The Black Ghost - The Greatest Scam In Collector Car History!

[@TrailSloth2014]

The worst part of the whole story is that the son sold the car when his dad told him not to. Money over memories, just sad.

[@Stingray-ly2om]

I was highly disappointed when his son sold the car. It soured the whole story.

[@xelasomar4614]

1 million dollars. A house and your children's higher education. Anyone wants to buy the Silver Phantom? Legend has it that it made the Kessel run in ....umm no, that's not the one...

[@Thomas63r2]

For $1m I'm selling. Unless you live a gilded life, having an extra $1m going towards any combination of retirement, kids/grandkids college, financial security would be a real blessing. If you are already set with millions in the bank, then God blessed you. Every year at Barrett Jackson there are at least a couple of now blue chip cars being sold by long term regular guy owners for these exact kind of reasons. It is more likely that the father never imagined his car would fetch $1m at auction - I suspect that at that price level the father would highly approve of its sale.

[@kabzebrowski]

@@Thomas63r2 Wasn't it the grandson that decided on selling it? Son kept the car (& the promise), grandson turned 16 or whatever, got gifted the car from his father, decided to sell it. That's what I understood from the videos anyways.

[@duncan-_-]

Crazy how it can be worth 1 million dollars to someone else and it isn't their father's car, yet he's willing to let his fathers car go for that much. Idk, I just could never relate to if my dad had an all original triple black hemi rt se 4 speed challenger. It's so 1 of 1 and incredible you should be so attached that no amount of money can buy it.

[@mysupersuperglide]

Would have totally owned the streets in the 1940’s

[@fratzogmopars]

Dumb money is ruining the classic car market to where the regular guy can’t afford one anymore.

[@onestepbeyond7240]

I the buyer was a billionaire, he'll just shrug his shoulders about losing a measley mil.

[@patrickisswayze3446]

1000% this. Me over here looking at rotted javelins for 3 grand smfh

[@Maxx1066]

I totally agree and completely botched resto mods probably for Mecum its advertising piece come sell your car here.

[@Sweet_Johnny]

Agreed. I'm getting priced out of the G Body and C/K markets and those are my 2 favorites on the planet. I still own my first vehicle ever, an '86 C10, and also have a '78 Cutlass as well as a '78 El Camino but the parts cost 3x what they should.

[@johnl9977]

Tried to buy a Boss 9 in the eighties for $14K, I had the cash, owner got cold feet. What are they going for now $250K? Ended up buying an L89 Corvette for $11K

[@stealthg35infiniti94]

I saw the car in person. I was there when it sold. You're absolutely right about the poor worn out condition of the vehicle. It was rode hard and put up wet. A good candidate for Grave Yard Cars restoration. The story seems clearly to sensationalize the importance of the car to enhance the possible economic returns. Like PT Barnum would say, "There's a sucker born everyday. " Be prepared for Hate Mail for calling this one out.

[@keithleeuwen877]

They are gonna milk it with publicity and merch like Rock Bands are forced to do with all this streaming stuff ruining cd etc.sales. Sell t shirts t shirts t shirts !

[@cruiser6260]

Looks pretty good in the utube short at auction. Vinyl roof could use some armour all. Definitely not a stock cam in it from the lumpy sound either

[@deputydillhole]

The story is true man. My father's wife's son told me that he had seen the Black Ghost emerge from the midnight fog, roaring like the sound of an enormous stampede of wild stallions. The windows were very tinted, and many witnesses claimed that there was no driver inside the beautiful beast. The owner of the car had no idea that his car was sneaking out at night creating a reputation for itself. Each victim that the Black Ghost consumed made it feel 500 miles younger again. It ran on whiskey and tears.

[@MoparRob440]

Now YOU my friend are an EXCELLENT story teller! 😂👍

[@JamieTransNyc]

The story IS true, but you left part out.... the car only "LOOKS" stock. In reality it was made of "Energon" the same as Optimus prime, and it would transform into this beastly god-awful street race for eveyr race, and then return to its stock secret identity afterward. If you can find a bit of the allspark to awaken this beast, youj will see it transform again!

[@Electromagnetizery]

Your father's wife's son is full of shit. Nobody that has ever seen the Black Ghost lived to tell the tale

[@Urban4Wheeler]

Bruh!!😂😂

[@mikefox2379]

You are a good writer, you should pursue this craft.

[@iluvinternalcombustion]

The big red flag for me was when I found out he was selling the car. In the Hagerty feature on it, he literally said his dad told him to never sell it and it was going to be passed to his son. To be clear like you said, it's not Godfrey who made these claims, it's his son. To be honest, I was glad for Godfrey to get the attention, whether his street racing legend is real or not. He sounds like an amazing guy and our vets are never celebrated enough

[@camaroman101]

For a million bucks he can buy another one make up another story for his son, and just leave out the part about him selling it.

[@gordblechinger9143]

@@camaroman101 ya they'll be taking about the electric ghost that never needs charging

[@shadowmanmc1130]

I have, or any of my friends have never heard of this car, our whole life any such thing as the black ghost racing around in Detroit on Woodward or Gratiot but we all don’t know everything, but it seems berries, scratch, fruit

[@Necronomous]

If the grandson sold it, officer Qualls son hold his word to not selling it. It was gifted to his son when he turned 16. For what I know officer Qualls son got over 1 million in price for the car when he owned it. Then the grandson got it and he got the offer for 1 million and sold it.

[@DEATHWISHVQ]

I don’t think he’s being celebrated as a vet my guy. That’s just bonus content, everyone is celebrating him for the car.

[@donkeyboy585]

My late wife labeled my Mustang “The beast” I wonder what my kids will get for it one day lol. (It runs low 13s maybe my kids can sell it as “ the car that was quicker than the Black Ghost”)😂

[@SurnaturalM]

Lol 100%

[@craftyukraine]

It’s quicker than a dead battery CygayTruck.🤔🤣

[@dwightthornton2812]

Tony, as a Black man let me tell you, he wasn't racing the higher end cars you're talking about, he was racing other black guys , think about it he was a police officer with a family to support, it was all he could do to make the payments! I hate saying this but he wasn't racing at that level, he was racing guys who were racing their daily drivers... and to them he was king of the hill, he wasn't racing guys with 10 second cars, he was racing other guys like himself, this was the early 70's , hp parts cost money and that car was stock, bone stock! It actually was in storage (the garage) for years after pop died, the son was raising a family and barely got it running again! No claim to being a killer of super cars, just that he street raced it, everyone else made up the rest...

[@jerryvickers7048]

Dwight that makes a lot of sense... Don't know why he had to sneak out to go and race his buddies? As far as the "GHOST" I'm sure people see the car everyday and people talk!!

[@LordSamuelJ]

This is pretty much what I assumed when I heard the story of the car. It was a local legend to a small group of people. I have a car like that! I doubt I could get a million dollars for it even with the story.

[@scottwolfe8783]

It is an awesome car with a cool story.

[@HerrPoopschitz]

If he was just racing other guys w/ stock junk, what makes it special then? Does that make all the cars of all the guys he was racing worth $1M? Im w/ Tony, something stinks.

[@jamesclements3627]

I imagine he would just cruise the car on the weekend and there were plenty of others doing the same with small block Novas and Camaros that were easy pickens for the Hemi Challenger. But I doubt he was hitting the main scene on Woodward where the big dogs were hanging out.

[@Doc_Fischer]

Mecum doesn’t care . Hand them your 20% and be gone . It’s why the market is so topsy turvy with pricing .

[@chrishensley6745]

Well said!

[@215rwg]

Worse than that - they promote cool iron as "investments" and roam from trend to trend like locusts.

[@MrGGPRI]

Approx 200g's hard to turn down... MECUM; me cum is right...

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

Yeah I'm curious to see how much they're going to get for that show called convertible superbird that's going out on the block Funny thing about it it's only got a 318 But they did a unique job and it looks almost factory original how they cut the roof and made it look like it it's going across the Mecum auction block in Kissimmee Florida this summer

[@confuse9]

That's weird. Real auction houses stand behind the sale. If they say it was legendary, then they better be able to back it up.

[@mkroach59]

It's nice to see that some people in the world can still use their head for critical thinking ! Thanks Tony.

[@johndaut2838]

Hi, I'm 70 years old and lived in Houston, Texas till 7 years ago when I retired to the Hill County of Texas. I was into the street racing with my cousin also. He owned a 64 Chevy Chey II that we shoehorned a 427 into. It was a horrible death trap. Couldn't hardly steer or brake with the front chopped to hell with dirt dauber welding. It ruled for about a month till the front end died. My point is I subscribed to every hot rod magazine that existed during the 70's. I remember an article about the Black Ghost in one. It was owned by a black guy in Detroit. He had taken a brand new Challenger and completely stripped the inside leaving the exterior stock. He put in a cage, cut interior panels to nothing dash including. Built the Hemi to the max and adjustable long ladder bar suspension. I don't remember what the rest he did to it. I just remember thinking what a radical thing he did to a beautiful new car. Don't remember what magazine it was in but it was the early 70's.

[@franklinanderson7389]

He was a Detroit police officer who raced the Black ghost.

[@vintagemotelguest]

Sounds like you have an alternate story that is intriguing. Someone should investigate it. Hagerty is in no way a credible organization.

[@themanwithnoname7576]

Just the story of the original owner and playing with his car should be impressive enough. The fact these corporations and the original owners son set up this huge grift is sad.

[@lb9gta307]

Dodge is just smart to jump on the hype. I think it's sad that he sold such a great medium to connect to his late father more than anything else. Even if the story was true there's nothing else seperating it from another stock Hemi Challenger. If someone want to pay a fortune for that story that's on them.

[@SesameStreetRacingChannel]

Grift is "The American Dream"...Look around...everyone is scamming...nothing new...More power to Gregory Qualls...at least he is not spending tax dollars on hookers and blow like most elected folks...

[@michael931]

My guess is they didn't jump on it, they are in on it.

[@rdlykryk4384]

People of Uncle Tony age group, place of origin etc. cannot help but tell the truth. In todays era of propaganda and bull sh t. Most "P.C." folks will be critical, but many East Coast people grew up this way and they're not going to change. Thx. Tony.

[@jimitaco1303]

Is it? I'm pretty sure making bank by selling someone else a bill of goods is as American as it gets.

[@mostlypeacefulmisterputin]

*Uncle Tony nails it again! I was born and raised on the east side of Detroit, and still live in the area. I’m only in my early 40s so I’m not quite old enough to have been involved in the street race scene of the 60s/70s but most of my uncles on both sides of the family were. I too first heard about this car probably 5-6 years ago (on the Internet of course) so I started to ask family members who had absolutely no recollection of ever seeing or hearing anything about this car! And I have one uncle who lived, breathed and slept old Mopars! If the car was real and street racing on Woodward, Gratiot, or any of the other spots back then, he would have known about it!*

[@zrxdoug]

I'm from Detroit, I ran the streets during the era this car was allegedly "famous." Never heard of the damn thing until it hit the internet a few years ago.. Utter load of shite.

[@JRC99]

I'm 23 so I will not try and bullshit and say I was there. But I've done light research on the Detroit street racing scene back in the day and I've only seen two people say they heard of it and it was well after the car came out of hiding a couple years ago

[@Dawg7227]

“A black man owned a car in 1971. Let’s make a movie. “

[@BareRoseGarage]

you're not the only one I've heard this from, ask people from detroit about "the black ghost" and they give you a funny look. why not tell the story of the actual guys that where there and did it? that's a better story imo

[@tomboone201]

I totally agree .. I'm westside ran 'graph and a Mopar guy so I think I would've heard about it,

[@NDARacer1975]

As a kid I was "Mopar or No Car" back then, 1982-87. I bought every HotRod, PHR, Car Craft, Mopar Action, Mopar Muscle, and Mopars Collecters Guide I could get my hands on. I never even saw a small blurb, with no pictures, about this Legend stuffed in the back of any of these Mags. I looked high and low for Mopar Legend stories, since I thought every other make sucked back then.

[@robglock2130]

I watched a show featuring this car and story a year or so ago. It featured the son and an old friend who supposedly rode around in the car way back when. When the hood was opened you could see how stone stock it was. The friend who was telling the story seemed a little over the top and then there was the ride along, which the car did not sound like it was running very good. The son seemed amazed at the "hemi power" and then I immediately knew two things. A) That dude didn't know jack shit about cars, fast or otherwise and B) he was going to sell this thing as a lottery winning. Thanks for confirming what I already knew. On a side note, I believe these auctions have destroyed the Mopar market for the average Joe and I absolutely hate them for it.

[@CamaroAmx]

Yeah. In the video he claimed he was never going to sell it, but within a month of the film coming out, it was up for sale. The whole story seemed so fishy that I started questioning all of the story, including his father’s backstory and whether he really owned when knew.

[@natelorimer8567]

Yep all this TV drama gets people thinking the turds in their back yard and dry rotted tires are gold. And want too much for them. Nobody buys them , they collect moisture and rot.

[@MoparRob440]

@@CamaroAmx don't forget they made the claim that his lawsuit with the dealership is what made Chrysler add the Shaker hood to the Challenger option list in April of 1970...

[@TheReal1953]

Ronnie Sox could have made it a 13.75 car.....but he was the best 4spd driver out there. Without modifications, that's it. The son is living on hot air and bullshit.

[@Jelsick]

I wish I could go back in time to the mid 80s when you could pick up a decent Mopar for less than 5 grand. I paid 700 bucks for a roached out 66 Belvedere in 86. It was a runner with a 383. Now it would be 20,000😅

[@steelking22]

As I began to watch this, I thought to myself, "If Uncle Tony is knowledgeable about Detroit street racing, he better mention the Silver Bullet." Well done, UTG.

[@tracyerik]

There was suppose to be a mean 69 GTO Judge that had a reputation.

[@kurkkobain]

there is no detroit city anymore.

[@terryoquinn8199]

I thought the Silver Bullet was Coors light . The times they are a changin’.

[@ransomsgarage8311]

After first seeing the documentary on this car I went to my father who was in the Woodward scene in the ‘70’s and he’d never heard or seen this guy. After talking with his friends and fellow street racers from the era, ( which still meet every weekend to this day on the ave), this is just a hyped up farce.

[@RandySchwier-b5y]

I was at the Mecum auction in Indy yesterday when it sold. They made a huge production of the whole thing - turned down the lights and had strobes going while they played the video - similar to what happens at NBA games when announcing the home team. They had a ton of people taking videos and pictures- but mostly Mecum employees- almost like they were all instructed to play along. Just seemed like too much hype. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

[@adamtrombino106]

My friend was there too, and documented the whole thing on his f/b page. He agrees, it was all hype designed to drive the price up. Was the car nice, rare as optioned, and stock? Yes. As shown, was it worth maybe $125k? Sure. But the rest as he witnessed was all designed to get buyers into some kind of frenzy, all PR and rumors. Sadly, it worked.

[@brettpowter6010]

Typical lying auction houses to make as much as they can on the sale....

[@cconnon1912]

Hype, for the sake of hype to make money selling the story.

[@tinman5322]

I hope they give my car that treatment when I put it on the block!

[@robertclymer6948]

A bunch of crooks involved in whole thing, I am thinking. Geeez

[@rockeroller]

My spidey sense was telling me the son was promoting it, to get higher price at auction. People were commenting, " If the car is this special, with all these memories, why are you selling it?" Sounds like he raced it a few times, and the "legend" part was in the sons mind. Certainly other street racers of the era would have had faster MODIFIED cars.

[@johnbriggs3916]

It's the other way around: the auction was fake, to promote the film.

[@George-dy3pt]

​@@johnbriggs3916 Aall of it was fake! They were all in on it! Dodge his son mecum and the sons company! Oh yea and hollyweird has to get their hands in the cookie jar too!

[@cce3325]

I have it on very good authority that he sold the car because of "Bidenomics".

[@gwall1789]

I am a little late to the game, but I too have a Mecum story that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I know a gentleman that purchased a vehicle advertised as having 64,000 original miles. I understand the whole “buyer, beware“, but this gentleman is well to do, and doesn’t really know a lot about vehicles. After delivery, he asked me to go over the vehicle, and, like you said, it was painfully obvious that this vehicle was ridden hard and put away wet. The flipper didn’t even bother to clean out the glove compartment, where I found receipts and repair orders for various things, including a rebuilt transmission . They also showed that the vehicle had 164,000 miles on it. I don’t understand how an auction house that deals in such high value classic cars, is allowed to let something like this through without impunity.

[@godsowndrunk1118]

Story reminds me of being a kid in the 70's....there was a Chevy II in a town a few miles away with a fearsome reputation as unbeatable. 396 under the hood and would pop wheelies at the traffic lights any chance it got.... nobody would challenge it. Decades later was talking to a guy my age from that town and he remembers the car...."Oh yeah, they had it weighed down in the trunk" . "Just a stock 325 horse 396... nothing special". Small town legend stuff....

[@tlr-nut7275]

It's almost impossible to pop a wheelie on the streets. You need the grip you get at a prepared track. Doesn't matter if you have 4,000hp, you're going to spin the wheels.

[@piercegwinn3399]

@@tlr-nut7275 read his comment again but all of it this time…

[@DarkLinkAD]

@@tlr-nut7275 My lawnmower does it all the time, I win.

[@aussiebloke609]

Stick enough weight in the trunk behind the rear wheels and you're already halfway to a wheelie before you start the engine.

[@Frank289100]

I REMEMBER MY OLDER BROTHER'S FRIEND, HAD A CHEVY II BOX NOVA. I THINK IT WAS A 64 WITH A 396 AND A VERTIGATE SHIFTER. I REMEMBER ME AND MY FRIEND LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE FRONT CHASSIS. AND IT HAD A FORD I-BEAM FRONT END IN IT FROM A VAN. I REMEMBER THE LEFT FENDERS WAS RATTLING VIBRATING MOVING BECAUSE THE BOLT FELL OFF. WE TOLD HIM TO PULL A HOLE SHOT AND THE CAR DISAPPEARED DOWN THE AVENUE. IT WAS AN ALL-OUT RACE CAR AND THESE WERE THE TYPE OF CARS THAT WERE PROWLING THE STREETS BACK THEN. WHEN I SAW THE VIDEO ON THE BLACK GHOST A FEW YEARS BACK. I POSTED A COMMENT I KNEW IT WAS B*******. THE HEMI WAS NOTHING ON THE STREET. YOU NEVER HEARD ANYBODY MENTION THEM OR SEEN THEM ANYWHERE RACING.THE 440 WAS THE FORCE TO RECKON WITH ON THE STREETS.

[@SteveMagnante]

Great video Tony, as Mel Brooks would say, "forget the steak, sell the SIZZLE!"

[@jamesmann1243]

And P.T. Barnum, also said, ( quote, There's one born every minute unquote)

[@craigrichardson8096]

Tony, Your right!!! I grew up on Woodward Ave. Started driving in 1965. I ran my SS396 Chevelle all over Woodward, Gratiot, and Telegraph Rd from1970 to '72 street racing. I NEVER heard ANYTHIING about this car. Everyone knew about the Silver Bullet and Jim Wagners' "Blackbird" Firebird. I was at Autorama this year and the "Ghost" was there at the Mechum display. I spoke with them for 45 minutes about my history with the drag racing during that period and the lack of information and credibility of this "Ghost". They had no comment. I feel everyone promoting this has $$ in their eyes. I just wonder how much the new "Ghost" models will be. What I don't have to wonder about is the street cred of this car.....it has none.

[@tehagent1321]

I wasnt there, but the whole thing sounded hokey to me anyway. No one had ever heard of this car until suddenly now? And then it magically came up for sale right about the same time? Nope. Smells like bullshit to me.

[@broncorickenback1149]

My brother in law would bof known but he passed away , He ran a Road runner there

[@bryanmclellan8546]

I grew up literally 5 minutes from where this car was based in East Detroit and I was pretty knowledgeable about the street racing scene in the late 60's and early seventies. Like you I knew all about Wangers' car and the Silver Bullett. I never heard of this car. I'm no expert and I am not the authority on the street scene in Detroit but I can say that it damn sure was a secret. Also, a stock Hemi Challenger would get its doors blown off by half the cars on Gratiot in that timeframe.

[@chaddevine565]

So you mean to tell me the whole story about his dad racing in the middle of the night and all that s*** was a lie?

[@chaddevine565]

When I heard the story I did kind of wonder how it could be so fast supposedly being a bone stock car

[@charliepatterson9321]

Ive been watching you for years . Your channel just gets better and better . I remember a kid who wanted to by a mechanics street rod for a reasonable price and asked me what i thought about the purchase. I asked him if he had tools and knew how to tune a street rod ( which i knew he didn't ) . He told me no but the seller was a good mechanic and wouldn't sell him a car that wasn't any good . I said yes , ( i knew the car and the seller ) but you have to realize that he may drag that car every Friday and Saturday night but on Saturday and Sunday morning he's turning wrenches on it . I told him if he bought that car and didn't turn a wrench it would only last him 2 weeks . He didn't believe me . He bought the car , it lasted him 2 weeks and he sold it back to the seller for half price . I really do miss the days when you could tell the make of a vehicle at night by its lights . And the weekends whan 1 out of 5 cars on the road had something cooking under the hood . Thank You for bringing back memories of a simpler time.

[@kurkkobain]

i never buy cars thata re in the scarp ayrd,, or came from there so iamnot scammmed.

[@gsmith207]

my dad always said “Son, believe nothing what you hear and 1/2 of what you see…” I’m 56 and still use that advise to this day. I think you nailed the story right on the head and so did my dads sayin’

[@wildestcowboy2668]

Baby boomers ruined the country, nothing but trash....

[@p1315]

And you believed him? 🤣🤣🤣

[@jeffallen5921]

My Dad told me the same thing,he also said if you keep your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut you might learn something.As usual he was right.

[@vintagemotelguest]

My three college professors said the same thing and this is 100% totally true -- a former Madison Ave advertising exec.; a former British Intelligence analyst; and the most famous history professor in the nation who bombed Germany during WWII. Amazingly they all told roughly the same story and that story was that most Americans fall for the "hearing" and "seeing" more than any nation in the world (and therefore the situation they are in now, being used and jerked around by the smallest nation in the world).

[@chrisdickenson8116]

This legend lives in every community with variations. There was once in a small town I lived in, a black ghost '69 Nova that was built to the teeth. It came in and raced and won these illegal races and took off without saying a word to anybody. The car disappeared until the next race where he came, kicked ass and disappeared.

[@TorqueKMA]

I loved hearing my old man tell these stories. "The green eyed monster" was a 440 6 pack Cuda that paid for its own gas when the owner would bet their passenger they couldn't get a $20 bill off the dash by the time it was in 4th gear.

[@R3volutionblu3s]

Yeah in my area it was a hopped up GT500 that was covered in a mixture of primer and different body panels painted in every color of the rainbow. The most detailed version of the story that I was told was that some guy who had been a bootlegger in the 40s/50s had bought it from a junkyard and rebuilt it just so he could still have some Saturday night excitement racing up and down the twisty backroads, and pissing off the locals who couldn't keep up with him. I don't really believe the story, but it was still a good story. Redneck Wangan Midnight should be a thing.

[@jdguy23]

Not surprised by this 😅

[@64special300]

For sure. I remember grandpa spinning yarns about the Amish street racer Hamish with the Black Ghost carrage that would wipe the floor of the rival Quaker gang.

[@damm1t_b0bby]

@@TorqueKMAlove it

[@rockymeyers4030]

I've heard of the "Silver Bullet Belvedere GTX street racer. I never heard of the black ghost story till it got promoted 5 or 6 years ago. Big Willie and his Dodge Daytona was another legendary street racer we heard of. The black ghost is not in either of their leagues. Craig Breedlove's AMX was a car that should have brought more money

[@douglascooper1987]

Tom Hoover's Bullet Was A BadAss, another one was Jack Roush's Mustang II.🏁🏁

[@bustersmith5569]

The AMX Car ??

[@rockymeyers4030]

​@@bustersmith5569 ok, I meant AMC Javelin. AMC sponsored Breedlove to break a few records one year. That car was at auction at Mecum, I believe

[@jameswoodard8414]

Big Willie was Bad to the Bone he was used for Many Ad's in All the Magazine's back then . Big Willie ......

[@bustersmith5569]

@@rockymeyers4030 I'm a big AMC fan 👍👍👍

[@jdsimon]

As soon as I saw a black ghost edition new Challenger, I thought to myself if I was that family I'd sue them for licensure rights. That moment I should've realized the gain the family was getting off of this story. It was at that point right then that I knew it was not any dominating Street racer or anyting but like a family story. Glad that you pointed out that it's a stock car and a 14-second car I thought they were faster than that.

[@TwoLaneBlacktopProd]

my guess is Chrysler was in cahoots with the family...they all profited from the folklore story...wouldn't be surprised if Chrysler gave them a new black ghost challenger or 2...

[@Atomwaffen-y3s]

You wouldn’t be able to because you lack elementary school literacy. .

[@betterdeadthanred839]

​@TwoLaneBlacktopProd they only made 300 of these new Black Ghost Challengers, and they gave one of them to his son. Since they go for well over $100K....if you can even get one..I'd say that was more than enough to keep family happy/quiet....taking in the consideration that they're just a blue collar family from Detroit...I'm not sure for how much he originaly sold his dad's car....money talks....That Challenger that they gave him, will keep going up in value...specially knowing the whole story behind the original one and dude being his son....that's what's gonna really add to that cars value one day...I can see that Challenger going up to $200K easily...

[@cresenthammergarage]

I really thought the story on this car was bullshit when I first heard of it over two years ago, I looked for hours and hours digging trying to find anything on this car even going as far as talking to a man that was big on the car seen in Detroit and he also called it a hoax, being in his 20's during this era with a monster Ford 427 shoved into a tiny Ford Falcon he told me 2 years ago someone was hyping this car for a sale, that man even at his age doesn't miss a beat and is never wrong, gonna have to share this with him today, thanks for the video Tony, great job as usual!!!!

[@christcarscountry6870]

Old guys are usually right. Most people you and I's age don't listen. Sucks to be them - I'm out here gettin ahead on old people knowledge. xD

[@hank1556]

What pisses me off is how FCA included this 'ghost' in their special edition challenger cars based of legend hearsay but didn't do one for Vanishing Point. There's no way a local to Detroit car is more famous and popular than the white Challenger from that movie which millions and millions of people have seen

[@alexander1485]

The king one is well deserved tho

[@davidflanders3526]

Vanishing Point is also a fictional story. Correct?

[@nomdefamille4807]

@@davidflanders3526 yes, but you are not supposed to mention any car with that paint scheme without berating it's privilege

[@hank1556]

@@davidflanders3526 you're missing my point completely

[@hank1556]

@@alexander1485 I agree

[@kwikRT]

I lived and raced in Detroit from the mid seventies up to the late 1980s on Woodward and Telegraph, never heard of this car until recently. Tony, your summation is spot on!

[@deadclutch]

The son planned this out the whole time, all while his dying father wished nothing but the car staying in the family. I feel bad for the buyer, Hagerty for their feature in this, and one day that son will wake up and realize what a mistake he made after his money is squandered.

[@George-dy3pt]

I doub it! He's a scumbag greedy pos! He won't miss anything!

[@duanejackson6718]

I agree. On a sinister level it is a brilliant scam though, because it can't really be disproven. Obviously Tony points out why it isn't true but I doubt the seller will suffer any legal ramifications since the fraud can't be proven. It's just sad and pathetic on multiple levels.

[@borisjankovici662]

You would think morons willing to pay $1,000,000 for a car would demand more than words before believing the story. It's all manufactured hype. Mecum and Barrett Jackson are loaded with fake bidders.

[@therichburgs3990]

How would you k ow what the son planned out? I hate ppl who just speak and don't know shit

[@deadclutch]

@@therichburgs3990 you can act naive but the Hagerty video 2 years ago (planned and orchestrated by the son) was clearly a commercial for an upcoming sale, much like the trailers all over youtube for the sons future movie bolsters the BS. No one knows of this car because it wasn't a real thing, it's a campfire story drunk uncle bob gave about "how fast his sleeper was" and no one credible ever heard of it and the son spun it in to a publicity stunt gaining fake notoriety like folks writing up wiki pages for themselves.

[@johnbryan5608]

Spoken like a man who’s paying attention. Thanks Tony!

[@HarleyHawk1]

What a great and informative perspective. I never read your articles from back in the day but I can see why you had a large following. It's good to hear the black ghost being assessed by a real street racer. No way a stock hemi Challenger was blowing the doors off every dedicated street racer it came across. Good video UT

[@deancarr4507]

THANK YOU. I've been saying it all over, there's no way this car was an untouchable street racer with stock everything, in a time where there were guys running in the 10's with street cars.

[@rudygeorgiamulesandcountry1594]

So ... ... what do you estimate what the "Ghost" was actually worth ?

[@deancarr4507]

@@rudygeorgiamulesandcountry1594 I don't keep up with the MOPAR market as much, but the car certainly is VERY well optioned and its a hemi challenger, so it is worth some big bucks even without the BS story. Depending on what a potential byuer is looking for (meaning if they want a survivor like this instead of a restoration) I'd put it up there with what other Hemi coupes are going for right now. But it certainly is not worth anything extra for the sake of this fable.

[@NBSV1]

The only thing I can figure is it was “owning the streets” by beating other random cars at stop lights just driving around. But, it is a great story and good marketing. Got the car to sell for way more than it normally would.

[@davidhiggins468]

As someone once said”never let the truth stand in the way of a good story”.

[@kkoch666]

The truth should always stand in the way of a fake ass story.

[@richardsink9198]

Is that a Quote from Biden?

[@jimwash7437]

I’m in total agreement. I have a little street racing in my background. When I saw the story something didn’t add up. For example a 68 Dart Hemi or a 69 Camaro ZL1 stock would tear that car up. Not to mention ALL the other cars that had aftermarket parts back in the day. Drag racing was the thing with real racers. Thank you for shedding light on this issue.

[@patrickmcneilly4293]

I think the stories he was told were simply stories of remembering a time long ago. The car probably raced a handful of times and that was probably all it did since it was his pride and joy. We may never know the true story, but the legacy of the man behind the car is priceless.

[@frankcastle5294]

You Sir....nailed it. I'm 69 and my Dad and I, in our collective primes, owned some of the best and rarest Chrysler cars ever produced. This was before TV auctions and lottery winners overwhelmed the hobby. Part of our collection was the first Chrysler wing car ever sold to the public....the only 71 Hemi GTX ever built with a canopy top...the only 70 Hemi RT/SE Hemi Challenger ever factory painted FY1 yellow. Having owned, worked on, and driven a ton of 426 Hemi cars back in the day...they were tedious to maintain and on a good day at a great track here in southern PA and with proper air tire pressures...would run high to mid 13's all evening long. Many a 340 four speed Duster and Demon laid waste to Hemi cars during street racing on public roads. The last car on the planet that should have ever sold for this kind of money was this Black Ghost Challenger. Over hyped and way over priced.

[@wildestcowboy2668]

Pop's u need to go back to sleep. Ain't saying da CAA was worth a million but a 340 beating a MIGHTY MOPAR HEMI. Only thing good from PA was Joe Namath

[@silverback8183]

​@@wildestcowboy2668 a well built 340 in a light car would walk all over a heavy hemi car back in the day. A factory hemi was not the world beater has made it out to be. Even the guys around back then will tell you the same 😂

[@Dukelevi12]

@@wildestcowboy2668340 is an absolute monster, especially in the 8th mile

[@yankeeshane674]

@@silverback8183I agree, I interviewed a guy that used to build cars back in the day and I asked him what the most frustrating cars were to build and he said without a doubt hemi cars (he personally owns a 70 plum crazy hemi challenger currently). I was slightly disappointed hearing about all the issues with the heads and how they weren’t really all that fast. I thought they were top dog back then besides a few BBC cars

[@Boxpok]

​@wildestcowboy2668 Never drank a Yuengling have you?

[@twgarage-terrywatson1672]

Interesting perspective from all sides. Nice to hear a true Mopar guy say that HEMI was at best a 14 second car.

[@SoI_Badguy]

In a 4,000 pound car most definitely.

[@chrisgreenaway6696]

@@SoI_Badguy at best 13.9 stock with minimal work

[@kronk9418]

Least biased Chevrolet cope-filled comment:

[@otisdriftwood8469]

That was fast in 1970 for a stock car.

[@chrisgreenaway6696]

@@otisdriftwood8469 yeah but Woodward was a put up or shut up thing . Sorry not sorry but anyone who has a fast car knows you call out faster . There would be more people interviewed than his uncle and friend. Sorry

[@J.R.in_WV]

God bless and RIP Officer Qualls. The way a few profiteers have tarnished his reputation to cash in on what was supposed to be an heirloom passed to his son is disgusting. The moment I saw the detailed photos of that car and the obviously dramatized “documentary” (really just a hype video for the auction) it was painfully obvious at least 3/4 of the story was fabricated. I base this simply on how huge the street race scene was at the time in Detroit and how many REALLY fast cars there were on Woodward Avenue at the time. You’ll notice the only people who claim the “black ghost” narrative is true are people who have profited from being involved with the story and / or the sale of the car. Aside from that “documentary” and a bunch of web articles citing it as their one and only source for this story, there is nothing supporting this story being true….but there is a mountain of circumstantial evidence, heresay and even direct statements from hundreds of people who WERE there in the time the story takes place that say that car wasn’t any sort of participant, let alone a fierce competitor in any street racing in Detroit, ever. Basically what’s happened is a few clever guys have used a disgusting tactic, race baiting, which is very effective in our divided country right now, to take a neat and unique 1970 Challenger in rough shape that might have been worth $75-90k in the condition it was in on a GOOD day and jacked the price up into 7 figures by convincing those who don’t know much about muscle cars that the car is some kind of civil rights heirloom left by this heroic black “outlaw” who was a cop by day and street racer by night, beating all the dirty racist white dudes on Woodward Avenue in dozens of stoplight races and proving them all wrong. I just pray the son is a gullible man who was sold a bill of goods and not a conspirator in that whole ordeal. It’s obvious his dad wanted him to keep and cherish the car like he did for over 40 years. It would b understandable if he made a tough call and had to go with a $700,000+ payday for selling it after believing what these people told him….but if he was involved in making that whole story up with the goal of a big score after his father’s death then he’s got some BAD karma coming his way.

[@jamesdavis6036]

Wow! I'm a white conservative. Race was never brought up except the fact that he was a black man. That makes you a racist & a gullible envious prick who believes everything he reads & hears! So his son with a family got a million $ and now knows what it feels like to be a millionaire. Your angry at that? That's none of your buisness. I'm happy for him!

[@infiniteincongruence]

Nailed it

[@Nyctophobia4you]

I'm not sure its a race thing. I'll eat me words if there is proof of that and I hope it isn't. I think it was just a really cool local story that became too big for its own britches because someone blew it out of proportions. Not accusing anyone but the son would have been in a good place to stop it. But he was also in a great place to profit from it.

[@jamesdavis6036]

@@Nyctophobia4you I agree! But if he did profit from it so what. It's his car.

[@invictusbp1prop143]

Totally agree. I think there were plenty of people in on building the hype around the feel good black man prevails over whitey and becomes a legend and hero for "the community" story... And hell, I don't blame him for cashing in. I would have kept the car myself and let my kid get rich off it one day if he so chooses, but I'm a car guy and if my pops had handed me down a sweet iconic 60s era muscle car, I'd get it running and drive it to remind me of my pops. That guy isn't a car guy, the car could only mean so much to him, so I don't blame him for selling it. And if you're going to sell it, why not maximize your profits? I watched that video on KZbin and was stoked on the story the first time I watched it. Its the kind of story people want to believe is true but when I watched it a second time and was able to sidestep the emotional element and remove myself from the hype, it didn't ring true to me at all. And I realized on my own exactly what he's saying about the car...there's no way guys were running stock high optioned cars in the street scene in Detroit back then. There's no way that car was the king of the streets. I'm sure he ran some guys from light to light now n then. You have to. But a bone stock car isn't going to be the most feared car on the streets. Some people may have recognized it because it's a damn good looking ride and the top was unique as hell. But i think that's it. I don't have any grudge against the guy for using his creativity to make a bunch of money off the sale of the car. I do have issues with Mecum and any other company knowingly pushing a b.s. story to profit from it tho.

[@TheBalanacedBee]

You’re the BEST! I was born into this crap in 1971.. I’m so happy to be open minded and have the common sense to see to crap for what it is and people like you are sooo helpful in magnifying and breaking it down.. o hope the younger generations are paying attention. Thank you.

[@terryoquinn8199]

Great call Miss Lisa ! Rock on !

[@427_FE]

When I was a mechanic at a car dealership, a salesman told me 'there is an ass for every seat'. People are less street smart nowadays, some even think men can get pregnant.

[@MoparRob440]

Yes, we call them democrats.

[@therealjayseh]

​@@MoparRob440 dummycraps

[@brotherb5747]

​@@MoparRob440Those who know - Call them communists.

[@markvitagliano27]

Those are the morons that prefer a Prius over a 73 super duty trans am, have pronouns and think Biden's policies are great.

[@doithimaceabhard7457]

Well anyone going around with a uterus could potentially get pregnant, and some of those people identify as and live as men.... Which even a small child can understand is different from a "male"

[@royhaught9516]

You're 100% right, I took one look at it and the fist question that came to mind is ' what makes it so fast '. Do they have intros very cleverly hidden? Then they panned the camera around the back and there it was. ... it had a trailer hitch! I went to the nearest parts store and bought the biggest hitch I could find, now nobody is beating me!

[@dcfools2890]

Has a hitch so lt dragged something along.. close enough for a dragcar I guess lol

[@jamesgullo8240]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@craigbates2095]

That’s funny. One day online I seen a trailer hitch on sale for $125 for my ‘12 SRT challenger. I was surprised they made one for that car and I couldn’t help myself. I never use it but I do get a lot of comments about it when ppl see the open receiver and I think it’s hilarious.

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

Weight transfer is the launching secret.

[@royhaught9516]

@@MrJohnnyDistortion Yeah, your right!

[@keithparry9313]

Its a very odd story the Father was a black police officer, through 27 years of serving his community as a traffic officer in his down time was a street racer in Detroit, , and appeared to have never ever been heard of until his son a filmmaker decided the world should hear his version of his Father's secret , that was by his sons own admissions , his Dad never mentioned his street racing.

[@azul93gt38]

My children don't know about my late night clandestine illegal street racing either, and I'm not even a cop.

[@bsampson76]

​@@azul93gt38... Truth is most of us don't want our kids knowing about our youthful late nights.

[@bigtymemodding1222]

We all went out as a family on the weekends and hung out with the other car people and if my father raced my mom and myself rode with one of the other people that didn't run and watched the race

[@Maverick9k]

​@@azul93gt38my dad told me all about his street racing when I was 7

[@jamesray8771]

My kids know about my street racing history and son does it now

[@dupajas4671]

I got to see the Black Ghost in person, albeit behind glass when it was displayed on the National Mall in D.C. a couple years ago (they also displayed the Back to the Future DeLorean and the Cannon Ball Lamborghini, among others). Anyway, I too was surprised at how beat up the car looked on the outside considering it was supposed to be a low-mileage, mostly garage-kept vehicle. Also, considering some vehicles from that era had odometers that reset to 0 after 99,999 miles, I can totally see that this one most likely has 149k on the ticker… Thank you, Uncle Tony!

[@rybreadification]

I saw an interview with the original owner. I got the feeling he took it out and "raced" at stoplights and stuff with cars around town, but wasn't really a "street racer". I could see people/family calling it the black ghost. After that, it seems like story/marketing. They took that car, and his story, and ran with it. I wondered how much that car would eventually sell for. It seemed like a bit of a marketing campaign back then. It's a sick car though.

[@jeffhamill5099]

Street racing back then was stop light to stop light

[@AveragePicker]

@@jeffhamill5099There’s pulling up to a light and having a “race,” and there’s intentionally pulling up to a light to have a race.

[@5000rgb]

@DucknCoverin I loved Tony's video about the NYC street racing scene.

[@Not_Ferrari]

I'm sure if the stories were true there would have been plenty of guys that were active in the Detroit scene at that time that they could have brought forward with their stories about such a "legendary" car. The fact that no one had ever even heard of this thing until a few years ago when the kid started parading it around tells me all I need to know about the authenticity.

[@Atomwaffen-y3s]

Of course. Because every motherfucker on the road at night drove SOHC powered Thunderbolts and drilled frame Catalina’s.

[@MotoDeSoto]

“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

It's how America runs.

[@Guitarwizzard1833]

Never let a good story get in the way of the truth.

[@noahuncapher2254]

I’ve often thought about how this challenger could pull off beating some of the lightest and fastest muscle cars on Woodward and just said to myself “hmm that’s really hard to believe”

[@scottmcmullen7541]

Ive lived in Michigan ( 30 minutes from Detroit) my whole life (almost 50 years) I never heard of this car...ever. Until Dodge decided to make it a big deal.

[@larryfeasel2403]

Just because you havent heard of it, doesnt mean it didnt exist. I lived a few hours away in the late 70's early 80's and I've heard of it

[@MoparRob440]

@@larryfeasel2403 no you didn't lol.

[@vroc22988]

Lived in Detroit area 70-73 (Mt Clemens) and never heard of it.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

I believe Tony 100%. Because I saw what I think was the most detailed documentary about "the Black Ghost Challenger", where they were interviewing a couple of the old dudes who supposedly were actually there, and friends of the original owner. Now here's the kicker: the one guy claimed "he always rode shotgun during those races, and he would tell his buddy, the owner/driver of the car "when to shift". SERIOUSLY, I SAW THAT, AND I LAUGHED MY ASS OFF. For starters, when you're racing the fastest street cars around, ya don't go piling passengers in with you. Second and more importantly, if you literally need someone to "spot for you & tell you WHEN TO SHIFT GEARS", that car is obviously NOT being raced to it's full potential......whether it's stock or modded. The man literally claimed he would be looking out the back of the car during every race, and as the other car was gaining, he would tell him to shift into the next gear. WHAT BULLSHIT. LOL. Anyone else out there watch the same video? It was hilarious........and lots of folks expect you to believe that nonsense.

[@chrishensley6745]

Yea man......been drinking too much Cobra malt liquer for sure in that clip!!! I thought the same when I watched it.

[@MoparRob440]

Yep, saw the same video as you and had the same thoughts. Dude just seemed like a kook trying to sensationalize stories of riding around with his buddy.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

@@chrishensley6745 I can tell you really saw the same video talking to the same guy, especially when ya said "been drinking too much Cobra malt liquor", lol.

[@howabouthetruth2157]

@@MoparRob440 LOL.......absolutely.

[@BobTheBreaker9]

I cannot believe this is a real account from someone... absolutely no way they would put that in the documentary and expect ppl to go along with it

[@ryurc3033]

Uncle Tony always out here spitting out facts. Appreciate the lack of BS.

[@mT_atvF5KCVHlk]

He stated his opinion. Like he knows the history of every car in Detroit. Car could have been demodded...

[@nickkiofetzis5667]

clearly tony is a boof head i am in australia and seen a american show many years ago were they go out and fix your car for free and the black ghost was on the show getting fixed and the story goes he was a serving police officer wilst he use to race a car every now and then not a young kid but a fat old dude who would race some one if he ran into them spirit of the moment not hang out with the crowd everyone heard about it and many raced it not even seeing or meeting the driver he couldnt hang out with the crowd he was a cop it was bad enough he was racing them let alone get to know them uncle tony your a dick head, i know about this fellow and i am in Australia your not knowing about this car is because you clearly wernt following or hanging with the street scene at the time thats your problem not the ghost owners problem you should research you stories before you show doubt towards true stories the dead owner would be turning over in his coffin i have since have been chatting with older friends in the u.s and many have confirmed this story and nobody new he was a cop and raced him and only found out after the show came out

[@George-dy3pt]

​@x yea demodded! You're a kid and I can tell! You're no older than 20

[@ronvogt]

@@mT_atvF5KCVHlk And that's your opinion so??

[@mT_atvF5KCVHlk]

@@George-dy3pt my daddy has more money than you!!!!

[@garyweber7139]

I agree the story has a flaw. The father was a cop and an upstanding vet, why would he engage in street racing at all? Why not just go to the track? Yeah it's a scam for sure.

[@ben68442]

Guys with the longest arms always catch the biggest fish. Same story with that challenger. I knew long ago that a movie would be right around the corner. Look up the name of the buyer and see where that million bucks is coming from. Scam for sure.

[@lb9gta307]

When I saw the youtube video I thought it would make for a good movie. TBH I think selling the car takes away from the story.

[@archive.garage]

I loved this! UTG here's a tip: "The Robin's Egg Ghost", a story about a washed up Top Fuel mechanic who builds a junkyard Coronet with nothing but junk parts and his uncanny tuning knowledge, who terrorizes the Nashville street racing scene.

[@Mikey-lj4ch]

I'd like to hear it

[@geraldlafleur7776]

Ya,he won a 5,000 dollar grudge match with it and drove off into the sunset with his fist full of dollars laughing all the way. 😂

[@aussiebloke609]

Nothing special. I believe he ran nitrous. 😁

[@michael931]

I heard of that legend...you can't put a price on that. But if you could...

[@aliassmithandjones9453]

I think 'washed up' is insulting. How about "long in the tooth"

[@russellmooneyham3334]

Wow. This explains a lot about classic car auctions and pricing in general. Great video, UTG!

[@waynepaul9276]

Also explains something about the buyers of these vehicles at these auctions. Money doesn’t matter in many cases, they buy them thru corporations and recoup the money and taxes later thru resell. A good chance to get lubed up with your buddies, flash some cash and be seen doing it. This also explains why most people who have a piece of junk sitting in the weeds think their car is worth way more than it actually is. Someone stupid enough to agree will end up paying their price

[@chrisvig123]

The classic muscle car scene has been corrupted for decades with fake numbers matching cars…reproduction date stamped parts…rebodied cars etc…whenever there is money to be made 😮

[@fratzogmopars]

@@logicthought24 Yes, you are correct sir. The music is about to stop and people will be scrambling for a chair.

[@borisjankovici662]

@@chrisvig123 You can replace 99% -literally- of the vehicle with reproduction or used parts and still claim it is whatever the VIN states. But somehow a "clone" made of a clean car with original parts isn't worth as much as a car made of chinese reproduction metal? That's the open secret. Nevermind the people that blatantly lie. There's a guy on KZbin restoring an AAR Cuda. Not one bit of the sheet metal is salvagable, but the VIN will likely make it a $500k car even though it's nothing more than a Chinese catalogue metal.

[@borisjankovici662]

@@fratzogmopars I would love to see these people lose a fortune. These scumbags deserve pain.

[@Vin80_]

As a younger person, admittedly I kinda fell for it myself, as I know nothing about the old street racing scene, but even then I still had questions after seeing he was selling it, and I believe he actually mentioned his job in a piece I saw too, after watching this I fully believe he inflated his father’s legacy for a cash grab, now I question if that legacy was real in the first place.

[@drippinglass]

One mil? Someone paid about $700k for a feel good story.

[@cce3325]

Well said.

[@kramnull8962]

Tractor's have become the new investment as well. That's all one is banking on, that the value is sure to rise either way. They just put a lot more eggs in one basket. In many ways the Antique Tractor industry is following this same thing. Draw people in and then seperate the tractor from the implements. Leading someone to most likely end up bidding $15000 just for one implement and destroying the total value of the tractor as a set. We both know why the bidding goes so high on the plows. Tom Dick and Harry planted in the crowd.

[@onestepbeyond7240]

There's a Hemi Superbird going up for auction somewhere soon. They predict it'll fetch 975g.

[@kramnull8962]

@@onestepbeyond7240 I wonder how much fighting goes on behind the scenes when 2 or 3 people get together and buy one of these things. They are only worth that much for investment reasons and if you have place and time to store it for 25 more years.

[@onestepbeyond7240]

@@kramnull8962 B-J & Mecum have ruined the chances for a average schlub like myself to buy these " collector" cars. The same cars I could've bought for peanuts back then.

[@unclejay4644]

A guy took his fancy new challenger out street racing a few times. Decided it was a bad idea because he’s a cop. Stops going. That’s the story of the “black ghost”. Lol. The first time I read the story of the car this was kind of what it sounded like. But since then it seems like it’s just been blown completely out of proportion. As you stated it’s a bone stock car and shows no hallmarks of someone who was actively out there street racing.

[@RCredneck85]

I’m glad someone that’s respected in the car community said it. I was thinking “did nobody in Detroit in the 70’s have any means to soup up there cars?” You’re 100% right the story is fake.

[@grdragonslayer]

No, it's really not. This guy is welcomed to his opinion but that's all it is.

[@rogadog77]

​@@grdragonslayer lol vitamin C made that "ghost" vanish forever....real deal Detroit Born n raised here...French Road Riders

[@grdragonslayer]

@@rogadog77 lol, not sure what any of that means, but OK

[@rogadog77]

@@grdragonslayer exactly, you don't....because you're NOT from Detroit, I am.......tony hit the nail on the head perfectly

[@grdragonslayer]

@@rogadog77 Lol, “I’m from Detroit so I’m an expert” 🤣🤣🤣. Did you know Mr. Qualls personnally? Did you live in his neighborhood? Were you part of his circle? Didn’t think so. Several who have commented on here who DID know him have verified the stories, so your opinion means as little as Tony’s.

[@twelve_gauge_rage]

If Tony is right and this is to set up a movie... I'd wager that the studio ran up the bids on the car and ultimately bought it.

[@sandyvalentin3072]

Your probably right

[@brandonbman5921]

💯%. 👍🏻

[@dbx1233]

There was an episode on MASH, a '70's sitcom, and someone concocted a fictitious person named, Tuttle. By the end of the episode, every one claimed to have known Tuttle. A person who never existed. The Black Ghost story is similar to Tuttle. LOL!

[@ScytheNoire]

And then American Dad show put Tuttle as a character who appears time to time.

[@michaeldemarco9950]

And now he’s gone; nothing left but his dog tags.

[@TheBenjammin]

You actually let us know that mash was a 70s sitcom. Good lord.

[@WizardOfWhoopee]

I drove a 2nd hand small-town legend car. 1969 Coronet R/T. 440, AVS, 727 auto. I heard stories all the time. A young fellow told to me one day at a show "I've ridden in that car, at 120 mph it shifts into another gear". Originally red, it was afterwards orange. The 1st owner said "the paint looked red when it was in the can". And he "kept the carb in the house thru the winter". Mopar stories are the best.

[@henrybourdon6712]

Oh yes i heard the carb starts spinning when it detects the summer heat is not far off.

[@JOHNSUE28]

I owned a 1969 Red Coronet R/T 440 AVS 727 auto. in 1978 I moved to Springfield MO. from Des Moines, Iowa. I Hooked a 10 ft Uhaul to it and Headed right on down I35. Oh, to be young again.

[@gregpearson9644]

Just our local street racers back in the ‘80’s were pretty serious machines. Hard working blue color guys put a lot of time & money into their Dusters, Corvettes, Chevelles. Big gears, big cams, lightened cars, slicks, sometimes roll bars. This was all obvious stuff and the real fast cars would probably be 11-12 second cars. Nice call Tony, a “real” street racer is usually a clean, well prepared car with lots of go fast goodies.

[@HighlanderNorth1]

Yeah, and back in the 80s we could afford to be hyperpartisan with our brand choices, because there were still LOTS of late 60s and early 70s American cars on the road from every brand. There were still scads of '68 - '74 Novas, '68 - '72 Chevelles, Darts & Dusters, Furys, Torinos, Mustangs, even Javelins. So as a Ford guy, I could afford to roll my eyes at Chevys, because there were so damn many of them! Fast forward 35-40 years, and it's so uncommon to see any of these old cars on the streets anymore, that I'm no longer a Ford partisan. I'd love to see a nice 69 Chevelle, Nova, a 68 Firebird, a 70 'Cuda, or a 74 Dart. Sure, I may slightly prefer a 65 Comet, but not by much anymore....

[@seththomas9105]

@@HighlanderNorth1 I was there too. I granduated in 88 and dalied a 73 Z/28 RS/LT, and had a 46 GMC as my other vehicle. The high school parking lots in the 80's had first and second gen Monte Carlo's, 66-73 Chevell's, 1st and 2nd gen F-Bodies, 62-70 Impala's and Caprice's, Galaxie 500's and Mercury Marauders, some 1st gen Mustangs, Pontiac GP's and Bonnies, Olds Starfires, Cutlass, and 88's and even a few 50's Wampa Dampa dalies like a 57 Chevy post thrown in along with a lot of early and mid 70's land yachts. We didn't know how good we had it.

[@drippinglass]

I do remember reading about the Steve Lisk 1971 Challenger. Hemi with a Lenco and back halved. The first Pro Street car I saw in Hot Rod Magazine. It ran the Detroit streets in the late 70’s.

[@93_LXcpe]

Seen it out on the street back then. Oooh aaah holy shit moment for a young guy who knew about the legend

[@jasonrackawack9369]

Love that car

[@drippinglass]

It was running 9.61 thru the mufflers at 142 mph back in ‘77. And it was street driven.

[@392scatpack3]

If the car headed back half it's a race car not a streetcar

[@93_LXcpe]

@392 Scatpack car was not backhalfed and it was street driven. Basically an NHRA Pro Stock car

[@stevieg2755]

In Philly we had two places for serious racers,the big daddies were Front st,and people would actually trailer their cars in to race.The other near Northeast airport was Decatur Rd,that's where the daily driver hot rods raced,loved going to those things.One car that stood out was a Boss 302 Maverick yellow in color,man that thing could move.It was not unusual to see pros like Bill Grumpy Jenkins running a couple cars the streetable ones

[@gregfarmer8448]

Tony, you did yourself proud in this broadcast. Honest, fact driven and with care not to implicate double meanings and further speculation. You are the epitome of the calibre of person we enthusiasts seek to entrust the restoration and maintenance of our classic cars. Too few of you exist unfortunately but when found, its like the parting of the seas to us mere mortals. The ability to deal with someone with honest knowledge and well earned credibility is a god send. You are the man. As for the people involved in the 'promotion' of this car for financial gain. Just believe in karma. It will bite them on the arse sooner or later.

[@Mr.Avuncular]

Toche' my friend 👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@1982MCI]

Lol 😂

[@kram350x]

I watched his videos lately. He sounds like a jealous little whiner. Actually he’s a self proclaimed expert. The truth be known he’s just like any other content creator looking for hits. Sad really.

[@johnwagner8465]

I like tony..honesty...hard to find nowadays

[@bobthbldr3]

Reminds me of the old saying "A legend in his own mind" or "the older I get the better I was". When a story gets passed around from person to person, each one embellishes it little bit more.

[@josebrown5961]

Yea but anybody with half a brain can take one look at the car and tell that it was nothing special. (Performance wise) It is 1 of 1 and that is nice. But it also is loaded with all the luxuries. I mean does it even have traction bars? That car was no unbeatable ghost.

[@wildestcowboy2668]

​@@josebrown5961how many HEMI cars u got?

[@TheCptTrenchfoot]

​@@wildestcowboy2668 right back at you

[@wildestcowboy2668]

@@TheCptTrenchfoot 69 charger HEMI, automatic 57 Chrysler hemi (392)

[@162386cba]

Has anyone checked the prices of these old original Hemi Challengers and Cudas? This car wasn't bought because of any scams or hyping the car up. No one comes off of a million because they are dumb. Go to Carlisle Pennsylvania and price cars at the Mopar Nationals. Unrestored hemi cars go for a fortune now. Some Cuda's go for more than a million now. I'm 100% Mopar but Competition for the Siver Bullet (a built race car) was cars like Sox and Martin, Dick Landy, and many more Mopars that ran on the drag strip.

[@jdgimpa]

Tony you are right about this car. The first time I saw the video on them getting the car running I thought this is a bone stock car that has been driven, not just street raced and hidden away. I worked at a Chrysler Plymouth dealer in 1970. We had Hemi Cudas and 440 six pack Cudas. The biggest issue with a bone stock big block was traction. The other was that the carburetors as they came from the factory had flat spots, they stumbled hesitated and backfired. Almost every one we sold with multiple carbs on it was back at the dealership within a month with complaints. The surprise, right out of the box, was the AAR Cuda. We had a one way street by the dealership where we raced the cars against each other. While the big block cars were spinning the tires the AAR was hooked up and gone! The problem with the Black Ghost story is that it is coming from people who weren't even around or were just babies during the time this car was suposed to be tearing up the streets.

[@George-dy3pt]

I believe he wasn't even in his dad's nutsack when he supposedly raced it! Let alone a baby! It's just what uncle Tony said it was a story to scam people every way possible from dodge to the sole company mecum and the producers from hollyweird

[@skatpk9196]

In 1970, I remember an article when I was young about the 1969 Dodge Charger Hemi stating the quarter mile was about 12.6 seconds. I loved that car. I just looked up the 1970 Dodge Challenger Hemi Quarter mile. The articles vary from the mid 12's to 14 seconds. There are many factors for quarter mile times. Anyone who has been on a drag strip knows that. What cannot be disputed is the excitement of the muscle car era. Many beautiful cars and victories on the streets.

[@boredguy2935]

Tires and tunes led to alot of inconsistencies in that era. However alot of the Halo muscle cars could put down 12s on modern radials. Simple matter of weight and powed

[@RaiderX948]

I applaud you Tony, first saw the documentary on the car about two years ago, immediately had a connection with the late Mr. Godfrey Qualls. I am a combat veteran of the U.S.M.C. & retired from the N.Y.P.D. & like Mr. Qualls have a car I'm going to pass down. The story seemed to be manufactured about the car since the father's passing by the son who, oddly enough is around my age and have zero in common with. The old story of follow the money, they merchandised the car with shirts and mini replicas now they cashed in. The son is nothing like the father. God Bless Mr. Godfrey Qualls.

[@George-dy3pt]

Exactly! Him and his peons at his company got together with hollyweird dodge and mecum and they figured out how they all could make alot of money! Uncle Tony it for everyone to hear but you still have these people who don't know how to comprehend have selective hearing and no common sense! And yea he's just exploiting his dad's name which is sorry!

[@patrickwayne3701]

Thank You for speaking up Mr. Halleran. I have both, my Granddad's car and my Dad's car and I couldn't sell either one if my life was at it's end. The love and honor I have for them is beyond measure. Too often stories like this reveal uncomfortable truths..... Godfrey didn't give his car to his son until his time was up, for a reason.

[@RaiderX948]

@@patrickwayne3701 You have integrity Patrick and that's why your Grandfather's & Father's cars mean so much. My Grandfather wasn't a car guy, he was a WW II veteran and very, very tough man, he was my greatest mentor, he passed on May 31, 2001, I bought his home and that's where I live and will live out my life. Money is nothing more than dirty paper, not everything is for sale. Enjoy and treasure those cars.

[@patrickwayne3701]

@@RaiderX948 Thank You Sir. For your service and the kind words. My Granddad was 82nd Airborne in WWII. Luckily,, my Grandparents were there for me when my mother decided to be elsewhere. They sheltered me and when Mom was elsewhere, they let me visit with my Dad, until Mom got wise to that,, then Mom urged her new husband to take overseas assignments. I'm 57 now, and I looked after my Grands til they passed, in 2016 and 2018, 90 for Granddad and 93 for Grandma. Honor of my life. With you on money. I've only scratched for enough to get what I have wanted,,, spent the rest of my time with friends and family. Never seen a tombstone that said 'Wish I had worked more'....

[@pughs5star643]

Tony, I said the exact same thing! My first response was this thing does not even have headers... how was it beating anyone? Thanks again Tony for keeping it real!!!

[@hipcat13]

I remember talking to the son at MCACN where the car was being shown. I asked him if he was going to keep it in the family and he said "yes". I remarked how cool that was and how it would make his father proud that his car was going to be an heirloom, and he had somewhat of a guilty look on his face after I said that.

[@mattperkins7038]

Didnt the dad make him promise to not get rid of it

[@hipcat13]

@@mattperkins7038 That's what I thought I remembered from the story.

[@danielsipes4380]

What a scam the car is definitely not a street race contender for king of the streets like Tony said it had no upgrades not even headers probably more like 15 second car that's funny people are so gullible 😂

[@ImForwardlook]

Only an idiot would not sell for a million bucks.

[@josebrown5961]

What “value” is the car if you never get rid of it? The guy didn’t look like he had a bunch of money. The guy kept the car covered and he got it running. Every second that car spends outside it is falling apart. The car is special because it is 1 of 1. Where that car belongs is under glass like it was in DC.I just don’t see why he was supposed to keep it. I think his father would want him to profit from the car.

[@extramile150]

When I saw the KZbin videos on it, the 40-minute one especially, and saw there were no headers...right then I knew this was a story and not a factual street racing legend. Hell, with those 4-speeds, be it 383, 440 or 426 Hemi, you had to be really good to speed shift them and then if you didn't shift well, a low 14-second time card turned into a low 15. Great video Tony.

[@2HacksGarage]

Don’t forget about Steven Lisk’s 71 challenger street legal pro stock challenger. That car was a beast!

[@deewiedman7384]

yup and jack roush 460 mustang 2

[@markhatfield2242]

Seen it at Milan dragway

[@markmark2080]

One could create a myth about a car, put the car on auction and buy it using a couple "partners" to bid it up, and then only be out the auction fees to make it a very valuable vehicle for future resale...especially after a movie ...

[@0004612]

Exactly what scares me away from auction cars....shill bidders, who have no intention of winning, just helping the seller get more money.

[@SorryGuys-eighty-8]

The new owner is having buyers remorse at a level I can't imagine after watching this vid Uncle Tony.......😆

[@SlingshotMustang]

I KNEW that story was horseshit! I remember watching the documentary on KZbin a couple years ago and thinking that none of it added up, the car looked completely stock and beat to shit, nothing about it screamed "legendary drag car", and I'd never heard of it before. They had so many people hyping it though and even Dodge was getting behind the story, that it almost made me second guess myself. Almost. Then I looked at pics of the engine bay again and of the rest of the car and concluded "yeah that wasn't no drag car, people will fall for anything these days", and then I forgot all about it. What a treat that UTG's video popped up on my YT feed today (even though he did this a few months ago, not sure how I missed it). And all my suspicions are now confirmed! Hilarious lol. It sold for a million, its "story" is even archived in Library of Congress.... Lmao what a mind job! Oh there's no doubt a movie will be made on it. I'll say the REAL reason that no one else has the guts to say: it's because the original owner was black. There, I said it. Not to take anything away from Godfrey Quall, I'm sure he was a great man and deserves to be remembered for his contributions to his country and all that. But the main reason this car got so hyped, and its "legend" wasn't questioned and was handled with kid gloves by Dodge and the Mecum auction and everyone involved with it..... Is because it came from a black family. That's it. That's all it is. Virtue signaling is at all time highs, and what better way to virtue signal than to pretend that a black war hero, cop-by-day, street-racer-by-night, owned a "legendary" car that "owned the streets" of Detroit in the 1970s that then vanished and passed into myth for 50 years. It makes for the PERFECT type of story that Hollywood wants to sell. Had this exact car been owned by a white guy, no one would've batted an eye and no one would've gone along with the clearly made up history of this car. And everyone knows I speak the truth when I say that.

[@anthonyv1971]

It wasn't cause his race, apparently Hagerty wanted to interview the son bc the classic car market has been topsy-turvy as hell the last several years, they figured if they put together an heart string pulling mini documentary it would give a slight boost in this market, they even had help from that film company Tony mentions in the video. if Hagerty could convince ppl that classic cars are more than just vehicles, it'll convince ppl to go out and buy an old car, and when people buy an old car most are likely to insure through you guessed it, Hagerty, like Tony said this was all marketing.

[@UncleScoob]

My dad never once mentioned this ghost car in all the woodward stories he told me growing up, he used to tell me all kinds of stories about him running up and down woodward in his '69 z28, I think the guy just wanted to fabricate a story about his dad's car to keep his legacy alive and clearly it worked.

[@ArtFam520]

The son didn't fabricate anything. The street Rance ers of that era did.

[@tilt213]

I think this was an Eastside legend. I heard the story for the 1st time back about 1980 going to the RTS swap meets down on Joy. By the middle 80's it was just a legend we all thought. The family lives very close to my house and we still would only see it just a few times, but they did drive it.

[@alanhoutz5513]

I had a 70 Challenger, 440 Magnum, slap stick. Did a few things. Cam, carb, Eldebrock manifold, Accel ignition system, 3500 stall speed torque converter. It was quick and I won races, but there were guys with faster cars. You’re right, very nose heavy! We all tried to race with guys with similar cars and stayed away from cars we knew were out of our league. Lots of fun. High 12’s were the best I ever managed. No doubt they guy raced and won, but own the scene? Nope! Thanks for the video!

[@antjuansanchez7316]

It's a bone stock 14 second car it's over hyped and overrated

[@forlornhope1116]

Slap a turbo on that 440 today, set your suspension up to hook hard with drag radials and be amazed

[@fortyshooter1]

My brother and I...20 and 16 yrs. old in 1970, He ordered a new 1970 Hemicuda. He drove his old VW bug to work during the week and pulled the Hemi out on the weekend evenings for street racing and cruising while I learned to speed shift his VW on the weekends till I bought my 55 Chevy. We ran 13.50-13.20's at 105-107 with the super track pack 4.10/ headers and 7 1/2 J.C Penny slicks which were made by M&H. Later 4.56 gear went in along with a pair of grooved with a screwdriver slicks on the street. Had a 3 stoplight runs with a real 1969 Yenko Chevelle and when we 3rd gear in the Torqueflite we would pull away for a win by 1/2 a car. Brother made good money working for the telephone company AT&T to afford it all. All it really needed was a bit more cam and thats when he got carried away and added all the Race Hemi parts....12.5 pistons 1965 magnesium cross ram with the correct 770 Holley carbs ...Racer Brown STX 22 cam and the S&M large aluminum oil pan with the swinging pickup....and full manual Torqflite with 9 inch convert. We still drove it on the streets at night and it made a name for itself. REAL story here no B.S. Have the pictures and old 8mm movies. Wish I could go back and do it again! He still owns the Hemicuda and it shows 10,000 miles and sits the way it was on flat 50 year old slicks. Paint and body/interior all factory with no rust being stored in his garage. I don't understand why he does nothing with it. This a legend too? It was around our town....many real stories to tell! Tony I can email you some pictures.

[@fortyshooter1]

Pictures sent to you Tony in your email !

[@MoparRob440]

Dude... NOBODY knew JC Penney sold tires, much less car stuff. Thank you for reminding me 👍

[@johnroberts7018]

I remember my first and only encounter with the Black Ghost back in the day. Saturday night, Woodward Ave. I was in my 427 Cobra sitting at a stop light. I had just installed a second 427 in the rear of the car with a highly experimental all-wheel-drive and suspension setup I was testing for Ford. The twin 427s were converted to nitro methane at the time. Earlier that day we dyno’d the car at 2,500 HP @ 12,000RPM. Suddenly I looked to my right and sitting next to me was the BLACK GHOST. He revved on me and I said let’s do it bud. The light changed to green and I remember hearing a noise like an atomic bomb and smelling burning rubber as if a tire factory had exploded. I launched but as soon as I was through the wall of smoke there was….nothing. Not even tail lights! The Black Ghost had eaten my lunch and completely disappeared before I could even get off the line. I will never forget that night.

[@notmyname3883]

"And then everybody clapped?"

[@themagus5906]

Okay, Commander McBragg!

[@Toxic2T]

lmao people not getting the sarcasm

[@rickhunter6513]

Based on a true story! 🍻

[@donnasingleton6320]

Haaaa, great story!!!

[@bobbyz1964]

If you heard some of the stories guys I went to high school with 40 years ago tell about my Lemans you'd think it was a really fast car. Ive even heard it'd pull the front wheels off the ground. It wouldn't The stories just get better over the years. 😅

[@adamdeyton4953]

What year was your Lemans

[@bobbyz1964]

@adamdeyton4953 A 70 originally a manual floor shift car with a 350. When I got it about 78-79, it had a 400 and a four-speed. 400 bucks, not including wheels and a battery, those were the days. 🤣

[@elarr8733]

Plot twist: Buyer puts a junkyard LS in it. Picks up 4 seconds.

[@dwaynegamble244]

Lol in Your dreams

[@mcfordsgarage1972]

THANK YOU TONY! Every car guy in Detroit thanks you for calling this out!❤

[@FancyAnimal]

Bullet Mustang sold for $3.4M and it was stock. Pop culture drives value.

[@jeffreybrandes881]

I saw a video about this car several years ago.I too was suspicious at the time; but I couldn't form a definite opinion. Thanks, Uncle Tony, for clearing things up and affirming my suspensions.

[@walterneville2625]

Agree Tony... I owned and raced a 426 Hemi Dart that was built for Street racing against the big boys in Brooklyn, and Queens NYC in the late 1970's.. The car was a 10.60 car... in order to get there, the stock bore hemi had a 612/.593 custom grind cam ( chosen by Dick Landy), Engle roller lifters, and roller rockers, hand fabricated Hooker headers, 12 qt Sox and Martin oil pan.. Edelbrock. Rat Roaster intake with 1050 Dominator carb.. Twin Carter electric fuel pumps, 4 spd with a 58lb flywheel, and 557 gears in a Dana 60. Dandy Dick Landy supplied the cam, and set up the carb... Back then, I could call Mr Landy, and he would would make recommendations.. He was instrumental in helping get the car in the right direction..Rear suspension was a Motown Missile leaf link suspension with Super Stock springs... Those are just some of the modifications, that come to mind...Plus all the machine work, and a Moldex crank... Agree, the Black Ghost is a scam to make money... And fool clueless people...

[@electrix6751]

Ah yes,. the good ol' days of high performance machinery. All your specs and parts are no stranger to me. I miss that era.

[@walterneville2625]

@@electrix6751 I enjoyed your reply.. I miss those days also...

[@benruether8294]

Can't help but wonder what it would run exactly as it was, but with modern 2023 stickys in back. I would kill for a build like that

[@walterneville2625]

Almost forgot, that was on 14 inch wide M&H Racemaster slicks, D4 compound

[@benruether8294]

@@walterneville2625 My dad's good friend had a 69 Chevelle with a 427 crate engine back when you could get them from the dealer. Similar compound. If you drove over paper it would stick. Frame was stress cracked and welded so many times. He had such a heavy pressure plate, the firewall would flex kicking the pedal. Went back to a reverse manual valve body 400.

[@jdsmith556]

Damn it Tony! I really liked that story, but after listening to your take on the situation I know it was just that, a story. Thank God I’m not the guy who was duped into paying 1M on a 70 challenger RT SE

[@ryanstuckey8677]

as rare as that car is with those options bs aside it's still worth the sale price

[@herecomesaregular8418]

@@ryanstuckey8677It ain't worth a million. It just isn't. Great car, not even worth close to that. Unless that Challenger belonged to Elvis or something it just isn't worth a million dollars.

[@TheCyberMantis]

@@ryanstuckey8677 Nope. Not worth it. Buyer got screwed.

[@MrSilnev]

@@ryanstuckey8677 Nah, the buyer paid for the story. The car is in Hargerty's historic vehicle registration alongside the Shelby Daytona Coupe, Chrysler Turbine Car, The Cannonball Run Countach.

[@russparker71]

Great in-depth dissection and explanation of this shaky story Tony! Scams like these are unfortunately becoming the norm in today's world. People just have no shame about lying where there's a buck involved. Money has ruined the old car hobby. It's gotten completely out of hand.

[@MrGGPRI]

Tony's the man; as a mechanic also born with a wrench in my hand, we have abilities to look over a car and tell it's story and when the novice and other come latelys tell their "stories" we can see right thru them.. Once had a "novice' tell me he had a hemi in his 1928 Dodge coupe but put the orig flathead back in; problem was the flathead and mounts had NEVER had a wrench on them due to their "vintage patina".

[@joninpgh]

Agree, when I first saw the Black Ghost videos I was like, cool story and a Hemi will be pretty fast but it looks mostly stock. I didn't live in Detroit but I was aware of the Silver Bullet GTX, the Sudden Death Mustang II which was arguably the first Pro Street car, and the Steve Lisk Hemi Challenger with a fiberglass front end and Lenco trans, essentially a Pro Stocker with headlights. Any of those would have left the Black Ghost in the dust. I'm sure it beat some SS396's and GTO's but there's no way it "owned the streets".

[@joninpgh]

That said, a triple-black Hemi RT/SE with a gator grain top is probably one-of-one and still worth a crap-ton of money.

[@kramrollin69]

If you watched the video, no-one ever said it Owned the streets. They said, it occasionally came out for a blast against the local hot rods, apparently using slicks. The fastest car they ran against was a big block Corvette. They never claimed it was racing against all the high rollers. And Lisks Challenger etc all came in the late 70s early 80s....Mustang 2s were from the midish 70s anyway. What about the other Detroit Mopar heros of the 80s...the Orlikowski Max Wedge Brosthers....a 9 and 10 second cars. or Steve Mare's Ted Spehar built Pro Stock Street driven Hemi Volare an 8 second car.....that only occasionally appeared, beat everyone and disappeared. Must have been fun in the very late 70s early 80s period....but the black ghost was early 70s.

[@sportmedtech]

When Hagerty got involved and did that piece on it two years ago I knew something odd was up. They have a long history of being a hype machine and inflating exploits of various vehicles because I THINK they collaborate with companies in the classic car industry like Mecuum and Dodge etc to artificially generate buzz to either heighten interest or inflate prices. Just my opinion but like the case UTG made anyone who knows street racing can take one look at this car and call BS.

[@malibuclassic77]

Hagerty’s customers ALL own classic and collector cars. The magazine’s mission is to preserve and increase the value of those vehicles, which increases insurance premiums. It’s a hype machine for Hagerty on its own by design, no collusion necessary.

[@sportmedtech]

True but we have seen a huge push by them for more digital content in the last few years from them with a lot more “sponsored” content in that regard. It is just odd that whenever a manufacturer wants to push a new release of a model hagerty coincidentally is right there to drop content that just so happens to be tied to it. I went to a Hagerty Seminary about 10 years ago. It was basically about the Hagerty Institute which was about exactly what you just described. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it is collusion but there is definitely a symbiotic relationship with Hagerty and manufacturers.

[@borisjankovici662]

This is 100% how the classic car market functions. It is a concerted, collective effort to generate hype. Prices increase literally overnight on particular vehicles. Supply didn't change...demand didn't change...but the "value" went up 4X? Uh..no, that's not how it works.

[@fl350r]

Mecum, Hagerty and everyone else promoting this car should be ashamed.

[@morgenhoop]

I called it out as a dog and pony show when I first heard about it years ago at a car show after the Hagertys video (the car was not there, they were just talking about it) and a bunch of Mopar guys berated me out of the car show in Dallas. One guy even went as far as to say he was from Detroit and the rumors of it are true cause his dad raced it and always talked about it when he was a kid. All I said was "Cool story bro" I am glad I am not the only one who saw the knee high boots. Thanks, UTG!

[@robertclymer6948]

WOW, your story of what really went down is almost as good as the Black Ghost legend. I will do some digging on this. I'm in Motown, and 1 1/2 miles from Jack Roush Industries. If I can, I will ask him what he remembers (if Anything) about this car and or legend. I will also ask old timers at my local car shows this coming week. Maybe the Ramchargers engineers ran into the Black Ghost and got humbled, or Ford or Chevy. They all were on Woodward Ave back in the day testing their A/FX stuff. Thanks for sharing this little GEM with us.

[@ironking76]

Please let us know what you find out.

[@Thomas63r2]

In the nearly 50 years that I have been playing with cars, including a number of years of drag racing, countless cruise nights and car shows - I've run into a lot of story telling and bench racing. Lots of made up facts and performance figures by people who were bad at math or just liked to lie. Some people have told their lies so often that they have convinced themselves that their story was true - and my oh my do they get mad when called out. Its really boring to talk with these masters of bs and their tall tales of magical horsepower and acceleration. The Silver Bullet was legit, the Black Ghost might have won some meaningless matchups - against cars that weren't even trying to win.

[@CamaroAmx]

The dad must of been the most selective street racer on the planet and the luckiest.

[@Thomas63r2]

@@CamaroAmx Or someone with easily impressed friends who have spun up one Jim-Dandy of a street racer legend. I have been bored to tears countless times hearing someone or another laying claim to imagined feats of speed and glory behind the wheel of a non-competitive car. A stock Hemi like this Black Ghost is a fun car to drive - but not a contender for the street wars of the 1970's when there were a number of legit 10 and 11 second street racers looking for a street race on any good weather Friday or Saturday night.

[@HashMaster1776]

@@CamaroAmx same thing with todays guys man. Lotta dudes in high HP cars picking on people they can have a guarantee win, meanwhile the other guy was just having fun… then when a “bigger fish” pulls up… “yeah no I’m good man!” 😂 this is car culture man, all the toxicity and BS has always been here, just been passed down through generations! With the community and population be bigger than ever, there’s ofc a lot more stories of garbage today. Old heads like to act like they didn’t inflate their own egos back in the day like the young generation of today… but that’s just another lie 😂

[@mikehannigan848]

I had the driver of an rhd rx-7 tell me he had 5,000 dollars worth of internals, then he lost to a LIGHTLY modified fwd Eclipse turbo by half a car.

[@FAAAARK]

​@Charlie B right up there with jumpin' Coke cans at the hit

[@azactor]

10 years ago there was this guy who went across country in his Mustang. He stopped at all the major cities and street raced everyone. Beat the shit out of everyone. Never raced for money or pink slips. When he beat you at the finish line, he just kept going. Supposedly it was an under 10 second car. Very fast! It was called the Apocalypse Gray Horse. Legend has it, he never street raced in the same city twice, so there are a lot of stories about this racer and his Mustang. The only thing about the stories that had something in common were that the Mustang was a New Edge body style, it was Dark Shadow Gray, limo tinted windows, chrome wheels, and a unique racing stripe on the hood (one that no one else had).