While Mopar B-body performance models rate high on many collectors’ must-have muscle car lists, the smaller A-body enjoys a dedicated pack of rabid fans. This 1971 Dodge Demon Sizzler in Round Rock, Texas may offer more show than go, but rest assured that A-body fans will be checking it out here on eBay where $7,000 may be enough to make it yours.
The Sizzler package included a unique black hood treatment (painted over on this car), other stripes and decals, trim, and other cosmetic upgrades. This one has seen the harsh Texas environment sandblast through a rattle-can paint job, the original paint, and the factory primer to reveal bare metal on most of its horizontal surfaces. The bumper wears scars from multiple tune-ups at the hands of tailgaters or inattentive use of Reverse.
JoAnn Fabrics clearly surrendered a bolt of dark blue velour to hide whatever tragedies befell the seats and dashboard. The extra-padded steering wheel appears to have been lifted from a carnival bumper car, perhaps to provide extra protection when you’ve consumed a six-pack of Olympia and realize you’re only wearing a lap belt. In reality, it’s the factory “Tuff Steering Wheel” with a $1.99 padded rim wrap.
The blue-collar 318 cid V8 add a little steak to the sizzle over the base six-cylinder engine. In the last year of SAE Gross horsepower ratings, the 318 made 230 HP, though it would be called 150 HP (Net) the following year. These numbers rate comically less Satanic than the 2018 Dodge Demon’s 840 HP, but as long as your groovy Demon Sizzler impresses the opposite gender, who’s counting? The seller disclosed to all bidders that the terms are $7,000 OBO (or best offer). Will you be placing the high bid?
Okay…what are those 2 pipes in the trunk? I get that one might be the fuel / tank line, but what’s the other one?
The 2nd pipe in the trunk is part of the emissions package to capture fuel expansion
I believe that to be apart of the “California emissions” set-up. I have a 1970 Charger, originally from CA, that has one (on the right side).
Rare doesn’t always mean valuable. $7000 seems incredibly optimistic and absolutely out of the ball park.
My Uncle Clarence had a brand new Demon with a six popper and a 3 speed. What a great car! I will never understand why the religious crowd hated that name so much, they didn’t care about the Gremlin now, did they? (And that is coming from a fell’a who is a go to meeting every Sunday kind’a guy) The 318 was just about the best all around engine for these, esp with a 4 speed (Rare indeed) Your insurance salesman didn’t have joyful wet dreams after writing a policy for one, regular gas and 22 MPG to boot. Almost as reliable as a trusty 225 slant six. I would love to go back in a time machine and sit down with a dealer and spec out a new one to my liking. As they are now, far too expensive for what was once an entry level car. My 2018 Civic Hatchback turbo would run circles around this thing, get twice the mileage and have a warranty to boot for what this will eventually cost, so thats why I buy new, but nostalgia does make me feel all warm and fuzzy, got to say that.
Holy cow! Responding to my own post, talk about delusions of grandeur! I just read the article again and something occurred to me, the name on the 2018 Challenger Demon. Why no big uproar today about that name? One would think with the present political situation it would be a given that the name would be unacceptable. I myself have no problem with the name, would seem appropriate for such a snarling beast, but where oh where are the do gooders out there? You know, the ones that more worried about my life then their own.
Times have changed, plus the new Demon is a niche car that not marketed to the general population.
Why do you care so much about to what they think about the new Demon, it won’t effect you in any way. Your last post suggest you might share some of their tendencies.
Steve R
Billy, interesting question. I think younger people today feel they don’t need religion. There are still many believers out there but far fewer than 30 years ago IMO. Besides, they have technology to worship instead!
I’ve never heard of the Sizzler package. It makes me hungry.
I think the religious community have bigger fish to fry these days.
@Miguel, those bigger fish they are frying should be watched closely lest they over cook them, then the results will not be what they wished for. What ever happened to minding your own business and tolerance? For instance, there is a strip club a few miles from my house. If I look closely from my rocking chair on the highly perched front porch, if I squint, I can see that it is there, just as it has been for over 20 years. Do I like it? Nope. Do I wish it was gone? Yep. Am I as a believer going to picket the business and hassle my local town board to remove it? Not a chance. As a believer, I trust my beliefs, and paramount among them is that the maker will come to judge us all as individuals. The owners of that establishment will have their day at the pearly gates as will I. “Vengeance is mine” hath sayeth the Lord, and all of that. I wish some people would trust in what they claim to trust. AS far as the name Demon, I always liked it, and never met a preacher back in the day that said otherwise, either. I always thought the name was referring to a harmless little cartoon of a demon, not one Linda Blair would have to battle in The Exorcist. Even in those days, words got you into trouble, what ever happenned to free speach?
@Steve R: Billy is mentioning the fact that there was an uproar about the name back when the cars came out. The groups back then made the name an issue and Chrysler changed it not long afterward.
An historical reference. Part of the back story of the cars.
If you read Billy’s post completely you would have discovered he didn’t agree with the “outrage” then nor does he now.
No reason to be snarky because you didn’t comprehend nor have any perspective on Billy’s post
The new Demon is unacceptable…that’s why we like it! ;)
The angled pipe is the fuel fill going into the top of the gas tank, the shorter upright pipe has the gas tank vent lines inside of it…
Do you kill crabs directly, or does someone else do it for your benefit? I had crabs one time, it was itchy.
I had never seen that before. I had a ’72 Dart Swinger and the extra pipe was gone for that model year.
Oh H#ll Naw! Not another clapped out Mopar!
I had one of these junks brand spanking new turned wipers on first month and one blew off i just keeped on going right to the dealer , trans blew out with less than 3,500 miles,it was a problem they had with car, i was told , do yourself a favor stay away from this buy yourself a chevy or even a pontiac these are total junks even AL BUNDY knows that now.
It’s a neat car, 318 with AC, but needs everything, a total restoration. Price is way too high. As someone said above, rare doesn’t always mean valuable. Rare sometimes means no one wanted it when it was new. I’ve asked this question before: Why does everyone think their car is worth it’s weight in gold?
Agreed, if this was a 500 dollar car, and someone was going to fix it up themselves to love and drive, then it would be wonderful. Kind of like the hobby USED to be before the monied boys came into it, now it is no longer a hobby, mostly about investments and bragging rights. So sad.
Too much blather.
@John, Blather is a wonderful word, did you have to look it up? I bet you speak Latin too, huh?
Gotta love the “Unless you are nude, don’t touch this car” sticker on the rear bumper”. Really?
LOL.
If you did, you’d probably need a tetanus shot…lol!
I’ve looked at 2 prints of Chrysler advertising for the Sizzler. A big flat black hood stripe package and your choice of Citron Yellow, Plum Crazy or Hemi Orange were the only color choices. This car has the Demon stripes, but not the Sizzler hood or Sizzler color.
https://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/dart/demon.html
Hi Brian R. I thought the same thing, but in my research I re-read the package details and it seems the package came with “body-colored grille *IF* the body was painted Hemi Orange, Plum Crazy, or Citron Yellow,” and I found a bunch on the web this color. I do believe whoever did the rattle-can blue obscured or stripped off the black treatment on the hood. I suppose someone could make a “Sizzler Tribute” car, but it seems unlikely. :)
Priced at 7k? It’s not for sale.
I bought one of these, a Demon, not Sizzler, at an impound auction once.
I was disappointed to see the 6 cylinder under the hood.
With a name like Demon, you need an engine to terrorize people.
Hey shooter, want to go sizzler and get some grub !?
$7,000 is about $5,000 more than I’d pay. I’ve had two Demons – a 340 car in high school and one with a 360 crate engine where a 318 used to be. Both were scary fast. The Sizzler package is all show, no go.
The name doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but maybe that’s just the atheist in me. :)
Too many zeros in that price! Though I have always liked the Demon/ Duster cousins, and would love to have one. This needs lots of work on every system. You could by a decent driver for roughly twice the asking price, and save the $30k it’s going to take to bring this one to that standard.
Sure is in a lot rougher shape than the solid 340 Duster posted today. 340 Demon was an interesting car too, plenty quick for the money and they were fairly cheap thrills for us younger guys in the 80’s. Think the Plymouth version of this Sizzler was called the Twister. At one point Dodge wanted to call this new car the Beaver, that didn’t go over very well and it was called the Demon instead. Go figure.
This is a very rarely seen mopar for two reasons. First of all it was built at the LA assembly plant and that plant built very, very few cars compared to the main A-body plant in Hamtramck, MI. Secondly, it IS a Sizzler package equipped car as evidenced by the A59 on the fender tag. Sizzler package production began on 2/1/71 and this car was built on 3/29/71. The Sizzler package was comparable to the Duster Twister package but was, apparently, much less popular because in over 30 years of tracking A-bodies I’ve only come across a few Sizzlers. The Sizzler package got you the side and rear tape stripes, the black hood treatment with “sizzler” decal, rallye wheels without trim rings, bright roof drip and wheel arch moldings, left and right side racing mirrors, the “tuff” steering wheel, a cloth and vinyl interior with cut pile carpeting, and 6.95 x 14 WSW tires. If you sprang for the Sizzler package you could also order bucket seats, wheel trim rings, and larger tires at discounted prices. Both the slant 6 and 318 V8 were available but not 340. The Duster Twister and Demon Sizzler were packages designed to offer the sporty appearance of the 340 cars without the high performance engine so insurance rates were lower. This is a nicely equipped Demon having the great B5 color, the V8 and factory a/c. A/c was an expensive option back then and few a-bodies had it, at least in the Northeast. In the Southwest they were undoubtedly more numerous.
The last Sizzler I saw is pictured above so this TX offering is a whole lot better but the price is wildly optimistic.
Oh, and as someone already mentioned, Sizzler cars in certain colors got body color painted grilles and possibly mirrors as well.