Wow! Not only is this 1969 Dodge Dart a barn find, but it’s an original Car Craft magazine project car! You can find it for sale here on craigslist in Chicago, Illinois. Naturally, with a car like this there is no price given. Presumably, the picture above is from the barn where it was found! Thanks to reader Wayne C. for alerting us to this find!
This really is THE car, folks. You can see the ad for the contest on the left, and the article describing choosing the winner on the right. There are some more pictures included in the craigslist ad — it’s worth a once-over.
We’re told that the car hasn’t even been washed since being found in the Iowa barn. Under the hood looks like no one has touched this car in a very long time–and it’s only showing 22,000 miles as well.
I love these period graphics! Not only that, but the ad states that the famous George Barris was responsible for the paint and graphics! You are looking at genuine history here, folks! I do find it interesting that the mag wheels have been replaced with 1966-1967 Dodge wheel covers. They actually look pretty good on there, although I’d do my best to find a set of wheels to match the original set.
Naturally, given the low mileage, the interior looks great! And yes, I would clean it up. That being said, I understand the seller’s reluctance to do so given some buyers’ desire to handle everything themselves.
This picture has me wondering when it was taken — because it looks like the original wheels, or something like them, are on the car — yet they aren’t present in the first picture. Go figure! I’m sure some of you will have theories as to why this picture is different, but no matter what, this is a seriously cool car!
Very cool. As for the last picture it’s no earlier than ‘95 as that’s a RAV4 in the background.
good eyes on the RAV4!
History -yes, display it – yes, but wouldn’t you just love getting some good rubber on it, insure everything is up to snuff and going out and lighting those tires up at least once?
It sold for $50,000 at the collectors auction this summer if I remember correctly.Sullivan Auctioneers had the sale. Amazing sale and collection to say the least.
This car has been through several owners, each pocketing many thousands in cash, I’m sure.( and seems to get cruddier with every sale) It was sold at an auction in Iowa, where the 4th pic was taken last summer for $50g’s. It’s not that big a deal.
saw it last weekend at The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals, neat car
Woo hoo!! George Barris involved blah, blah, blah
Would love to have it for show purposes but way too rich for my wallet.
Very cool indeed, and I see it’s mill is wearing the infamous Edelbrock Fire-maker hat!
I always have liked the 68/69 dart styling,
This car should be carefully detailed,and shown at car
events,and drag races.What a cool find!
Really would love to see it run at the strip.
I had know idea that it could be worth that much?,
I was thinking $30g ?but Iam always wrong…lol
So, you have a car such as this to sell and you put it on Craigslist? That’s sort of like trying to sell a Rolex at Walmart.
For me, the best thing about the craigslist ad was picture #15, the front of a Dodge showroom circa 1968/1969. It reminded me of going car shopping with my Dad when he bought a ’69 Coronet hardtop in the summer of 1969.
The Dart doesn’t do that much for me now, just like it didn’t do that much for me when I read about it a long time ago.
It is my car, I did purchase it at the auction in Iowa in June 2017 as stated.
It was asked to be in the muscle car and corvette nationals show in Chicago as a barn find, in “unwashed” condition.
The photo’s with the rims on the car is how it is presently, the rims are the original rims that were on the car when it was given away (& Yes before anyone says so, they are CRAGAR rims and this car was sponsored by cragar to introduce these rims to the public.). When I purchased it the hubcaps were on the car.
I put it on craigslist in LA, Detroit and Chicago last week so people would know it was going to be at the MCACN show. (Not expecting to sell it from there) I find it hard to believe I have to explain myself in this circumstance but these comment sections are so pathetic.
I would think people would be thrilled a car like this was not lost, or crushed and made into a KIA, but no… they have to complain about something so insignificant.
Significance you ask?
– Engine built by Keith Black
– Raced by Wild Bill Shrewsberry (LA Dart)
– Painted by George Barris (Batmobile fame amongst others)
– Chassis set up by Charlie Allen and Saddleback Dodge
– Given away by Wally Parks, Lynda Vaughn
– All owner history, copies of each title, contact info.
– A scrap book given to 16 year old who won the car from Car Craft with all original photo’s, tickets from 1969 Winternationals when they were awarded the car. (It was officially awarded to his Mother but 16 year old boy won the car).
– 1973 IHRA World Record Holder
– Galen Govier inspected, numbers matching car (He called it the “Holy Grail of Darts” and wished he could buy it).
– Runs and drives excellent.
People can say what they want but to me it is a piece of history, I tried to win the car back then along with most kids if they were into cars at all. They are only original once and to me this is about as close to original as you will get.
Find another one…
Tom
Thanks for chiming in, Tom!!! Good luck with the sale!
Amen
Hi Tom, awesome car and info. Unrelated question but I will ask. the first photo of the swinger in the barn, are the other cars in the barn for sale? If you know and they are….who do I contact?
Thanks, Tom
One more picture of Linda Vaughn….. Who cares about a car?
She was proof positive that some girls are better in person than they ever were in pictures. And she was a knockout in pictures. And a nice kid — back in the day.
Saw this car at Porter drag strip, north of Houston, back in the early 70s. If I remember correctly it was on promo tour for Dodge or Cragar – I was maybe 13 or 14 at the time. Always wondered what happened to it – it was a crowd favorite that day
As a kid I wanted to win the ’57 Plymouth time capsule in OKC. Not any more. This Dart is just that-an incredible time piece.
I wanted to buy it at the sale because it is such a time warp. I wouldn’t change a thing. Congratulations!
I’ve always wondered what has happened to all of the vehicles that CAR CRAFT modified and built back in the 70’s and 80’s. So what has happened to the MAGNUM?????
And I thought I was the only one. But what I really lusted after were the Car and Driver project cars. There was a Blue Max Camaro, the Olds Vista Cruiser, A car they tried to give to Paul Newman (I can’t remember what car it was now) and a couple others.
@Jimbosidecar: they tried to give a Datsun Maxima to Paul Newman.
They also did a pretty neat first generation VW Jetta. About 15 years ago it was spotted in a junkyard in northern California, still wearing the Car & Driver logos on the side.
It became a 500 D T tail helicopter in Hawaii. Follow the bouncing ball. Dan dum dumditalum dumditum dum dum (Diving towards the Pacific Ocean). Dan dum dumditalum Red 308 Ferrari being pulled by a GT40.
Why is it sellers sell everything for $1 on craigslist?
I believe this car appeared at MCACN last weekend, in the “Barn Finds” section.
Cool car Tom, But with the amount of shady deals out there and especially all the phony ads on CL as of last few years, You have to understand peoples suspicions.
It IS super cool to find a real deal ad, and significant car like yours and preserved history out there, restores my faith a little but I get emails weekly from people asking me to evaluate ads, and many are just scammers or crazy sellers.
I think you have an awesome car there and I imagine no lack of car shows and museums would love to have you attend their events,, I know if you were local I would see what it would take to get you to some of ours locally. (Not unreasonable to get some appearance money to cover fuel and expenses,, Insurance is an issue as well,, Not to be overlooked)
But one has to ask,, why buy it and then seemingly advertise it again??? SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) issued an ultimatum? As in “Do whatever you like” does not mean what you thought? Or… just trolling for offers?
With the provenance you have,, it is a significant car and hope it is out there often for people to admire and enjoy as well as preserved. We are not owners, we are caretakers for such vehicles.
Hey Sluggo,
First off, Thank you for the kind comments.
This car is the real deal and have spoken to each owner by phone or in person except for the late Mr. Gabeline and I purchased it from his estate in Iowa (He owned the car for the last 28 years). When Galen Govier was researching the car everything simply fell into place and we gained soo much provenance it became more than just an old hot rod.
I saw it at the auction and kind of fell in love with it and thought it would be a cool car to go to shows in and maybe cruise around, then I started seeing the history of the car and to be honest I would hate to be driving this car and have someone crash into me. It has way too much history and provenance and I think it needs to be in a museum and preserved.
My initial thought was the Peterman museum in California (As Peterman owned Car Craft Magazine) but I was told that all of the cars there need to be given to the museum and I unfortunately am not in a position financially to simply give them the car.
So if I don’t feel comfortable driving it (& by the way this things sounds like nothing you have ever heard before, it lopes like you would not believe) simply an amazing sounding car. To me to just look at it in my garage does not do the car justice, if its going to be sitting inside a building I want others to see it which is why I feel a museum is the proper place for it.
Since I have not been able to make that happen so I decided to put it up for sale? My hope was the right person may buy it and be able to donate it to a museum or have the funds to let it sit in a museum? Mr. Wellborn did offer me to put it in his great museum this past weekend in Chicago but like I said I cannot afford to simply put it in his museum as I want something else to drive and enjoy.
I agree 100% on your statement that we are simply caretakers of these fine classic automobiles but I am simply not the right caretaker for this particular vehicle at this stage in my life unfortunately. (I truly wish I was) as I know I will regret seeing this one go.
Tom (I hope I answered your questions)
I forgot to mention, those are the actual tickets from when they were awarded the car. In this picture the 16 year old is standing next to his mother in the middle.
Don Laughlins Museum in Laughlin Nev has cars ‘on loan’.. THis is too nice of a history piece to bury in a garage.
This is Mrs. Outlaw with Tom Sheddon on left (GM of Cragar) and Wally Parks on right (NHRA President) In this picture you can clearly see the CRAGAR sticker to be much larger and the BARRIS sticker… I do not know why they are no longer on the car? You can make out on the car where they “were” but I am sure someone simply peeled them off and added the other sticker when he used that part? That was pretty common and no one knew what these cars would be what they have become back then.
Man, If I was 16 years old I would be trying to stand next to Linda Vaughan instead and asking for extra photos so I could impress my friends who would never otherwise believe me.
But Tom…
Some of the comments from the cheap seats on this forum as well as others can be harsh sometimes, some of it deserved but often times not.
People feel free to shoot their mouths off without repercussion, when in person they wouldnt be nearly as outspoken. So, dont take it all too personal.
Somebody already called you a flipper and bought at a dead guys auction. Apparently people should never attend estate sales or bid at auction????
Man,, When I kick the bucket my wife has already made clear she intends to peddle all my crap.
But I do totally understand not being able to enjoy what is effectively a museum piece. We dont all have the room or ability to showcase a vehicle that is
culturally or historically significant. Not too mention the insurance issues. I know a lot of others in the same boat. I volunteer at a local car & motorcycle museum and we grapple with that all the time. We too DO NOT want to own display items, instead we encourage people to be a member and LOAN us the use of a vehicle for display and we change those displays every year. We ask also you support the museum by covering YOUR insurance on the vehicle while on display as a non profit we cant afford to insure every vehicle on display.
My neighbor up the road has a much nicer collection than I do, and he once shot his mouth off about the value of his REAL AC Cobra and this was many years ago but with the aid of a number of beers said they will never go over $250,000. A guy challenged Tony and on monday there was a cashiers check delivered for$250k… Tony later complained about how stupid he was,, as the go for a lot more now for a documented real one.. but instead he went out and used part of that money for a really nice turn key replica, and He said its a much better car. More power, better handling, more pleasant to drive and best of all,,, drives it like he stole it and no worrys about it. Was often too scared to drive the real one. So,, which is better?? A museum piece that you dont dare use or a improved replica that you can take out and enjoy as God & Carol Shelby intended??? I can recite a dozen more similar examples.
Thanks for the kind words and story Sluggo.
In case anyone was wondering, the 16 year old’s family (The Outlaws) never took possession of the Swinger and were given a 1969 Polara Wagon in its place as they needed a family car. (You know it had to break his heart at the time).
Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Yep-ramble on with pathetically versed grammar… It’s all it’s good for
Linda Vaughn sure looks sweet in that mini dress and those go-go boots. Sorry, but I just had to say that. A time machine, very cool.
Original entry ad….
Yep….bought at dead guys auction…and now being flipped….followed this car for years….
Lawrence. So what? Is that the only thing you can say. This car is neat and i’am glad it is still around. I remember reading Car Craft magazine and wishing I could win it. I think Flipper and Flipped is the new word for the spoiled and uneducated!
No offense to the Mopar guys but I’m more curious about the 59 Elky parked next to it.
Bad day 1st Gear, or the norm?