This is one of the few cars that have fooled me into taking pictures of them twice; the last picture is what it looked like when I first spotted it, and the top several are from a few years later. It does look better now, if a bit less authentic.
Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed November 2011 & December 2016
Venice, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed January 2018
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
Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed December 2012
Introduced for the 1967 model year, the Coronet R/T came standard with a 375 HP 440 “Magnum” V8 engine.
El Segundo, CA
Photographed November 2013
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
This is a souped-up version of the Dodge Charger that nobody remembers. There have been 3 different Charger models on 3 different platforms. First, there was the classic B-body Charger, made from 1966-1978. Currently, Dodge sells the 4-door Charger on the LX Platform, introduced in 2006. But in between, there was this: the L-body Charger, built from 1983-1987; the cousin of the Plymouth Turismo (even rarer).
This is a special Dodge “Shelby” Charger. The Shelby option tacked on a body kit, better drivetrain components, and an upgrade to 107 horsepower over the base 84 HP. The most desirable L-body Charger was the 1987 Shelby Charger, which had 175 horsepower, but only 1,000 were built.
This is the only L-body Charger (Shelby or otherwise) that I’ve seen on the street in at least the last ten years.
Santa Monica, CA
Photographed January 2011
Venice, Los Angeles, CA
Photographed April 2013
El Segundo, CA
Photographed April 2012