The fourth generation of Dodge's Dart filled the compact niche for the automaker. It came in two wheelbase lengths: The 108" fastback Dart Sport & Demon coupes, and the longer 111" length which could be had as both a coupe or a sedan.
The Dart Custom sedan, like this Light Gold and Dark Green Metallic two-tone 1972 model, was as plush as a Dart could get (which admittedly wasn't very plush.)
The base motor for a '72 Custom was the 198 cubic inch Slant-Six, a de-stroked 225 which had a 1-barrel carburetor and was rated at 100 SAE net horsepower. Next up was the famed 225 Slant-Six itself, which made 110 horsepower. While it wasn't a big horsepower jump over the 198, the 225 also made 185 lb-ft of torque to the smaller motor's 160.
The top engine offering in the plushest Dart was the Mopar LA 318 V-8, which had a Carter 2-barrel carburetor & single exhaust pipe and put out 150 SAE net horses. All three motors could be had with a three-on-the-tree manual or a three-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission.
The swankiest Dart would set you back $2,574 in 1972 dollars before you started checking option boxes, which comes out to a bit less than twenty grand in today's money.
This one was photographed in June of 2017 using a Leica D-Lux 3.
Many years ago I worked with a guy who drove late '60s and early '70s Darts. He'd drive one until the torsion bar suspension gave out, and then move on to the next.
ReplyDeleteThey were absolute tanks with either the Slant Six or the 318. Ran until they rusted away or, as you noted, the torsion bars just packed it in.
Delete(The front suspension wasn't worth the hassle of replacing unless it said "Demon" or "Sport" on it, especially because most casual drivers let it go long enough to cause structural damage,)