Standing six-foot-six and weighing around 300 pounds, “Big” Willie Robinson was a larger-than-life character who made a name for himself on the streets of SoCal as a legendary street racer and hustler. Robinson and his wife, Tomiko, even cruised up and down the California streets in a pair of Dodge Charger Daytonas dubbed the “King Daytona” and “Queen Daytona”, two of the most famous street racing car ever.

Big Willie also owned a third Charger Daytona, which like the King and Queen became outfitted for street racing. Called the “Duke and Duchess”, this Charger Daytona has recently come into the ownership of Corey Owens. Hemmings Auto Blog reports that Mr. Owens is currently restoring Big Willie’s last Daytona, and it could be ready as soon as this winter.

The Duke and Duchess car, like all of Big Willie’s street monsters, came with many customer modifications designed to help it outpace the competition. This included an all-aluminum Keith Black HEMI V8 and a Clutchflite transmission (which required the cutting of the transmission tunnel). The Daytona sat in the California sun until Mopar collector Gary French bought it.

French then sold it to jeans designer Donwan Harrel, who in 2010 sold it to the current owner, Corey Owens. Big Willie’s last Daytona is now sitting in Owen’s Minnesota shop, undergoing a restoration striving to preserve as many original parts as possible. This includes the numbers-matching 440 V8 engine (the Keith Black HEMI was located, but proved too expensive to buy), though items like the fiberglass hood and one door had to be remade due to deterioration.

The restoration is well underway, and will even recreate Big Willie’s original 10-foot “functional” cream paint job. Owens hopes to have the project all buttoned up in time for the 2014 show circuit, and we can’t wait to see the final product.