Historically, the Dodge Colt is a pretty humble little thing. They were sold as economy cars, meant to satisfy the needs of commuters who liked the idea of buying American but weren’t big fans of Mopar’s small car offerings at the point. The Colt was effectively a Mitsubishi in drag; it’s an early entry in the “captive imports” class that represents one of the more unusual batches of cars to see on the roads today – there simply aren’t that many left. That’s why this 1973 Dodge Colt drag car is so unusual: it’s a model that’s virtually extinct in stock form, and hardly ever seen as a hot rod dragster built for the quarter-mile. Find it here on eBay for $50,000 with the seller noting that he is open to negotiation.
Hot rod builds are always fascinating projects. When done well, it’s impressive to see the vision that the original builder had, especially with a non-conventional vehicle like a Dodge Colt. The name “Flying Frenchmen” name on the air scoop doesn’t reveal any clues in a quick Google search, but I’m sure someone out there remembers seeing this thing tearing up a drag strip somewhere. Not that it counts for much, but the cosmetics look pretty good here – and that does speak to a pride of ownership you don’t always see with these vehicles, as some drag cars aren’t built to look pretty. This one appears to do walk the walk and talk the talk, with a built 318 under the hood.
Pictures aren’t the greatest, but this interior shot again shows a level of detail that suggests the original builder of the hot rod Colt didn’t spare any expense. The fully-painted interior is usually the last thing a hot rod builder is concerned with. The wiring is very cleanly installed and the dash panel is also nicely arranged, with no sloppy gauge installs evident. The listing isn’t long on details but the seller references the following specs: “8 3/4 rear; 513 gears, spool 1/8 in 6.6; 318 mill with two 600 CFM carbs and 904 transmission”. I’d love to know what kind of numbers this Colt puts down on both the dyno and the 1/4 mile – it has to be quick.
The Colt is hard to find in any form, as mentioned above, and this one looks like it started out as a very clean and stock example. The original taillights and chrome bumpers are in nice shape, and the rear end is accented by a rear spoiler and wheelie bars. The history is likely to be as interesting as the car itself, but you’re going to have to contact the seller to find out what the story is. In terms of an asking price, I’m not sure what kind of numbers are fair to attach to a custom build like this, but the details do appear to be very high quality. Should this Colt be treated to a suite of upgrades to make it a modern competitor or just used as a piece of vintage hot rod automobilia?
wow. $50,000. just wow
When I was young I seen Hemi Colts not the big block the small block . 331 or 392. I saw one out on national dragway Long Island. It was putting down 7’s. It’s a shame no photos of the engine area on this Colt. Once you crash one of these it was hard to put back together. Or you just junk it. Too bad we don’t see more of these come up. But I am very surprised it’s a 318. Then again it was put together in Canada. A 340 punched out to a 406 with two fours that would be really impressive. But those rear end gear 5:13 is serious. I would say guessing with the weight in a way it’s built it might go down the quarter mile in 8’s. hopefully the owner might update the site with more pictures. Anyway good luck to the new owner . 🇺🇸🐻🇺🇸
Action speed shop was a small chain of performance car parts in ottawa , ontario and montreal region ending around 2000
I will forward this article to a few old race hungry guys maybe something will come out of it …
I thought it said the 1/8 mile in 6.6………..
It would seem to me that if you are asking 50 large for a racecar you would try to take a few more pictures of the underside the engine even the inside of the trunk and of better quality. The guy could have at least rolled it out into the sun for the pictures.
Located in:
Lebanon, Kentucky
I wonder if I would choose between this Colt (Drag) and a Chevy Cobalt SS (Street – looks eh)?
I saw this very same car on RacingJunk about 12 years ago and, if my memory serves me, the seller was asking between $30-40,000. Not sure if this is the same seller, but it is the same car. I remember it being a well built, very clean example.