Dodge rolled out the Swinger version of its Dart compact in 1969. It was a 2-door hardtop designed to attract more youthful buyers. And the Swinger 340 was a muscle car with a 340 cubic V8. The seller has a 1972 Dart Swinger 340, but it’s a tribute as Dodge didn’t field a Swinger 340 in 1972 (except in small numbers in Canada). This Sublime Green Dart started life as an ordinary Swinger (per the VIN and fender tag), but it’s been smartly transformed into a whole lot more. Available through a dealer in Pompano Beach, Florida, this turn-key tire screecher is offered here on eBay, where the reserve is north of the current bid of $9,150.
In 1971, Dodge added the Demon fastback to its roster. It was a Plymouth Duster with a Dart front clip. With it, they decided to bring the 340 over from the Swinger and market it as their compact muscle car instead. So, there was no official Swinger 340 in the U.S. in 1972. But a handful were marketed in Canada, and that story can be found here. So, the seller’s sweet ride is a tribute to what Dodge might have built for the “Southern” market.
This car decodes as having been assembled with a 318 cubic inch V8 and a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. And we believe the color of exterior paint was something less dramatic than the Sublime Green today. The car’s odometer is close to turning 100,000 miles, without mentioning when the restoration/transformation here took place. But it looks like it was well done with attention paid to detail. A 4-speed manual transmission was a part of the changes made.
Most of the description provided is dealer marketing-speak, but it does seem to aptly describe the condition of the Swinger as it stands today. The quality seems good enough that you could fly in today and drive it home tomorrow. While the car isn’t numbers-matching mechanically, the body panels are said to jive. The black bucket seat interior looks outstanding. If the price is right, this could be a great addition to the local Cars & Coffee calendar.
Rarely known but the 340 Dart swinger was continued here in Canada through 1972..in very small numbers..83 in 1971 and 30 in 1972.They are usually referred to as the Canadian H-Code Swingers.Blue painted 340’s with special 360 heads.
I believe they were the “J” heads in 72′.
The dealer has it listed on their website for $34,000.
Steve R
Thanks I was curious also. In todays market that seems to be the going price for these Mopars. I’m thinking upper $20’s.
high teens that car is a mess!
Of course they do, and it might be there at that price for a while, while the gap between asking and bid continues to widen, daily.
Thanks for that interesting link to the Canadian 🍁 late run batch of cars Dixon.
Those side marker lights are from a ’71. ’72 and up used the ‘bubble’ side marker lights. They were not recessed.
Yes, thankfully they swapped them over as part of the “make a tribute to a 1970 Swinger 340 car” process.
clone! nice a/c car
Both the side marker lamps and the color (which admittedly may not be original, and definitely looks like Citronyella, not Sublime, which wasn’t available in either ’71 or ’72) are 1971 vintage. The only 1972 styling cue that I see in these photos here on Barn Finds are the rallye wheel centers that are on this car, which were new for 1972)
Yes, but the VIN decodes to 1972. It started out as a 1972. Clearly, whoever did the car swapped almost everything to 1970 spec. One thing they missed, either intentionally or not, is adding the emblems to the quarter panels (1970 only), but they are also not on the fenders like they would be on a ’72.
Lovely looking car. I think it’s either a 1970 or 71 Dart. 1972 has a different grille.
You may be right. The Instrument cluster looks like it’s from older Dart. By 1972, I think that the Dart got the Chrysler “corporate” instrument panel, with a huge, rectangular speedometer directly in front of the driver, not the dual circular instruments this one has.
Personally I’ve always found the “round” cluster gauges superior to the ugly “square” speedo.
Yes, but the VIN decodes to 1972. It started out as a 1972. Do you see where it says “tribute”?
Seller states that the shifts (from the 4 speed) are ‘crisp’, or something to that effect. I’ve driven a lot of mopar four speeds. Not sure I ever drove one that I’d call ‘crisp’. Compared to modern rail shifted manuals, they are more akin to stirring a box of bricks with a 2×4.
The VIN tag and the fender tag say 1972. But the side marker lights say 1970 or 1971. Something is amiss here. I know this is advertised as a tribute but still, buyer beware. A very thorough inspection would be advised before turning over one penny on this car.
The entire front end is either ’70 or ’71…..the only difference between the years is where the DODGE insignia was placed and how it was drawn….script in the middle of the grille for 1970 and block letters along the leading edge of the left side of the hood in 1971. The ’72 grille was completely different.
Now, were they going for a ’70 Swinger tribute or was the front end crashed and they were trying to make the best of a bad situation with what parts they had on hand???
Well, if that’s the case, they sure went out of their way to change everything else over, not just the front clip. Rear markers into the quarters, rallye dash, and on and on… it’s not perfect, but it’s a pretty good tribute, made from a 1972 starting point.
Car is made outta bit and scraps from 1970 , 71 , and 1972.
Well, it’s a ’49, ’50, ’51, ’52, ’53, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57, ’58, ’59 automobile
It’s a ’60, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’65, ’66, ’67, ’68, ’69, ’70 automobile
Johnny Cash.
Ended at $17,100.
Reserve Not Met.
44 bids.
That tells you everything about the state of the market going forward
We’re entering novelty purchase territory very quickly and this is an excellent example. This never will be a collector car, if there even is such a thing outside of the truly rare tier I stuff, where millionaires play.
Novelty cars are bought for the pure pleasure of cruising around. Numbers matching, low production, original paint nonsense means zero. As it should.
But the prices bid have no helium. If they win, they get a good ride at a manageable price, with no expectation of doubling their money in ten years or other nonsense that never made sense.
These are cars for fun, not investments. People who want them can start to afford them again.
The seller will likely keep trying, with the same result every time.
The fantasy about all of this has quickly evaporated.