Dodge introduced a new model in 1973, the Dart Sport. Actually, it wasn’t new; it was the Dart Demon with a different name that was changed to supposedly appease an irritated clergy. And the Demon 340, a muscle car, was now the Dart Sport 340. The seller has one of them, and it appears to be in nice original condition. But could it have just 36,000 miles on the odometer? Located in Assonet, Massachusetts (where they salt the roads in Winter?), this nifty Mopar is available here on Facebook Marketplace for the “aggressive” price of $20,000 (the seller wants a fast sale).
The 340 cubic inch V8 was a popular small-block engine from Chrysler. Debuting in 1968, more than 217,000 installations took place in Dodge and Plymouth products over the next six years. The Demon/Dart Sports and Plymouth Dusters took many of them, but cars like the Road Runners began using them in 1971 as the performance car segment was changing. 11,315 Dart Sport 340s were produced in 1973.
Darts and Dusters changed little in 1973 except for beefier front bumpers. In many cases, larger bumper guards were used to help in low-impact collisions, which changing Federal regulations were trying to improve. The seller says this ’73 is “pretty much how it rolled off the showroom floor” when new, except for a few minor things. Could one of them be changing the color of the engine block from blue to orange? Hadn’t Chrysler switched to blue around 1972 from the oranges and turquoises of previous years?
The seller provides few details about the car. For example, how long has he owned it? Has it had any major mechanical updates? How is the mileage so low after 53 years? The body, paint, and interior all seem to be fine, one of those “must see to appreciate” kind of cars, we guess. And don’t expect to get the car for $19,999 – the seller is firm on the price. Thanks, T.J., for the Dart tip.
To review, that name “Demon” aggravated more than just clergy, it drew response from all over. I know, in this day of who gives a diddle what is said, what’s all the fuss, but in the 70s it was a big deal. You couldn’t say “toilet” without repercussion, why, I’d have been run out on a rail for my toilet post. Not sure how Jeep got away with Go-“Devil”, but generally, anything to do with the devil simply was not mentioned. Ironically, it was the same people against rock and roll,,,but we showed them.
Like any “used” car, buyer must beware. I read, all 340s after April 1971 were painted blue. Some 68s were red, ’69-’71 were orange, and ’72-’73 were blue. That shifter isn’t stock either, but these were fun cars, gave plenty of small block Mustangs headaches. Those 340s were some runnin’ motors. Automatic sweetens the deal,,,for the future.
There are still a lot of people out there “clutching their pearls” over anything they think is offensive. I was always sorry that Chrysler gave in to them on this. The Demon was much cooler looking than the “Sport”. And, hey, if kids could read “Hot Stuff” comic books, why not a car with a devil on it?
Howard, 340 cars equipped w the Torq-flite, Sure-Grip axle, and 3.91 gearset⚙️ were runners. Bigtime.🏁
Nice, tidy, looking car.