That Tommy is still driving the Dart is more a testament to Tom’s impressive lack of taste than it is a statement about the Dart’s staying power.” “In fact, this car gives junk a bad name. The Test Drive Notes on Tommy’s Dart are gold: “Despite anything Tommy might tell you to the contrary, the car is pure, unmitigated junk.” Image Source: Car Talk Tom may have loved it, but nobody else did. Want a radio? Want a heater? Want a warranty? Buy another car, son.Ĭar Talk’s Tom Magliozzi made the Dodge Dart a cult hero by heaping incessant praise on his 1963 Dodge Dart Convertible. V-8 with 275 horsepower, a stiff Weber clutch, a Hurst-shifted A833 heavy duty 4-speed, an 8 3/4-inch Sure-Grip differential with a wheelstanding 4.86:1 axle ratio and a red interior with bucket seats. Each D/Dart came from the factory with a 273-cu.in. V-8 that powered the Plymouth Barracuda.Ĭontinuing the drag racing theme from 1962, Dodge produce a short run of 50 NHRA D-Stock drag racing specials in 1966. slant sixes, the Dart in GT trim was a sporty compact car, and offered the option of the hot 273-cu.in. Known primarily as an economy car with 170-cu.in. Compact cars like the Chevrolet Corvair, the Chevy II and the Ford Falcon were immensely popular alternatives to compacts from Europe, and the Dodge fell right in line, with a handsome, reliable, and - ordered correctly - a fun to drive little car.Īvailable in five bodystyles (2-door sedan, 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, convertible and station wagon), there was a Dart for everyone. The third-generation 1963-66 Darts were the cars that brought customers to Dodge showrooms. It churned out 415 horsepower and set records at the drag strip. Ramcharger Max Wedge V-8 was the way to get there. Thanks to low unsprung weight, it stopped and handled very well for a car from this era.įinally, if you were interested in driving a quarter mile at a time, a 1962 Dodge Dart optioned with the 413-cu.in. Second, it was about as close to a unibody as you can get. First, it was the only Dodge B-Body to ever carry the Dart brand, and for 1962 only. When every other manufacturer was moving away from the wild jet-age styling of the late 1950s, design chief Virgil Exner at Chrysler went out of his mind with the bizzaro 1962 Dart.Īs odd as they are to look at, the 1962 Dodge Dart was noteworthy. There’s no way around it: Dodge Darts from 1962 are weird. slant six that would be synonymous with the Dart until the brand first went on hiatus in 1976. ![]() From the get-go, the lowest trim Dodge Dart featured the 225-cu.in. The Dart was based on the same chassis as the Polara, but rode on a 118-inch wheelbase in the two-door and four-door models. ![]() In a perfect example of why nobody should pay attention to consumer focus groups, another name tested extremely high among consumers surveyed: Dodge Zipp. Dodge needed an inexpensive car, and the Dart would be it.įind your next Dodge Dart at Suddenly, the low-line Plymouth products dealers had been selling since the 1930s were going to migrate to a new Plymouth division, with a whole new dealer network. But there were some legendary Darts over its 56-year history, and some shouldn’t be forgotten:ġ960 – Almost a Zipp By Rex Gray – 1960 Dodge Dart Pioneer Dodge announced sad news this week: it’s pulling the plug on its four-door compact Dodge Dart.įor about 90 percent of its history, the Dart was the kind of a car you drove because you were 16 and your parents were getting a new car.
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