1968 dodge dart series#
GTS production slipped to 6,702 for this final season in the Dart lineup, and only the Swinger would hang on into the Seventies.Ĭontinue reading to learn more about the 1967-1969 Dodge Dart GT GTS series specifications.POSSIBLE INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THE FLOOR PAN AND THE TRANSMISSION KICKDOWN ROD.THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE TO RETURN TO IDLE.(INSPECT AND REWORK TRANSMISSION LEVER.) Even without such unofficial help, though, Dodge had turned its dowdy compact in sheep's garb into a snarling wolf, eager to snap at the heels of its muscle-car rivals.
1968 dodge dart driver#
Car and Driver called Dodge's top Dart a "tough little machine on curves and bends." Car Life voted GTS one of the best cars of the year: "more nimble than most" and able to deliver "neck-snapping acceleration," actually topping a Hemi-equipped Charger for "versatility, agility, roadability" and off-the-line starts.īecause some folks never are satisfied, a few hundred Darts even had 440-Magnum engines installed by outside specialists. Rocket-like acceleration wasn't its only skill, either. With the 340-cid engine and automatic transmission, Motor Trend required a measly six seconds for its GTS to hit 60. While Dodge's GTSport never quite ranked with a Hemi-Charger or Super Bee in the public eye for all-out performance, the figures and contemporary comments speak for themselves. Joining the GT and GTS this time was a bargain-basement Swinger, available with the 340-cid V-8 engine but carrying fewer extras. The GTS hardtop and convertible drew scads of attention but not as many orders, with only 8,745 built.Ī modest face-lift with fresh horizontal-bar grille and restyled taillights didn't change the Darts dramatically in 1969. For more information on cars, see:įar more Dart GTs than GTSports found customers, helped by the simple fact that they were more than $500 cheaper.
Anyone who didn't care for those flashy rear stripes could nix them.Ĭontinue reading to learn more about the Dodge Dart's gradual transformation into a racing machine. Scoop-style hood louvers, square-tipped dual exhaust pipes, and "bumblebee" stripes out back told the world that this was a new breed of Dart, ready to take on some (if not all) comers. That shortcoming was corrected for 1968 with the arrival of the GTSport (GTS, for short) as a member in good standing of the new Dodge "Scat Pack," which also included the Charger and Coronet R/T editions.īeneath the hood of the freshened Dart sat a zesty new 340-cid V-8 with four-barrel carb and high-lift camshaft, eager to send its 275 horsepower to the ground via a Rallye suspension and E70 × 14 wide-tread tires. A wider front end had given the 1967 Darts a broader stance and additional engine room - but nothing new to fill that extra space. Nevertheless, these useful doodads were attached to an otherwise no-frills American compact that had a difficult time eliciting excitement. So did the more potent four-barrel variant of the 273-cid V-8, available with either TorqueFlite or a four-speed, and an optional tachometer. Ordering the optional Rallye suspension package helped, especially when combined with front-disc brakes and D70 × 14 Red Streak tires. Some of that size increase was illusory, in fact, since overall length actually shrank by a fraction of an inch.Ĭlearly, more than bucket seats and an identifying plaque were needed to turn a plain-Jane Dart into an honest GT. In reality, not much had changed apart from a cleaner fastback-styled silhouette and full-width grille, and a fresh selection of vinyl and cloth/vinyl interiors.
Bigger inside and out, more rounded along the bodysides, the reworked Darts kept the same 111-inch wheelbase as the originals, but delivered, in the words of the sales brochure, ".
1968 dodge dart trial#
When Darts enjoyed a major restyle for 1967, the GT came along for another trial run, winding up the year with a modest but welcome sales gain. Name aside, these upgraded hardtop coupes and convertibles didn't quite qualify as full-fledged Grand Touring or performance machines - not with a 273-cid V-8 as top engine, and a hard-to-combat image as low-budget, uninspired family movers.
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