1968 - 1969 Dodge Dart
Posted by David Kinney
Gearheads from the 1960s remember the Dodge Dart for plenty of reasons, most of them related to its economy-car status. The 225-c.i. “slant six” motor, named for its pronounced lean to the port side of the car, was known as the motor that thrived on abuse - it never seemed to need any attention to keep it running. The slant-six Darts were practical cars owned by practical people and used as reliable, affordable transportation.
The 1968 Dodge Dart jumped into the muscle car race by offering a choice of seven engines: 170- and 225-c.i. slant sixes, and 273, 340, 383 and 440 V8s. At the top of the food chain, Hurst-Campbell built 80 426 Hemi-powered Darts.
As part of the “Scat Pack,” the 1968 Dodge Dart GT Sport model came with a 340-c.i. engine and twin bumblebee stripes at the rear. A 383 motor was optional, as was a Hurst 4-speed or a Torqueflite automatic transmission (3-on-the-tree manual was standard). The GTS hood had twin “power bulges” with air vents, fake mag wheel covers, GTS emblems, and body side racing stripes.
The 1969 Dodge Dart had a new bumblebee stripe (with GT Sport written on the rear flank), a blacked-out front grille and rear body panel, and a larger torsion bar when the 383 - now uprated to 330 horsepower from 325 - was chosen.
Scat Pack Darts will never have the following of the full-size Chevrolets and Mopars of the era, due to their bland styling and humble origins. Consider that a base Road Runner or Charger was still a performance car, while a base Dart was a librarian’s special. Nonetheless, they have a following, and nicely restored ones (there really aren’t any nice original ones to be found) are creeping up in value every year. And they stand as a reminder when even the practical cars in a manufacturer’s lineup could be bought with big motors and flashy stripes.
(From the January 2003 issue of Sports Car Market magazine.)