Vehicle Description
Some of our favorite creations are the cars that the factory could
have built but didn't. This 1968 Dodge Dart is such a machine, a
street version of the Hemi drag cars Chrysler built to dominate the
strip. With 472 cubic inches, B5 Blue paint, and a power-to-weight
ratio of, say, a cruise missile, it's one man's ultimate Mopar.
Dodge's flyweight Dart proved the old adage that taking weight out
was just as effective as putting horsepower in. But what if you did
both, then painted it Mopar's favorite color, B5 Blue? Well, you'd
have this incredible Dart. Built from a rust-free V8 car, it was
treated to the best of everything, professionally engineered, and
fully sorted on the mean streets. The little Dart is one of
Chrysler's best styling efforts, clearly Mopar but not ashamed to
be mid-sized. A few modifications get it closer to its race car
roots, including fiberglass front fenders and rear fenders that
were subtly re-sized to handle the giant meats underneath. The
brilliant show-quality paint means that keeping it on the DL is
going to be a challenge, and with that gaping garage door of a hood
scoop, you need to be careful that the Hemi doesn't inhale any
small birds. All the chrome was refinished to show standards, the
stainless was polished, and there's just no such thing as a race
car that ever looked this good.
The interior is anything but race car basic, wearing fresh
upholstery by Legendary, which includes a pair of simply gorgeous
bucket seats. The Dart's original dash was retained and all the
gauges rebuilt, but they're augmented with a high-mounted tach and
oil pressure gauge that look suitably vintage, and they're both a
good idea with almost 700 horsepower on tap. There is no radio and
I'm disappointed that you'd even ask, because the sound of the Hemi
should be more than adequate. A Hurst 4-speed shifter with reverse
lock-out has been mounted between the seats and works even better
than the old pistol-grip setup you might have admired when this car
was new. The back seat is gone and there's a cage that makes it
moot anyway, but it has been beautifully upholstered back there
suggesting that this was a very expensive build. Even the side
windows are Lexan, just to keep it authentic. The trunk is
correctly detailed with a reproduction and carries the battery,
because there's just no room left under the hood.
The reason for that is the 472 cubic inch crate Hemi that's rated
at a mind-boggling 680 horsepower. With a Mopar Performance
cross-ram intake, dual 850 Holleys, and a lot of chrome, it's both
scary fast and beautiful to look at. Inside there's an Eagle crank,
Scat H-beam rods, Ross 10.75:1 pistons, and a Comp Cams solid
lifter camshaft. The inner fenders and firewall have been smoothed
and painted, and there's a correct Hemi K-member to hold it in
place. And while there's no power steering or brakes, the car
remains quite street-friendly. The transmission is an A833
18-spline 4-speed fed by a Centerforce clutch and spinning a Dana
60 with 4.10 gears on a limited slip. Front discs and rear drums
make up the braking system, and the custom exhaust system is a work
of art all by itself. The floors are finished as beautifully as the
bodywork and the tub is reinforced with a set of weld-in subframe
connectors. It even captures the vintage race vibe with Cragar mags
and 6.70-15 skinnies up front and 10.5x29.5-15 slicks in back.
With build documents and only test and tune miles, this is one
brutal performance car that you can buy with confidence and enjoy
with impunity. Call today!