Buying a classic car can be an exercise that will throw enthusiasts more challenges than most of us would care to imagine. Barn Finder Larry D located this 1962 Dodge Dart, and it will be interesting to see how our readers might tackle it. I do have to say a big thank you to Larry for spotting the Dart for us. It is listed for sale here on eBay with a BIN of $13,000 or the option to make an offer. So, what’s the challenge? Some buyers will gladly drive their new toy cross-country from its place of purchase to its new home. This buyer will need to work out how they will get the Dart home from its location in Sofia, Bulgaria. Okay, thinking caps on.
The story behind this Dart is a little bit vague. It underwent a restoration in stages on American soil. This work was completed in 2000, and the car was then shipped to its current location in 2001. It has had little use since and has remained in dry storage between its rare outings. As a result, the Emerald Metallic paint remains excellent, with no evidence of scratches or chips. The panels are as straight as an arrow. There are no dings, no dents, and no visible evidence of rust problems. The owner doesn’t mention any hidden issues in the listing, and the general lack of surface corrosion in the supplied photos would tend to suggest that the storage environment must have been close to perfect. The trim and chrome present as nicely as the rest of the exterior, and there are no apparent problems with the glass.
That has to be one of the tidiest engine bays that I’ve ever seen on an older restoration. There is a significant coating of dust on everything, but it is the lack of stray wires and other distractions that impresses me. There isn’t much that you could criticize about the general condition, and the fact that the Dart comes equipped with a 318ci V8 and a TorqueFlite transmission should make it entertaining to drive. This little eight would be producing 260hp, which is enough to send the Dodge through the ¼ mile in 16.5 seconds. The owner claims that the Dart has a genuine 86,000 miles showing on its odometer. However, he doesn’t indicate whether he holds any verifying evidence. The listing also indicates that the vehicle now gets very little use and that it is parked on stands when idle to take any strain off the suspension. The car is said to run superbly, with no evidence of any fluid leaks, and it has recently been treated to all new hoses. The trunk is full of additional parts, including glass and mechanical components. The Dart restoration was completed in stages, and it is all photographically documented for the buyer.
It’s great to open the Dart’s doors and find an interior that doesn’t let the side down. It appears that it has also been restored, and it still presents beautifully. There is a visible mark on the passenger side of the front seat, but the remaining upholstered surfaces and the carpet appear flawless. I would be inclined to have the front seat professionally cleaned to see if the mark can be removed. The dash and the wheel look excellent, and about the only thing that grates on me is the aftermarket radio/cassette player. I have no issue with the concept of making this sort of change, but I would have been looking for a system that is more “sympathetic” to this interior and era. It stands out, but for all of the wrong reasons.
This 1962 Dodge Dart has many positive attributes, and I suspect that there would be plenty of Mopar enthusiasts who would be giving it more than a passing glance. The biggest issue for potential buyers located in America will be organizing to ship it home. Many companies could collect the car from its current location and ship it to the new owner’s doorstep. However, I’d like to propose an alternative. Sofia is close to the western border between Bulgaria and Kosovo. The nearest Bulgarian shipping port is on the eastern coast, so maybe this calls for a cross-country road trip for the buyer behind the wheel of their newly-acquired American classic. I hear the weather in Bulgaria is lovely at this time of the year. So, what do you say?
Another example of why Barn Finds is so great. The car is, well, unique, and other posters can comment on it. But to me what makes this interesting is its location. I had to consult Google Maps to see where it resides.
I’ve often wondered what the level of interest is in American classic cars in other countries. I assume it is strong in some places, not much in others. The only place I’ve spent significant time was Peru, and I did see older American cars there, but mostly in daily-driver duty.
Adam’s road trip suggestion….. I’ve worked with guys who roamed the world doing large infrastructure projects, and what you propose would not have phased them at all. Me, however, not a chance…..
I found a 1967 Impala in Krsko, Slovenia when I was working there in 1983.
It makes you wonder why this Dodge ended up in Bulgaria and who owned it.
Agreed. Imagine, twenty years ago restoring a relatively obscure and not yet collectable car like this – and then shipping it to Bulgaria where it remained relatively unused for the next 20 years.
Is this the same car Capt. Culpepper was driving in ” It’s a……mad world”?
My favorite movie!
I was just about to say the same thing…😂
Yeah, a black one. Too bad they trashed it at the end of the chase, by those two ’59 Plymouth taxicabs.
Sylvester trashed his nice red convertible too, because Russell was bugging him man!
“It’s under the big W, the big W, I say” . . . [Kicking the bucket.]
Brings back memories. My Dad inherited one of these in the late 60’s when my Grandfather could no longer drive. It was light brown with a dark brown roof. Looked just like an unmarked sheriff car 🤣.
Love that the New Jersey plates are still with the car
I owned a 2dr 62 Dart with the same powertrain. Ran it from Shasta Lake to Richmond, Ca one dark and dreary night in 1972 in 2 hours and 20 minutes….215 miles….stealth!
Could you get a 4bbl on a 318 poly? I know you could in CA in the late 70s.
1957 2 X 4 barrel 290 hp. 1958 4 barrel 250 hp. 1958 2 x 4 barrel 290 hp. 1959-62 4 barrel 260 hp.
Wow, this was my Grandfathers car but he had a slant six and three on the tree. We used to wait for the AM radio to “warm up”. He bought his gas by the gallon!
Awesome looking car. I hope whoever buys the car enjoys it and takes care of it.
You would drive to Benelux and then RoRo to the States. East Coast $1200-1500, West Coast +/- $500 more. Given the cost of shipping within the US, this is good value!
It´s about 1500 miles, and passes through some wonderful places. All within the EU so no customs or immigration hassle from beginning to end. Just don´t take it into the UK……(Switzerland could be tricky too).
Could be a great holiday or a nightmare so maybe the idea, like the car, is not for everyone
Martin,
I agree, this would make a great tour car for someone to drive it to the Port, and have a grand holiday along the way. I’ve been to 38 countries so far, have driven old cars thru Europe without hassles. Obey the speed limits, keep a copy of al your papers [both the car and you] available during the trip.
A car this nice is risky to ship RoRo unless you get a specific USA insured company for any vehicle damages on the trip. Shipping RoRo with standard vehicle value insurance is only good if the ship sinks! I’ve watched the stevedores in Baltimore, Rotterdam, and Bremerhaven. They have to get the ship cleared FAST, and they cut corners, knowing that if the vehicle is damaged, they won’t be held personally responsible.
In 1993 I hosted a group from all over Europe with about 150 “Oldtimer” cars coming in thru the port of Baltimore, with the people flying over by plane. I wanted to bring my own experienced crew in to drive the cars out. The union rules said the cars had to be driven out by union crew members. I reminded the union reps that we would have national TV crews there filming, and news crews love to see mistakes, because they make great TV news ratings!
The final agreement was; My crew could drive the vehicles out, with the union guys riding shotgun [except for the 3 motorcycles]! The day it happened, everyone in my crew said it was an incredible experience! The port of Baltimore magazine did a 5-page color article on the event. Not a single vehicle was damaged.
And yes, the group drove from Washington DC to Chicago, picking up Rt 66 all the way to Santa Monica California. Took about a month total.
So, this would have the “Poly” 318 in it, correct?
I’m still not sure what the difference is, but there are people that are big fans of this engine.
The poly refers to the ‘polyspherical’ style of the heads. It’s not a wedge design like most other non-Hemi engines. Instead, it used a canted-valve or semi-Hemi layout, much like race engines use today.
The 1962 Dodges are quirky and odd to say the least but I have always like them for some reason.
Recently on ebay was a 1962 Dodge Polara 500 2-door hardtop which was restored and beautiful! I would love to have had it but the BIN of $39500 was a little rich for me.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-Dodge-Polara-500-/114685250222?nma=true&si=n%252F9JxuihMQGDQa%252FL%252FEz8sAV6TbU%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Truly one of the ugliest cars ever made.
Yeah, but admit it…you can’t stop looking at it. I can imagine driving this across the Bering Strait, past Sarah Palin’s house, then down the road to Pennsylvania.
My first car was a 62 Plymouth Savoy 318 2 bbl I converted it to a 4 bbl and put duals on it I was the second owner 1st owner was the proverbial little old School Teacher , the only thing I find odd about this car is I thought all of them at that time had the Push button shift
This one has push buttons.
Don’t I see an alternator under the hood? Was this converted or was the engine changed?
The alternator is there , left side looking at the front of engine ,
Chrysler started using alternators, in 1960.
No doubt its been repainted, unfortunately they forgot to paint under the hood. I’m kind of a stickler on this ,but to me a restoration means it gets painted in the color it rolled off the assembly line , which is the color under the hood ,and then I’d be wondering why the interior is green when the body was that “champagne” color that was popular in the 60s.
Chrysler started using alternators, in 1960.
A little note on the Bulgarian and Romanian hot car situation; While I doubt this car has any paperwork problems because it’s not a popular car to steal, forge papers & then sell, It’s a good idea in general to make 100% sure the car has genuine paperwork from the time it came into Bulgaria to now. These 2 countries have the reputation as having more stolen cars per capita, than anywhere else in Europe.
My first car, black, like Captain Culpepper’s, but a four door hardtop, 318 c.i. poly/pushbutton Torqueflite, A/C, PS, PB; but no radio! Found an OEM AM radio in a junkyard and installed it! :-).