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Original Paint: 1971 Dodge Demon 340 4-Speed

The new Plymouth Duster, with its hip fastback styling, sold like hotcakes in 1970. So, it’s no wonder that Dodge wanted in on the action and introduced the Demon a year later. The Demon was a Duster with a Dart front end and a different taillight treatment. Both cars offered a small-block, budget-minded muscle version with the successful 340 V-8 engine. This 1971 Demon was produced early into the series’ run and still wears its original Curious Yellow paint (and some rust, too). The car is in Ray, Michigan and offered by a long-time Chrysler employee here on eBay where bidding has reached $8,699.  But the reserve is something north of that.

The Demon lived somewhat in the shadows of the Duster, as its sales numbers always trailed its Plymouth cousin. The Demon name was short-lived (1971-72) as supposed pressures from religious sectors convinced Dodge to change the name; from 1973 until the end of the Dart line, the car would be known as the Dart Sport. Duster and Dart 340’s were popular cars with the youth movement, as just shy of 100,000 of them combined were built between 1970 and 1973. Of that, 30,000 were Demon’s which came out of the starting gate a year behind the Duster. Thanks, once again, to Swinger340Specials for production data.

The seller’s 1971 Demon 340 lived in a garage in Colorado for much of its life. We’re told it was there from 1999 until the seller in Michigan rescued it in 2017. The paint job is fifty years old with rust accumulating during that time. The main offenders are fore and aft in the rear quarter panels. While the seller is sending other sheet metal along with the car, new quarters aren’t part of it. The seller has OEM front fenders with extensions and headlight buckets as well as a solid passenger side door that will accompany the Demon to its new home. The trunk, floor pans, frame, doors, and inner/outer fenders are okay. The car used to wear a vinyl top which is gone now, but the seller retained the moldings. The license plates from the car’s prior days in Colorado are still in the brackets.

The mileage may be original at close to 75,000 since the car has had so much down time over its years. The front seat will need to be recovered, and the dash pad and carpeting will need to be replaced, but we’re not sure about the rest of the interior. The headrests aren’t shown but will be provided, and all the instrumentation is said to work. Under the hood resides a numbers-matching 340 which the seller says has never been taken apart. We’re told it runs great, holds great oil pressure, and does not leak oil. No power steering or brakes on this one.

Some mechanical repairs have been made, while others are in progress. The carb was rebuilt, and the gas tank replaced along with the sending unit and fuel pump. In addition, the seller rebuilt the driveshaft and added new axle bearings along with all new tires, so it was on the road briefly in 2020. The 4-speed transmission was pulled with some of its parts replaced, including the clutch, but it hasn’t been put back into the car and that will be left to the buyer to handle.

A plus for the car is that the build sheet was found and comes with the sale, and the fender tag is still in place. The seller has acquired another “toy” which means the little Dodge is now one too many and must go. The Demon 340 doesn’t seem to have the following or resale value of the similar Challenger 340, but nice examples can go from the mid-twenties to whatever someone is willing to pay for Concours condition.

Comments

  1. Avatar Moparman Member

    This one just reeks with potential! Wonder if the reserve is @ $10K?
    GLWTA!! :-)

    Like 6
  2. Avatar Little_Cars

    Never understood owners or upholsterers sold on the idea of reupholstering car seats with no-pattern vinyl like a school bus. Total turn off to see that when entering an otherwise nice survivor. Black vinyl, no design, no headrests is a distraction.

    Like 11
    • Avatar Bill L McCoskey Member

      Little_cars,

      The former owner went “on the cheap” when it came time for seat recovering. Did it at a time when the car wasn’t worth much.

      Like 5
    • Avatar chuck

      JC Whitney would’ve had better looking seat covers.

      Like 2
  3. Avatar Chris

    Love the color & the car

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Troy s

    Yes, that plain black vinyl bench seat is as spartan as it gets! Too bad, the yellow paint/black interior is spot on. Hot machine again, lots of these lately.
    I always figured if the Duster/Demon had been out in ’68 or ’69 a 440 version in limited quantities would have been offered. Or even a Hemi. No balance just pure straight line drag car with license plates.
    Not bad.

    Like 4
  5. Avatar Chris M.

    Reminds me of the one I bought new after I traded my ’68 Hemi GTX that I also bought new. Wish I could find that one again…this one is fixable with a good color… I’ve had so many Mopars I can go on for days and I often do! Might buy a perfect 70 Charger done, 440 six pack.. Go Mango Dana I have 3 or was it 4 of them..just a busy guy with an open trailer being Cool.

    (For the record, I am not “Cool Joe Machado” just an immitation!) Lol

    Like 2
  6. Avatar DON

    This is the car I wanted when it came out .Of course I was only 10, but I remember thinking it was such a cool looking car. By the time I was old enough to drive and buy my own car, they were already hard to find (CT. ). I never did get one, but I did get a Duster 340 !

    Like 8
  7. Avatar DON

    Just to be nit-picky, this is a Dodge, so the correct color is Citron Yella ; Plymouths name for this color was Curious Yellow.

    Like 7
    • Avatar Little_Cars

      Citron is also a yellow finish applied to mid-1970s MGs.

      Like 1
  8. Avatar Pat

    Had one same color citron yellow bought 1972 for 2200.00 dollars first car I ever bought it was used loved it that color was different was told they only made 632 or so that color but mine was a 318 lot of memories in that car traded for a 74 Grand Prix at Bommershine Pontiac Atlanta what a mistake would love to get this one

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Skorzeny

    Just so you decide what is frivolous and foolish for yourself, and not for everyone else. Me, when I was young, loved the speed.

    Like 15
  10. Avatar George Louis

    Right front fender extension is missing along with head lamp door. Wonder how much body damage is present on right side of vehicle? Front bumper is pulled to the right side of car as well. I would also guess that there is a water leak from the back lite and an inspection of the trunk floor and spare tire wheel well is in order.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar gaspumpchas

    Hmmm minimal rust. Better than what we have been seeing here. One must wonder why the seller didnt take a few hours and put the tranny back in and present as a Running and driving car. Some hours of body work here. Good luck and stay safe!
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 3
  12. Avatar martinsane

    Ive always been fond of the Dodges, i spent my formidable years in a 70 Duster and a 71 Power Wagon.
    The front end and especially the tailights on the Demon are so cool. As are the 70 Duster horizantal bar taillights.
    This car has potential to be cool, if you like hemorrhaging money. So crusty and disassembled you’ll spend a million hours and 30 percent of that in real dollars building it and at 10k just to get started your already upside down.
    This one would definitely need to be a labor of love.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar John

    I was an idiot when I was younger. Glad I didn’t kill anyone. Then one day in my late twenties I got a clue and slowed it down. Still like to drive fast, I’m just very choosy about when and where I do it. I consider how my actions will effect the drivers around me – just because I can get that hole shot doesn’t mean I go for it. I don’t want to freak out other drivers. Safe and considerate and I like it that way!

    Like 8
    • Avatar Troy s

      Spot on with that, John. There’s driving fast, or even a run just for the thrill of acceleration….and then there are the cafeine loaded speeders who are in a Hurry, tail gating impatiently, on the phone, lane changing like a hobby, running a late yellow or fresh red light. The dumb stuff that can potentially kill,,,, in gruesome fashion.
      I feel the same way.

      Like 7
  14. Avatar JIM BAY

    Been looking for a long time and this one isn’t it– but My “Dream” Demon Specs would be:

    1. 1971
    2. 340
    3. Rallye Dash
    4. Twin Hood Scoops & Rear Spoiler
    5. Red, Orange, Yellow or Lime
    6. Automatic, or 3/4 Speed all on Floor

    Like 1
  15. Avatar Morley Member

    Here we go again with another rusted out Mopar parts car. Six figures, probably?????? God I hate this stuff

    Like 3
  16. Avatar Pete in PA

    The auction is at $16k and reserve is still not met! This is surely a neat Mopar but with the amount of rust, the spartan bench seat interior, and the low option content I’m a little surprised. I agree that the seller should take the small amount of time required to put the clutch/transmission back in the car. What does the seller think this thing is worth in this condition??? Nuts,..

    Like 3
    • Avatar bone

      All I can say is that its a car made in limited numbers ,it has the desirable engine/trans set up, a one year only high impact color, and its nearly 50 years old . A body Mopars were the entry level car, and most were driven into the ground , so finding one in decent shape is rare . As for the plain bench seat, who cares ? How many restorable cars here on this site have seats shredded beyond hope ? Plus its a muscle car ,and the bench was the cheapest and lightest seat . The lighter the car, the faster it is. Upholstery kits are available, and if you dont like it, stick a set of buckets in there ! Luckily there are a lot of reproduction parts available for these cars now ,much more than in the 80-90s , and you can still find junkers around for other bits.

      Like 0
  17. Avatar George Louis

    The front fender extension is missing along with the head lamp surround, front bumper pulled to right side of vehicle. I wonder how much body damage is present on the right side could have caved in front fender, door, and quarter panel on the right side.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar George Mattar

    Minimal rust. This guy needs a dictonary. And those Checker taxi can seat covers. I owned many Mopars in the 70s. They used absolute garbage seat covers. In 1973, my 70 Road Runner black bucket seat bottoms were splitting. But man did that car fly. I was 17, could give a crap about a stupid seat cover

    Like 1
  19. Avatar George Louis

    Who knows, maybe the guys’ old lady sewed those fancy seat covers.. This would make a good ad for Legendary Seat covers as to why you spend the money to get a QUALITY PRODUCT!!!!!!!

    Like 0
  20. Avatar George Louis

    The front bumper on this car is shifted to the right side. The fender extension is missing along with the headlamp bezel/door. I would l like to see a picture of the right side of this vehicle as I suspect there is extensive damage to right fender , right door, and could even go to right rear quarter panel. An inspection of the trunk spare tire well is in order as a lot of these cars had rear back lites that leaked water.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar John

    I have a 71 Demon same color 4 speed car totally restored.
    Owned it for 11 years so far.

    Like 0

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