Often, when we cover Dart GTs, it’s the ’68-’70 edition that gets all the attention. Styling is always subjective, of course, but the third-gen (’63-’66), such as today’s ’65 subject, is a bit, well, you know, ungainly looking, and the fourth-gen (’67-’76), at least the first three years, was a real knockout styling-wise. But…this Dart GT is cool! It’s hardly perfect, and I’m finding that to be a more attractive trait these days – and this one has some noteworthy upgrades. Rob found the listing for this Kelseyville, California, black-tagged compact, and it’s listed here on craigslist for $7,500.
Dodge’s Dart, downsized for ’63 on the A-body platform, was offered in Standard/170, 270, and GT trim levels. That arrangement was still the case in ’65, when 205K buyers decided to partake of this stout and durable compact. The total GT volume reached 41K units that year, though only 18K were outfitted with a V8 engine. The seller tells us, “Solid California body with original paint. Built as a patina sleeper style driver,” and it’s far from perfect. Yes, it has some dents, contusions, scrapes and errant primer sprayed about, but really, no egregious issues. This Dart is trying to project an old-skool hot-rod vibe, and I think it pulls it off reasonably well. Finally, to complete the picture, the seller notes, “Steelies with Mopar poverty caps.”
In 1965, a V8-powered Dart meant a 235 gross HP 273 CI powerplant. Well, things here have been upgraded a bit to a 318 CI motor, one that looks impressive, but the seller tells us nothing about its bearing, other than to say, “a great running 318 V8 and 4 Speed manual transmission.” That’s unfortunate, as a rig of this nature just invites questions.
The interior appears to be purposeful, but that’s about it. The seats have either been reupholstered or are wearing seat covers, but they’re certainly presentable, and the front buckets match the rear bench. The instrument panel has lost some of its chrome-plated plastic luster, but it seems OK overall, while under-dash engine gauges and a competition steering wheel have been added to help complete the look. The door panels and headliner are a bit rumply, and there’s a carpet or something similar adorning the dash, but hey, this is a race car, right? No need for show car quality.
I went to a well-attended car show today, and there were many of the usual suspects, Chevelles, Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Buick GSs, and a lot of newer Dodge Challengers, which I never really understood, but all are welcome at this event. The most obvious characteristic was the pristine condition that every participant bore – and that’s expected – cool cars with cooler finishes. What I didn’t see were any backyard-built hot rods; you know the kind that you used to encounter long ago, where performance mattered, and aesthetics didn’t. And that’s what I find refreshing about this Dart – it takes me back to a long-ago era. And in this Barrett-Jackson/Mecum infected auto exchange world, the $7,500 ask is a bit of a throwback, too, wouldn’t you agree?
Leave A Comment