(first posted 2/8/2012) Not all Darts spent their lives shuttling old folks or cheapskates. In Spain, the Dart was the biggest, most luxurious car made there, and given the severe restrictions on imports then, it was the choice of top government officials and other society big-wigs. Not only was there this wagon version (quite different than our recent What If gen3 Valiant wagon fantasy), but all Darts/3700s had front disc brakes, four speed stick shift, sumptuous leather interiors, full instrumentation and other delights withheld from us US bumpkins. Welcome to the Barreiros-Chrysler of Spain parallel universe.
image by kurtzos (more there at the CC Cohort)
Berreiros was a maker of heavy duty trucks, and in 1965 arranged a deal with Chrysler to build a modified version of the Dart. Not exactly “build” in the usual sense, since these were SKD (semi-knocked-down) kits. But they had some substantial modifications, as the front end of the Berreiros Dart (1965 – 1970) shows. All were powered by the 225 cubic inch slant six (3700 cc), which was a monstrously big engine in Spain at the time. As mentioned above, four wheel disc brakes and a four speed stick were standard. You see, Detroit knew how to build proper cars back in 1965!
The story gets even more interesting in 1971, when the gen 3 Dart was given substantially more body modifications, resulting in the Dodge 3700 (1971 – 1977). It looks like a Dart mated with a 1968 Coronet; with those upswung hips and substantially different front end rear ends. Basically, it’s all new sheet metal with a Dart center section.
This Dodge 3700 presents itself quite differently than the boxy refrigerators we were bestowed upon. It just occurs to me; this could have made an interesting gen4 Dart, instead of the problematic Aspen/Volare.
Chrysler bought out Barrieros, and took control by 1969. And in 1978, Chrysler bailed on Europe, so the Spanish ops built Talbot cars and such. But the Dart and 3700 have become a unique link to the time when they were the car of the 1%.
Color me impressed! The wagon in the top photo and the green sedan look very similar to the 1964-65 Oldsmobile Cutlass, except for the dip in the C-pillar of the wagon and the exposed gas cap on the sedan.
Good, I’m not the only one!, its the wheels that look like Oldsmobile SS1’s.
Dude, they also look just like the Dodge “Rallye” wheels of that period.
The roof dip at the C pillar is the same as the Aussie built AP6 wagons so this car has a real multi national flavour, I like it.
wow!
That 3rd picture is an Argentine Dodge Polara and the 2nd. picture shows the exact grill used on that Polara. The cover shot of the station wagon was not available in argentina but it has the overall lines of the polara. what an awesome car.
How do you know that the third one is an Argentine Polara? Just curious.
duplicate
Sorry, I wasn’t clear.. meant to say identical to an Argentine Polara.
I saw the pix of the station wagon first and then the headline and thought: more neat-o stuff from Oz. What really blew my mind was the fact that once I got into the article, these are from Spain? Hmm…
Then I saw the sedan pix and thought: I’ve seen those before. Didn’t Chrysler build something like that in South America somewhere?
Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
I don’t care what anybody says, the wagon looks like a 7/8 scale Vista Cruiser to me. It just needs the windows on the roof.
Ole!
I see a Vista Cruiser in the lines of the wagon too – specifically a ’66 or ’67. Actually, all of the 3700s look a lot like 1966-67 Cutlasses, at least from the side.
The third picture is NOT a Polara. It,s a Dodge 3.700 GT, which Detroit brought the main body to Spain directly and called it 3.700 GT and the spanish design team gave it a personal face and back more adequate to the european market.
At the same time, Detroit sent the same body to Argentina and there it had another facia design totally different and another back design, totally different and there it was called Polara.
They are similar, but not the same.
According to Wikapedia Barreiros brought them in in semi-knocked down form from Argentina. Although trim and light details are different the fender lines appear to match.
I’d have to agree, D-licious! If I’d the scratch I’d go to Spain to get a 3700 Wagon and Argentina to get a Charger R/T… Now if I only spoke some Spanish…
Looks to me like the mutant offspring of a 1964 Chevelle and a Rambler American.
In argentina Dodge, Valiant, Fargo and Desoto were made by Chrysler fevre from 1960 until 1979.
Valiant V 200 (1961 – 1963)
Engine: Slant Six 200
Transmision: 3 Spd manual
Valiant II (1963 – 1964)
Engine: Slant Six RG 225
Transmision: 3 Spd manual
Valiant III (1964 – 1965)
Engine: Slant Six RG 225
Transmision: 3 Spd manual
Valiant IV (1966 – 1968)
Engine: Slant Six RG 225
Transmision: 3 Spd manual
Dodge Polara (1968 – 1979)
Engine: Slant Six RG 225
Transmision: 3 Spd manual
Dodge Coronado (1968 – 1978)
Engine: Slant Six RG 225
Transmision: 3 Spd automatic
Dodge GTX (1970 – 1978) (car of my dreams!!!)
Engine: V8 318 CI (mexican)
Transmision: 4 Spd manual
Dodge Polara RT (1974 – 1978)
Engine: Chrysler Slant Power A-119
Transmision: 4 Spd manual
Dodge GTX and Polara RT was built on a Chrysler A body similar to 1968 Dodge Dart. But the tail and front was modificated in argentina. It were inspirated on Plymouth.
This cars were the first with rectangular headlights in Argentina.
Also Chrysler fevre produced pick up and trucks.
Dodge D-100, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000.
DeSoto 100
Fargo 100 200 400
Would you like to do a piece on the Argentine Chryslers? Looks like you have a good start on it already. Let me know!
These are becoming a fascinating car a full story of world wide production is needed Aussie Valiants were exported to the UK in the 70s though nearly all V8s as there was no hemi6 parts supply, these cars really got around.
The 1976-vintage Darts continued to be made in Mexico up to 1981. There was even a Dart coupe with landau top and opera windows called a Magnum. I found a photo of one on Wikipedia Commons, as seen below.
Wow – still using the ventpanes in the front doors that Chrysler ditched in the States after 1972.
Actually the front door vent panes continued on the USA Valiants and Darts until 1976. Not on the Duster/Demon, though.
One piece side glass debuted on 2 door usa dodge darts and plymouth valiants in 1973, 4 doors continued the vent windows through 76.
I’ve never seen one of those and never even heard of it but I really like it!
the one in this picture was made in Brazil (it says on the caption of Wikipedia as well)
This one is the brazilian Magnun 1980 or 81
They look like the result of an unholy marriage of mid 60s GM A bodies and Chrysler late 60s B bodies. I like them!
I’ll have to add them to my list of non-U.S Chrysler “if I won the lottery” cars.
Since these are now well over 25 years old they could make an interesting grey import fun car, especially with a little tuning of the “leaning tower of power”
That was my thinking–it would be ordinary enough that it wouldn’t stand out too much, but just different enough that it would get a lot of second glances. And not too hard to keep running, either.
I like the ’65-’70; similar to the U.S. ’65-’66 but with that slicker grille. Really has an upmarket look to them. Next gen looks a little strange; huge front end overhang somehow looks unbalanced. I agree that this could’ve been a better machine in lieu of Aspen/Volare, which did get better – ’78 and beyond. ’76-’77 cars, the public were the beta testers. You would’ve thought Mopar knew better after the “rushed” ’57’s . . do like the Euro/S.American/Aussie Mopar variants.
Despite all the problems the early ones had, I really like the looks of the Aspen and Volare, especially the wagons.
I love that wagon on top. The sedans have proportions that seem slightly “off” to my eye, but maybe the car looks better in person. Thanks for a fascinating piece.
“four wheel stick shift”? Never heard of that, 😉
Anyway, reasons Volare/Aspen were rushed to market was that the big C bodies tanked, and Oli Crisis 1. Also, to match the Granada.
“This Dodge 3700 presents itself quite differently than the boxy refrigerators we were bestowed upon. It just occurs to me; this could have made an interesting gen4 Dart, instead of the problematic Aspen/Volare.”
Really? Sorry, I just dont see how this is really any better looking than a domestic Dart, we really need to stop the automatic “Not American = Must be Really Good” thing, or were going to get to the point were we start waxing romantically about the Black Plauge, body odor and hairy womens armpits.
As one who spent his early formative years in Europe, and came of age in the alternative late sixties early seventies, I have no aversion to hairy armpits, and even body odor, in moderation. Why do you think we evolved to have them? To better disperse our pheromones. It can be quite a turn on.
BTW, I don’t ever do anything automatically (in regard to what you accuse me of). I’m entitled to my opinion, as you are to yours. But your comment is highly belittling, and almost borders on a personal attack, something we do not tolerate here.
Do I have to go in the archives and create a list of all the American cars I wax eloquently about. And the foreign cars I diss?
I’m very happy to have you disagree with me, as folks will never agree on subjective things like styling. But if you’re uncomfortable with anything other than GO USA NO.1 ALWAYS THE BEST GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM WE DON”T WANT NO FURRIN” CARS then I’m afraid you’re going to be…uncomfortable. Your problem, but don’t put it on me.
You call the American Dart a “boxy refrigerator”, as of the Spanish Dart was some sort of Pinninfarina designed low slung exotic, they are both boxy refrigerators, one has 4 wheel disc brakes and one doesn’t.
I’m always happy to discuss styling or any matter, appropriately. But the comment “we really need to stop the automatic “Not American = Must be Really Good” thing” is not the way to do it. Telling writers who all work for free to stop expressing their opinions is contradictory to the whole point of this web site.
I happen to be a big fan of the US Dart, and boxy cars in general. But FIW, the Dodge 3700 has decidedly more curvaceous lines. That’s not necessarily good or bad, and hardly makes it a “low-slung Pininfarina”. What’s interesting to me about it is that it looks like what a Dart very likely would/could have looked like if it had been refreshed in about 1970. That’s what makes it worth the time to find the pictures, and create a post; a vehicle that is unique and has a certain interest, at least to me, and obviously to others. You’re not obliged to read them all. And if you do read them, and disagree, that’s ok too, but telling writers to shut up is tantamount to telling us to close this site.
I had a 1971 Plymouth Scamp. Its brakes were downright insufficient. There’s something really wrong with Chrysler selling cars in the US that couldn’t stop with their 4 drums while putting 4-wheel discs on related cars in other markets.
I had a Dart Swinger for about six months, and the brakes, four wheel drums with no assist, were the worst of any car I have ever owned. The poor brakes are the main reason I sold it. And the fact I sold it to a hot girl, who then hated me forever because she thought I had ripped her off.
These days, if it doesn’t have four wheel disk and ABS, I am not driving it.
It’s been a couple decades since I had a daily driver that didn’t have 4-wheel discs and ABS, but I’ve definitely driven some acceptable cars that had rear drums and a few that had 4-wheel discs without ABS.
Having the Scamp so early in my driving days helped me to develop a driving style that wasn’t dependent on brakes. I once suffered complete brake failure with my Audi 5000S. I drove about 15 miles of back roads with no hydraulic brakes at all, using yaw, the feeble hand brake, and engine braking. It was actually easier than driving the Scamp with brakes, since the Scamp was an automatic and the tires didn’t generate much grip when going sideways.
“I have no aversion to hairy armpits, and even body odor, in moderation. Why do you think we evolved to have them? To better disperse our pheromones. It can be quite a turn on.”
gross
lets stick to cars ok?
You can make a new website separate from this one for that stuff.
I’m gonna be sorry added to this thread, but what you are quoting is a response to a judgmental and culturally biased remark from someone who assumed a superior knowledge of etiquette. The moderator wasn’t the one who took the thread off topic from cars, he simply parried a blade that had been brandished. Your complaint is more properly directed to the originator.
Cars don’t exist in a vacuum. They are culturally embedded. This site offers us a chance to learn of other ways of perceiving through our mutual addiction to automobiles, and it sometimes includes sentiments that are different from our own, via age or culture. That’s the best of CC.
You don’t think those sexy hips (for starters) don’t put it on a higher plane than the lowly, ‘hipless’ Dart/Swinger????
The Valiant-Dart A-body had run its course. It wasn’t really possible to keep it going any more. The F-body was bigger inside, rode better and much quieter, and had better sight lines for the driver. It was too bad it got rushed into production because once the bugs were shaken out, both on an individual basis and over series production, the F-body and successor M-body was a good car that served Chrysler well for a long time.
I live in the UK and see these in the flesh ever so occasionally at car shows. In a parallel universe, this would have been the ultimate gen1 Seville competitor- a mini-imperial with real luxury, not opera lamped gilded turdom. Development would cost nothing, the looks were just different enough to not look like a Valiant, and the interiors were wonderful. I’d say just throw in an Aussie Hemi 6, and there’d be something really special. The tooling costs would be nil, the handling and braking would really be superb, and profit margins would be amazing.
If you think nobody would pay ‘Mercedes money’ for a Dart, don’t forget the Seville was based on the lowly Nova, but with gelatine used in lieu of subframe mounts.
Yes! I’m not sure if the Seville crowd would’ve gone for a Hemi 6 or four-speed stick though, and the 360/Torqueflite was right there on the shelf.
Even greater exagerated hips fully broughamed LWB and hemi 6 or 360V8/torqueflyte was available from Australia but nobody seemed to want them at the time.
I thought the article was interesting and I didn’t tell anyone to “shut up” as you, claim so you may be feeling a little overly sensitive and reading way too much into it. I am not even that big of a fan of the American Darts in general, its just seems to me that there is too much of a “were just a bunch of dumb yokels over here…but look how sophisticated they are over there” attitude that does rub me the wrong way sometimes.
I think one has to put the issue in perspective. The grass is always greener on the other side. For Americans, all other cars made in other countries is somewhat exotic. For the Europeans, it’s the same thing but completely opposite, seen from their side of the fence. We don’t care about everyday things, what sticks out is that which is different. We have a natural curiosity for unknown things or unusual situations, that curiosity leads to development. That’s how we evolve as human beings.
But “interesting” doesn’t have to mean “better”. Hindsight is always 20/20. Don’t mix up the natural instinct for being interested in “the other” with being unpatriotic or indifferent about the known entities. One of Paul Niedermeyers true blessings is the ability to pick up what is known but completely forgotten and reminding us about its importance and place in our lifes. And he does it from both sides of the fence.
Carmine, I’m inclined to agree with Paul, remembering the Aspen/Volare quite well. I don’t see any “grass in always greener” mindset in that remark.
Aspen/Volare were great cars…for Toyota, Nissan, Honda, etc.
Those were the days when the Japanese makes could simply hang out their shingle and get flooded with angry domestic owners wanting something that just…worked.
In those days the domestic “Big 4” were blindly arrogant yokels, which I guess made them dumb yokels.
GM’s downsized B and A-bodies were one of the first indications that Detroit was starting to get away from the “we’ll build whatever we want and people will buy it!” mentality; although that mentality reared its ugly head again big-time in the GM X and J-bodies. Not to mention that if you bought an A or B with, say, the 267 V8 and/or a Metric TH200…you were SOL anyway.
The Cadillac Cimarron was arrogance writ large and in all caps and boldface. I read somewhere that a picture of a Cimarron hangs in some Cadillac exec’s office, as a reminder to NEVER LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN.
Fact is, many “furren” automakers WERE more sophisticated back then. At least they were less arrogant.
Today however, many overseas-based automakers are going down the same road Detroit went decades ago. Sludgy Toyota V-6s, bad Honda trannies, Subaru head gaskets, even Mercedes electrical problems. All makes that had built their reputation for stellar reliability on the backs of Detroit’s sloppy workmanship during the period in which these Spanish Darts were built.
Europe’s always been more hit-and-miss, we all know that. The success or failure of Fiat in this country will depend on its ability to put the Fix-It-Again-Tony reputation permanently behind them. And we Americans never relished unreliability as being part of the experience, like many European makes.
Meanwhile Detroit’s finally found its mojo. Go look at pix of the coming 2013 Fusion. Or drive the current Chevy Equinox or Malibu. Buick’s finally getting its own identity. Even Fiatsler has some offerings equal to or better than overseas, while Honda/Toyota/Nissan pump out 4-wheeled toasters whose quality and reliability are no longer unquestionable.
But that’s now.
I don’t know if you’re trying to apply today’s standards to what went on back then…but I don’t see it as “the grass is always greener” as much as I see it as a sad acknowledgement of a time that America must never repeat.
As far as Paul goes…I think he’s as fair as they come. I’ve not whiffed anti-American bias on CC the way I sometimes did in the Farago days of The Truth About Cars. Although again…the quality of the domestics has improved since the Farago days.
very interesting relative of the dart… i especially like the wagon variant. i really like how the vinyl roof tapers down to a triangle on the c pillar. the practical necessity of not wanting to create a different rear door just to do a wagon. also, i suspect the vinyl roof is to hide the weld line where they extended the sedan’s roof. reminds me of how the swedes filled the gap above the rear door on the 240 wagon by thickening the trim around it. maybe if manufacturers minimized the unique parts, we could have more wagon variants in the u.s..
It has the same roof profile as the AP5/AP6 VC Aussie Valiant wagons
I made a piece on that on this very site. Read and enjoy:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/the-rear-door-dilemma/
sorry, ingvar i should have linked to your article in my comment. i really enjoyed that piece.
were they better built than their us cousins? the dart had a bullet-proof drive train but the body and interior was pitiful. i know. i had two of them. it looks like the spanish version with the 4 speed would outlast the apocalypse.
some really nice stills of a 3700 gt in this youtube video:
http://youtu.be/Iq4VCLgkFQU
How do you pronounce “Dodge” in Spanish?
I lived there when they were new. Most people pronounced it, DOD-HĒH
I remember my uncle in Mexico City pronounced our domestic car names sold there and sounded so foreign;
American Motors = Ah-me-RE-khan Mow-terrz
Buick = Bewu-ee
Cadillac = Kah-dee-la-k
Cheverolet = Cheh-vro-lette
Chrysler = Kraiy-slr
Dodge = Dotch
Ford = Four
Mustang = Moo-stan
Plymouth = Plea-mo
and a few foreign names too;
Datsun = Dot-soon
Rolls-Royce = Ro-less-Roys
Porsche = Porch
to name a few…
Carmine – it’s not about Paul’s attitude or aesthetic taste or “dumb yokels over here” (you said it) . It’s not opinion, it’s plain fact. The market has spoken. Outside of the US, American cars need to be heavily modified/improved to be competitive. Even in the USA, the US Big Three’s market share dropped from 74 percent in 1997 to 57 percent in 10 years.
I like the 3700 better than the Berreiros Dart — I do like the Coronet nose, but the rectangular headlights and grille surround don’t do the Dart any particular aesthetic favors. (For the record, I rather like the shape of the third-generation Dart/Valiant, particularly the hardtop.) I’d be curious to see what the revised interior looks like, but that sounds appealing.
As a side note, I’m vaguely curious what actual metric displacement Chrysler quoted for the 225 overseas. Doing the math looks like 3,682 cc to me (86.4 x 104.8 mm), but I’m not sure how Chrysler rounded the English bore and stroke.
I see styling cues that resurfaced in the 72 onwards Aussie Valiants.
We wax nostalgic over the bulletproof Dart today; but in their time they were poor sellers, mostly relegated to the Blue-Haired Church-Lady segment of the market (and I know; such a buyer was a friend-of-the-family type). It was generally agreed, years before the axe fell, that prince Valiant had lost his potency; and the Dart falling short of the target. Killing them was euthanasia.
The Aspen/Volare were to be the modern answer; and in many ways they were. Styling was reminiscent without the worst lines; and finally it got away from flat side glass…fifteen years after competitors. The transverse torsion bar suspension was supposed to offer the best of both types…and in some ways, it did. Why did it fail? In a word…MONEY.
Chrysler was under the gun financially; and Lean Burn was a nascent technology. Even GM would have had problems with it; Chrysler was woefully equipped. And fender liners, in an age where most competitors used plastic, offered an opportunity to cut a few dollars’ cost a car. Penny-wise and pound-foolish, certainly; but for Chrysler in those troubled days, long-term meant the next sales quarter.
Would a Spanish-type Dart/Valiant have done as well? Not IMHO. It would have looked like a gussied-up same-old; which it was. The church ladies would have bought; and no one else. Hell, even the Hornet looked modern by comparison; it was truly time for a new model.
Just not time for Chrysler to be bringing it out.
According to Wikipedia the 1967 thru ’76 Darts and Valiants were the first Chrysler compacts to have curved side glass.
Nice one!. This was the most expensive car and with the biggest engine made in Spain at the time.Imports had heavy duty slapped on them by Francos goverment. Most people ran around in SEAT 500 & 124s . Some of these photos must be old as the last one I saw curbside was in Majorca about 1985!.
MikePDX – ha ha, you don’t really pronouce it, it’s really difficult for spanish speakers! And in the late 60s and early 70s when these cars were on sale in Spain only a very small percentage of the population spoke english… it sounded something like “Do-he” .
Just Imagine pronouncing “Chrysler”…
Very nice cars ! .
I’ve always liked the WPC B Bodies , sadly I have to admit they mostly sold to older folks & cheapo fleet buyers .
I’da maybe bought one of the Spanish Darts but then , I’m a square who likes the utility and reliability of the B Body series , all of them .
Especially when Slant Six equipped .
-Nat
Wagon. Four wheel drive. Stick/straight six. Where do I sign up?
Not four wheel drive AFAIK, just 4 wheel disc brakes. If you want a classic AWD wagon with an I6, you could go for an AMC Eagle. Not sure if any had a stick though.
There was a five-speed starting in 1981, not sure how long it ran.
There were two options for manual transmissions on the Eagles: 4-speed or 5-speed. The 5-speed was an extra-cost (and relatively rare) upgrade from the 4-speed; IIRC, the year-by-year breakdown of availability of both was as follows:
– 4-speed: all years except 1988 (final year of production)
– 5-speed: 1985-1988 (sole manual transmission option available in 1988)
I had an ’82 wagon with the 4-speed some years ago; it was a decent gearbox, if a bit trucklike. It was much better at highway speeds and climbing hills than with the 3-speed autobox.
Sweet looking car. I’ve heard of the European Dodge Dart. It’s too bad that version was never offered here in the USA. 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 spd. manual shift. Why such options were never offered here in the USA is beyond me. I find it better looking than the Plymouth Valiant sold at the time here in the USA
Perhaps it’s best that we didn’t get everything “over here” that they had in Europe. The wagon just does not look right to me, the proportions/wheel opening size or something. The third pic down reminds me strongly of the 1977 Chrysler LeBaron or Dodge Diplomat, very similar squared off lines.
Wasn’t one of Franco’s henchmen bumped off in one of these?
Yes
Franco’s Prime Minster Luis Carreo Blanco found out the hard way that the Dodge Dart 3700 could also fly when it was launched 66ft into the sky(and over a building) in December 1973 due to a ETA bomb planted under the road.
Thanks to the different rear roofline of the Australian Valiants, I didn’t even associate the side view as being a related car. The angle of the rear door opening has a lot more slope to it.
Interior. Round gauges and rocker switches. Oddly all the ones with AC have units like this, while American Valiants and Darts ever since the previous generation had a much slimmer unit. The vents were in a row under the dash, but the unit was integrated with the heater.
Not only the lower sheet metal, but I think the roof on the 3700 is unique, too. It’s convex, while the US Gen 3 Dart was concave. Quite the restyle for a relatively low volume cars.
The other Spanish-built Chrysler product I’d like to see is one of the twenty Ghia Crown Imperial limousines Barrieos turned out for domestic use in 1966, after Ghia shipped the jigs and body forms to them. I’m sure Franco had at least one.
The 3700GT is the ’63-’66 US Dart ~chassis under the Argentine Dodge Coronado body with revised front and rear lights and styling and different interior fittings and trim. Still a low-volume proposition on the body and glass, but less so.
As to that Imperial you mention…h’mmm. Not a limo, but here’s a ’66 Imperial with lights (amber rear turn signals, side turn signal repeaters) suggesting it was built in or for Spain, Italy, or France. It would not surprise me to learn this was put together by Barreiros.
It would be cool to get ahold of a set of those taillamp clusters with the amber indicators for your Imperial. Probably impossible, but it would be cool.
I wouldn’t even bother trying to find any of the what, maybe five pairs ever made. I’d have David Azzopardi make me new ones. He’s a lens-and-plastics repro wizard in Australia. And I do mean wizard; see for yourself. He’s made stuff for me good enough to fool experts into thinking they were looking at something they hadn’t known existed.
But I guess first I’d have to have an Imperial.
Interesting. I never knew which of those came first. How different was the ’67 unibody core from the ’63-’66? And you really wonder why they didn’t just take the US Type 3 – although it is clearly a more upmarket design. Perhaps it should have been the other way around, maybe for the Valiant, with a different front clip.