Car Association show car that saw the original paint replaced with a crazy ‘70s-tastic custom paint job (check it out in the gallery), an equally funky-looking cowl-inducted hood and a set of Cragar wheels. A full restoration in 1988 brought the car back to its original showroom glory.

If its pristine condition wasn’t enough, the high auction price was also partially due to the fact that this was just one of 20 Charger Daytona models to combine the 426 Hemi V-8 with the four-speed automatic transmission.