One-year-only vehicle models are fairly unusual and that may be a perfect description for the design of this 1962 Dodge Dart 440. They’re fairly consistently on more than a few lists of the “least beautiful” cars (I’m not a fan of the word ugly at all when it comes to vehicles) but I think they’re great. This nice, mostly original example can be found here on eBay in Carmel, Indiana. There is one day left on the auction, no reserve, and the current bid price is $4,250.
The seller has provided great photos of almost everything other than the most important design feature of the 1962 Dart, the grille! Here is a photo showing that great, one-year-only grille. If there’s a cooler, more-unusual grille that you can think of, let us know in the comments.
The 440 model was the top for the second-generation Dart, replacing what were actual names used as model designations in the previous cars. In 1962, the Dart 440 replaced the previous Dart Phoenix. This car has a documented 33,644 miles on it and the seller believes that it’s close to being 100% original with 95% original paint. I can see a slight difference in the paint color or tone between the front door on the passenger side and the right front fender, but things happen and this car is 58 years old. It appears to be in amazing condition.
The interior looks almost too good to be true but it is really this nice. The seats look like new both front and rear and the underside looks rock solid. They say that there is no rust really anywhere but in two tiny spots on the bottoms of the front fenders and there is no bodywork or filler at all. Hagerty is at $5,800 for a #4 fair condition four-door ’62 Dart so this could be a great buy.
This engine is… not a slant-six but oddly enough, the seller doesn’t list a VIN at all and they don’t say which engine this is, but I’m assuming that it’s a 318. There is a rebuilt carb, a tune-up, and a new gas tank, and the engine fires right up and runs well. Are there any other fans of the unusual 1962 Dodge Dart out there?
This was my first car, a hand me down from my Dad, the difference being is that mine was black and a hardtop, which kind of offset the “shame” two extra doors, LOL! :-) This engine in this car is the Poly 318, and later an OEM 4 bbl intake was found for mine.
T hats great, my first car , also a hand me down from dad was a 63 440. 4 door also but 225 slant six. Lasted the family for years and over 100k miles but I killed it.
Wow, pretty amazing. In the 70’s, these were $100 cars that your Auntie had, and usually, they looked like this, and we killed them. They were low mileage beauties that nobody wanted. I had a friend that had a ’63 Dodge like this, the elderly owner hit something, wasted the right front fender, but the rest of the car looked just like this. I think he paid $100 bucks, we pulled the fender off, I think it needed some steering part, and we cruised all over creation in that Dodge, all for $100 bucks! Great find, obviously, they are still out there.
Yeah, a lot of cars were amazingly cheap way back when. My first car was a 67 Firebird convertible, OHC 6, Sprint with 3 speed on the floor. Red, black top and interior. What a great fun car, all for the outrageous price of $700.! Try to find ANYTHING for under $2000 today that runs, and good luck with that. Had a 70 Maverick with 3 on the tree for 600.
This car makes we want to smash my piggy bank open! You take a car like this to cars n coffee just to pi$$ off all the Mustang and Chevelle owners, cause everyone will walk right past them to check this out!! This is tempting, plus pretty close to home. Upon a in person inspection, seems like a great price to get in the hobby, now if I can only stay away from eBay today!! Awesome ride, GLWTA!
That would be the case for its first couple of shows. Once it’s novelty wore off it would be ignored. It’s a nice car, but other than existing in its current condition it doesn’t have much to offer. As pointed out, this is a great entry level car, this particular make and model has always been an oddity but didn’t have the ability to sustain continued interest like the throes of cars you mention that have earned their lasting appeal. When the main attraction of a car is to taking it to a coffee and cars “ just to piss off Mustangs and Chevelles owner” is recognition that it’s appeal doesn’t stand on its own merits.
Steve R
It probably does have something to offer to the person who buys it, since odds are they’re acquiring it because they want it, whatever they use it for, not as an investment that they hope to get six figures for someday.
I disagree. I think not just car shows, but ANYWHERE you go, it will get attention. I don’t think Bob literally meant to upset Mustang and Chevelle owners, but people today look for unusual stuff, and how many Mustangs and Chevelles can you see? This is a once in a lifetime example, and will have people talking about their memories in one, just like here. I had a ’58 Chevy 4 door that a lot of people commented on at the store or gas station. Mustangs and Chevelles are okay, but I’d walk right past them to look at this.
At a local car show, the attraction here might just be the novelty of the push-button transmission (didn’t see in pics, but I assume it had that). My first car was a ’64 Plymouth Belvedere, it’s (slightly) prettier cousin. Mine also had the 318 engine and push-button trans. Bought it for $600 in 1974, sold her a year later for $500. Never gave me a bit of trouble and I was a 16 yr old teen who ran it pretty hard.
Looks like the heater and blower may be missing, based on the hole in the firewall? Or is it on the inside behind the dash on this car?
Looks like the heater is bypassed on top of the water pump. Probably a leaking heater core.
Good eye. Heater for definetely missing. If the box under dash is also gone, good luck replacing it.
Talk about your survivors!!! Can’t say I’ve seen these in this condition in over 50 years! This would mke an outstanding car to enter the hobby with–wouldn’t break the bank, parts are available for 318’s, and it looks rust free!! Not MoPar’s prettiest year, but nobody would knock you for originality! This is a driveable collector car to take to local shows.
I’m coming to get you Mama!
I love the it’ a mad mad mad mad world reference.
I see what you did there, LOL!!! :-)
Ooooh, you’re buggin’ me man!
Thanks for forcing me to get my ab workout, Bob, I haven’t laughed that long in quite a while! One of the best movies of all time.
Nice survivor. These things were all over in the 60’s and 70’s. Would make a great movie car for one set in that time period.
I worked at a gas station in the early 70’s and a customer had one of these with a slant 6. It had a rod knock and burned a quart or two of oil a day. We gave him drain oil to put in it. The damn thing ran forever like that and wouldn’t die
I had a 76 Volare with a SS with 277K miles on it. Engine never apart, but the same knock you describe. Went to using old oil from other peoples changes. Just didn’t have the heart to junk her. Kept her around as a spare for family members for years. Finally had to junk it out, the rust ate through the structure (besides gassing people inside the car). Drove the car to the junk man, but she made it on her own, never towed. That car had pride.
One of the ugliest cars ever made.
That would be new camaros.
Styling wise these seam more relevant now than ever. Like every goofy design gimmick on every car in the last five decade or so can be traced back to this. These are totally bizarre, but I love them.
Immortalized by It’s A Mad, Mad, World and Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure video getting squashed and swung around by the claw.
Who cares about cars and coffee. This thing needs to cruise and it’ll spin heads wherever it goes.
I agree with both of you. In the early 70’s this car was about as uncool as you could get. Today it has a charm and character all it’s own. Funny how time changes perception
Its in really nice shape , but I’m really thinking its been repainted at one time . The paint doesn’t match under the hood, and it looks like the door jams are the same color as under the hood – which makes me wonder why a low mileage car would have been repainted….or is it just my old eyes fooling me ??
Had 62 Dart convertible with a 361 cube 305 hp with 3 on the tree. Ordered it brand new. That car was considered ugly back then I wish I still had it.
just watched the classic movie “Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World…” Spener Tracey and most of the cops where driving lots of these.
I had a 62 Dart 330 2 dr hardtop, 318 poly, torqueflyte. It was an awesome car even though it was 10 years old when I got it for a work car. Clean and well taken care of with low miles. That Dodge made the land equivalent of making ‘the Kessel run in under 12 parsecs’ when a buddy and I ran home from a fishing trip at Shasta Lake to Richmond, Ca at 2am in 2 hrs and 15 minutes (coincidentally a 215 mile run). That proved to me that ugly cars need love too.
Like the polar opposite posts. One thing for certain, this one would make a really badass restomod.
Love it or hate it looks, but Chrysler had great engineering back then. I owned a few and always had good service from them. Had to switch to Toyota later to equal trouble free driving.
Sold. For the record, Winning bid:
US $7,750.00