As a younger man when only eighteen years of age, there were two things that I required my car to have: speed and great looks. I found both of these important factors in my 1974 Dodge Dart Sport, one of the last American muscle cars. Often confused with the Duster or a Charger, the Dart is a rare automotive breed that exudes what I like to call “Awesomeness.
Armed with a carburetor-driven V6 318 engine, this vehicle’s slick design appeared as a blur on the highways. My vehicle, which I named Brandy-Jewel, sported bench seats which were capable of seating 6 people with a decent amount of room. Automatic transmission with the shifter located on the steering column was used instead of a floor mounted stick shifting manual transmission.
The entire dashboard was vintage with the exception of the CD player that was installed. Vintage hub caps and leather seats with that distinct antique smell made this car look almost as good inside as it did outside. The chassis of the Dart sports four windows: the windshield, driver and passenger-side, and the rear window. As an added bonus, the top of my car was covered in black marine vinyl.
Oddly enough, the trunk was definitely one of the best things about the car. The trunk is so large, I could stuff four fully-grown men into it and still roar down the road at blazing fast speeds.
On average, it received 18 miles-per-gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. However, muscle cars are not meant for protecting the ozone… they are meant for speed! If I knew where he lived, I would have gone racing past Al Gore’s house every chance I could get. Choke on this Mother Nature!
You avid fans are probably wondering just how fast she could go. The Dodge Dart Sport with the stock 318 engine can go from 0 to 60 in about 5 seconds. The top speed that I clocked with this vehicle was in excess of 110 miles per hour. Brandy-Jewel had won several drag races without any kind of real modification to the vehicle other than simple part replacements.
On this particular car, I replaced the starter motor (it had developed a short) and the fuel and oil filters with standard maintenance procedures. The transmission, despite being over three decades old, worked marvelously and I did not have single problem with it. As an antique vehicle, it required more frequent oil changes. I gave her one every 2500 miles or so. My model had a fifteen gallon gas tank, giving me a general range of three hundred miles before refuel.
The ’74 Dart Sport is a beautiful car and I miss my old Brandy-Jewel very much. Sometimes, I wish that I had never sold that car. However, given the bench seats, it is not a very good vehicle for carrying young children in and it was quite susceptible to rust if not properly maintained.
Nevertheless, if you are looking for a car that goes fast on the pavement, has the ladies wanting to take a spin around the block, and do not mind paying a little more on gas, the 1974 Dodge Dart Sport is the car you are looking for.
I paid $3500 for mine, however in mint condition, they can run upwards of $12,000. I found one on eBay that was around nine grand. Restoring one of these old brutes can profitable, if you have the experience and patience to deal with older cars. With the lack of digital components, these cars are relatively simple to refit or retrofit.
Finding one of these rare jewels intact and operational is hard to do, but if you can find one, I guarantee that every stop at a gas station that you make, someone will compliment you on your excellent tastes in cars. The great thing about this car is that it will help you pick up even hotter women.
I hope you enjoyed this article. Stay frosty and be awesome!
Source:
1) 1974 Dodge Dart Sport Maintenance Manual, Dodge-Chrysler
