The pre-1967 Dodge Dart is unfairly overlooked in today’s collector car market. Competing with the Falcon, Nova, Valiant, Rambler, Studebaker, and others model-for-model, this Dart GT would be akin to something like a Falcon Sprint or a Nova SS. All those sporty compacts were overshadowed by the Mustang in 1965, but then and now, Mustangs were everywhere, and the Dart was a competent compact for those who didn’t want to see their mirror image in every driveway. This GT, brought to us by intrepid Barn Finder Curvette, is being offered for sale here on craigslist in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and its asking price of $30,000 Canadian dollars comes in at just under $22,000 US, not bad for a well-kept compact hot rod.
You might ask about the “hot rod” part: The Dart has the hottest engine option offered in 1965, the “Charger 273.” It’s the same engine offered in Plymouth Barracudas as the “Commando,” and it was a sweet-sounding small block. Car and Driver tested a ’65 Dart GT equipped, like this car, with the Charger 273 and a TorqueFlite 904, and their acceleration testing came up with these numbers: zero-to-sixty in 8.2 seconds, the quarter-mile in 16.9-seconds at 87 miles per hour. More importantly, the 273 four-barrel Darts and Barracudas had one of the best-sounding exhaust systems of the 1960s; almost every magazine commented on the sound.
This Dart has a front disc-brake conversion kit (10″ drums would have been stock) with an aftermarket brake booster (which is going to make driver’s side valve adjustments a chore, as 273s still had solid lifters). For good or for bad, the GT has power steering, which was one of Car and Driver’s complaints—it simply didn’t have any road feel.
The GT came with standard bucket seats (seen here in great shape) and a standard floor shifter. This car has the neat three-spoke “wood grain” steering wheel option and the padded dash that came standard in GT models (my 170 wagon has no pad, just a steel dash top). The carpet and underlay have been replaced.
The seller has clearly kept the Dart well-maintained; it has a new battery, new alternator, new four-barrel carburetor (it looks like an Edelbrock in the picture of the engine compartment), and new tires (P215/60R14 in front, P235/60R14 in the rear). It has new rear shocks, new exhaust system, a set of snazzy Chrysler rallye wheels, and an extra dash cluster. Why the cluster? As the owner of a ’65 Dart, I can tell you that having an extra set of gauges can come in handy. The instrument panel voltage regulator (IVR) is located in the fuel gauge on 1965 Darts, and if it sticks, it can burn out the fuel gauge. I personally have one good gauge out of three.
The seller doesn’t mention the color (I’d guess “Ruby Red”), but they do say that “the paint was freshened up a few years back,” and a new vinyl top was installed. Starting out its life in California and seemingly being used sparingly since, this might be one of the better 1965 Darts you’ll be able to buy for a while. If you’re in the lovely Pacific Northwest, or if you live in British Columbia, it might be worth checking out one of the best-kept secrets in Mopars.
This is one very nice looking Dart. I’ve already mentioned a friend of mine many years ago having a Dart with the 273, and they do indeed punch above their weight class. Very nice one here, thanks Aaron.
Oh man, here’s a sweetheart for ya’. My 2nd( ’63) and 3rd (’65) cars were Valiants, so I’ve always had a kindred attraction to Darts. It’s amazing how the car makers could take a car, use it as a base, and create a whole different car. Visually, you really couldn’t tell. It appealed to a different group than the Valiant. Someone really did a nice job, and must be tough to let it go. What’s cool, is whether a particular make appeals to you or not, if you are reading this, you know a nice car when you see it, and it’s right here. This is what folks in the future will want.
Dang….a 1963 and a 1965…..you just moved up a notch Howard !
My first car was a 65 dodge dart with the 273, my dad paid 100 bucks for it and helped me paint it. He told me that was the only time he would buy me a car and the rest was on me!
We had one just like this for a short time in the mid-70s,we always said the air cleaner looks like a 1950s cake cover..
My buddy had one of these with the slant six. It’s where I learned the unmistakable sound of a Mopar starter, and kinda wince whenever I hear one!
Where is that original exhaust resonator? That’s where all that good sound came from. That big box was the coolest!
My grandmother had a ’63 Dart GT but with the six cylinder engine. When I turned 16 in ’72 she wanted to give it to me. It had only 22K miles. But my Dad said no, it was “an old lady car”! He said I would have to pay for 1/2 my first car plus the insurance. He would pony up the other 1/2, I ended up buying a new ’73 Mercury Capri 2000 4 spd. A great car that I wish I still had but I’ll always wonder how it would have been to get a ’63 Dart GT for free!!
Nice looking car, if you don’t want to spend that kind of coin and hassle getting it imported to the USA there are two in Montana on a auction site called Hibid one the front end is crushed but looks like engine may be ok they obviously aren’t in this condition but they are also a lot cheaper
A good friend of mine had one these in ’68 or ’69 with a four speed, and it was a pretty neat little car. I agree with Aaron that the factory exhaust on these was beyond cool, and the little dude would actually scoot pretty good.
I also learned something from the write up that I absolutely did not know, and that is that the 273 “Commando” had solid lifters. I find that pretty darn interesting.
Actually, all 273s had solid lifters until 1968, even the two-barrels.
I had a black 65 GT 4sd 273 four barrel. Red interior. My best friend’s dad was a old stock car mechanic. He ordered a hot racer brown cam. And we swapped on a holley 650. It was a scooter. A lot of friends were shocked. It wasn’t the fastest, but she held her own. I lost her during an ice storm.
good looking dart. that steering wheel looks pretty rare to me. i have never seen 1 before. looks good with the wheels with that color.
The carb looks like a Carter AFB. (or a knockoff)
They came with an AFB. Chrysler was pretty fond of AFB’s during the sixties.
Edelbrocks are knockoffs of AFBs.
Mopar p.s. was quick– 3.5 turns lock to lock– always liked it fine.
I wonder with all the flooding Abbotsford, BC experienced a few years back that this vehicle didn’t suffer any damages?
You don’t really need power steering with these little A bodies…..even with the small V/8….according to my ownership with and without power steering….
I liked the interior better in my 1967 dodge dart 50th Anniversary GT 273 4=speed it was comfortable and fast