Light Blue Poly (according to the data card) is a nice color for this Dart, and if you’re someone who’s into patina, this one has a great look. I can also picture it in perfect condition, and it wouldn’t take much to bring this one back again. This 1968 Dodge Dart 270 is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Rush City, Minnesota, and the seller is asking $5,000 or best offer. Here is the original listing.
As with the 1968 Oldsmobile 442, I think the 1968 Dart was the best one of the run, design-wise. At least for me, I like the grille in 1968 more than any other year. The 270 trim level was a mid-range model, above the Dart and below the GT/GTS, so it was “good enough,” not a bad thing for pragmatic Dart customers who were often not fancy people and didn’t like to show off too much. Here is a 1968 Dart brochure, and for the heck of it, here’s a Canadian version.
I like that grille. The fourth-generation Dart was made from 1966 for the 1967 model year until the end of 1976, and there were a couple of refreshed designs during that run. If you like the old-school Darts, you want a ’67 to ’69 car. There were only two body styles in this 270 trim: a 2-door hardtop and a 4-door sedan as seen here. I know that most folks think “Too many doors!!” whenever they see a 4-door sedan, but I like this body style. This is what a lot of us had, a basic 4-door sedan.
The seat looks perfect! Wait, is that a cover? Never mind. Lame, sorry. This car probably has its original blue vinyl bench seat under the covers on the front and rear bench seats, but they must not look too hot, or they wouldn’t have been covered up for the photo session. Speaking of that, fantastic job on the photos, seller! There is no third pedal here; this car has the $172 optional three-speed TorqueFlite automatic and column selector. A three-speed manual on the column was the base transmission with the slant-six, and there was also an optional four-speed on the floor. The back seat is also covered.
The engine is the optional (a $38 upgrade) 225-cu.in. OHV slant-six with 145 horsepower and 215 lb-ft of torque when new. This one sends power through the TorqueFlite to the rear wheels, and the seller says it runs, drives, and stops great. They say this appears to have been a southern car, as there is no rust to speak of, other than a couple of spots bubbling behind the rear wheels, and it has new U-joints, some new brake parts, and new tires. With manual steering and manual brakes, this one will be a chore for those of us who have been spoiled by modern vehicles. Would any of you go back to a basic car like this Dart?
I like the lines of this car and I know I’ll take some heat for this but it would make a fun daily driver with a 340 and a 4spd. With a decent paint job and maybe a set of stock molar rally wheels.
I hope you don’t take any heat for that, Jim. There’s nothing wrong with that idea at all, and I hope there is never a time when we aren’t allowed to think and do what we want to do with our vehicles. I wouldn’t mind doing the same thing with the drivetrain, but I’d probably leave the body looking like this, at least for a while.
My buddy had a 66 Valiant with a nasty 340/4 speed with big Caddy type mufflered 2 1/2′ exhaust on it. Quiet and extremely fast sleeper that spanked everything it came up against
Valiant four door
My first car was a 68 Dart GT, red with a vinyl roof, buckets, and a back set that… well, let’s just say that I LOVED that car. If I could find one like that, I’d buy it.
Steve Magnante did a feature on a ’66 Valiant 2 door in one of his junkyard crawls.
I never thought much of these cars, but this one has been “modified” – probably by a kid back in the 70’s. I have to say that I really liked the look of it, even in junkyard condition. It was someone’s cool ride some 50 years ago.
+10 for a Steve Magnante reference, PRA4SNW! He is thee best I hope he’s doing ok. I watch that show almost every day on Tubi, a streaming channel.
He is great!
He seems to be doing well. I like his YouTube content, something new every day and no more than 6 – 7 minutes long. I also like that he is from and still lives in MA and peruses the junkyards in MA and NH.
I like his commentary on the BJ auctions too.
He had a short lived YouTube series where he builds custom plastic models by taking parts from several kits – it’s very interesting, and he used to do the show from his treehouse!
You can never go wrong with a Dart like this in my opinion and experience. They are fairly bulletproof especially if you take care of them. I’d daily this no problem. You can get used to all the manual stuff pretty quickly especially with the Torqueflight. GLWTS.
Never heard of a slant six being called a “Charger 225.”
These period Darts I love the most also. Really great, reliable, good looking little cars. 4 doors or 2 I think it’s a winner either way.