Monday, January 6, 2025

1972 Dodge Dart Custom


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.

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