Palms, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed December 2016
This Dart may win the award of being the oldest daily-driven car around my neck of the woods. I actually saw it just a couple weeks ago, getting its brakes fixed at a repair shop. I imagine it must take a good deal of dedication to keep dailying a 53-year-old car, but I suppose Dart parts are cheap and relatively plentiful, and since it’s probably got a slant-6 under the hood, reliability isn’t likely to be too much of an issue.
For some reason, the ’65 Dart (and specifically the coupe) is still quite a common sight on the streets of Southern California. It’s gotten to the point that I won’t always stop and snap photos of one if I see it on the street, just because I see so many of them. But I had been waiting to catch this one at a standstill for awhile by the time I finally got these pictures. There’s just something about an honest daily-driven classic that appeals to me so much more than a meticulously-restored garage queen.
Santa Monica, CA
Photographed July 2016
1973 was the first year for the Dart Sport, essentially a fastback version of a Dart two-door and closely related to the Plymouth Duster. It was previously called the Demon (from 1971-1972), but frequent complaints from religious groups about the name led Dodge to rename it. This car likely has the 150 HP, 318 cubic inch V8; optional was a 240 HP, 340 cubic inch V8 on “340 Sport” models.
Washington, D.C.
Photographed April 2011