What really separates the hardcore car freaks from the semi-pros is in what mental image they conjure up when you say “early Dodge Dart”. Even those of us who were around in the first Dart incarnation, the full-size low-end ugly space ships from 1960-1961, have largely repressed them. The real Dart started in 1963, when it and the Valiant got a major fare-well restyle by Virgil Exner, and went on to eventually dominate the compact class with its stablemate. And although they eventually ended up looking almost indistinguishable from each other, they didn’t start out that way.
Our featured Dart is a 1964, but it was only subtly restyled from the 1963. The main differences were a different grille, and some trim changes.
Of course there’s obvious family similarities with the rather cleaner and tidier ’63 Valiant (CC here), but the stylists did a pretty effective job of differentiating the two.
That started below the skin, even. The Valiant sat on a 106″ wheelbase, while the Dart had an extra 5″, all of it right behind the rear door, as is rather obvious. The wagons shared the same 106.5″ wheelbase, but the Dart sedan was decidedly stretched out back there.
That played itself out in rear seat legroom, which was…5″ longer, I presume. It certainly was generous for a so-called compact, which with 111″ wheelbase was stretching the term a bit. The Dart was to the Valiant what the Comet was to the Falcon; it was a successful strategy for Ford, so why not repeat it?
The front was valiant but not very successful effort to distinguish itself from its slightly cheaper Plymouth stablemate. In 1963, the Torqueflite push-buttons were making their farewell appearance here.
That tufted rear seat upholstery was thanks to this being the top-tier 270 model. Consider it the pre-Brougham era Brougham of Darts. Of course there was a model above the 270, but in that sporty era, that would be the GT. We did a CC on a mighty hot one of those here.
The 170 CID slant six with 101 (gross) hp was standard in the Dart, but I’ll make a substantial wager that this one is packing the optional 225 inch version (145 hp). Most automatic Darts, especially with anything other than stripper trim level, tended to come with the 225, which made a much more harmonious package with the automatic than the 170. And for 1964, the new 273 CID LA V8 was also optional, rated at 180 hp.
Leave it to hardcore cheapskates like my Dad to drive a Dart with the 170 and three-on-the-tree; Dr. Niedermeyer’s drive to Johns Hopkins Hospital every day, where the cafeteria there had his beloved baloney sandwich awaiting him for lunch.
The major 1967 re-style for both of the A-Bodies in 1967 gave the Valiant two extra inches in wheelbase, but the Dart stood pat with its 111″. The gap was thus narrowed down to 3″, and it wasn’t quite so obvious anymore, unless you knew where to look. Otherwise, they looked substantially closer related, with their refrigerator boxiness. But in 1963, the Dart was still reflecting some of that Dodge-premium, which in this case was not all that insubstantial. This 270 was $300 dearer than the comparable V200 sedan, or right about 15%. By 1968, that difference shrunk to $50, or 2.5%. It was all part of Plymouth and Dodge become co-equals, in the new Chrysler (non) hierarchy.
The Dart getting cheaper probably explains why it didn’t rate unique sheet metal anymore; there’s a price to be paid for abandoning higher ground, shaky as that sliver of semi-premium compact ground was. The Comet morphed into a genuine intermediate, and the Dart became a Valiant. Fortunately, everyone else pretty much abandoned the true compact corral, and so the Dartiants romped in their heyday, from about 1968 through 1975, until Chrysler decided to join the party one notch higher too. That didn’t work out so well.
Note: a rerun of an older post.
My Dad’s best friend was a similarly cheapskate Baltimore Physician, as head of the Endocinology at MD General Hosptial (Redwood St) he drove a dark blue ’67 Dart 3 spd /6 (probably 225) while his wife drove a ’66 Coronet /6 automatic. I had the “pleasure” of riding in both cars, the Coronet wasn’t too bad. Dr W. being a Canadian got that Canuck Cheapskate gene, though they did live on a very nice house in Homeland (upscale Baltimore City suburb). Super nice folks that we even vacationed with some years. IIRC correctly his previous car was a ’53 Plymouth… borrring!
A dear friend from high school and I were the only two relegated to driving station wagons: mine a well worn 1973 Montego MX villager and his a 64 Dart 270. His was actually a really dependable car, though he hated it! I remember it was painted a light blue with an automatic, and it just never seemed to let him down once.
Great article
Like the “lil, red”, one.
“Valiant Brougham”, that description would fit Canadian Valiants like a glove, who was still a separate brand until 1966. https://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/Chrysler-Canada/Plymouth/1964-Valiant-Brochure/slides/1964_Valiant_Cdn-16.html
It would be interesting to wonder how the Australian Valiant would have look with the 1963-66 Dart front end?
https://oldcarbrochures.org/Australia/Chrysler/Chrysler/1964%20Valiant%20AP5%20-%20Australia/index.html
The Valiant looks better proportioned to me; it looks like it was designed first and the Dart derived from it, which I’m guessing was in fact the case. Chrysler should have stretch the budget enough for longer rear doors on the Dart which would have looked like they belonged on this car.
Paul:
Like your father, I, too had a new ’63 Dart 170. I don’t believe I otherwise had much in common with your father as I could not begin to compare my accomplishments to his. Would it be presumptuous to suggest that his many professional and personal achievements were because cars were among his lowest priorities?
I sometimes think that if I had not abused the Dart, I would still have it today, It was that well built.
I know a few were still tooling about northern, “VA”/”Ffax county” in the early “80’s”. They were mid “60’s models”. (Darts/Valiants)
Patty Larkin with a song about her Dodge Dart
There really was a Valiant Brougham! We had a 1975 Brougham- six cylinder, automatic, factory A/C, deep pile carpet, vinyl roof (with ‘Brougham’ script on the sail panel), velour buckets, color matched full-sized hupcaps, and generally upscale interior/exterior trim. Never saw another Valiant like it.
I recall checking out a 2 door hardtop “Valiant Brougham” on a used car lot in the early 1980’s, It looked quite upscale and appealing on the inside.
A good friend of mine who had owned some zippy motorcycles and then two VW’s and a Volvo took over his parents’ ‘64 Dart when they upgraded it to an AMC Pacer 😀. The Dart was a beige four door similar to this one but I’m pretty sure it was not a 270; it certainly seemed pretty plain even for the time. The 225 /6 and the TorqueFlite worked quite well, but used to smaller imports I found the 5 or 6 (or 7 or 8??) turn lock-to-lock manual steering a challenge for basic driving. Nevertheless, I preferred driving it to the Pacer. He drove it for several years then bought a new Civic; after 40+ years he is back to driving a domestic 4 door however, albeit an EV.
Probably because I was brought up on Aussie Valiants, these Darts look all kinds of wrong. The rear half of the car looks bigger than the front, those C pillars are huge, almost too big to call them pillars, it just doesn’t match, same with the next generation, Hardtops after 67 excepted of course.
Like the the 63/64 front end though.
Not keen on US Valiants of this era either. So Aussie Vals for the win, until 1967 anyway.
My memory is fuzzy on this: Has there even been an article here on the late 1970’s Dodge Dart Special Edition/Valiant Brougham?
What are those yellow gizmo’s on the vent windows called? I never saw them? Is that an after market attachment? Or was that something exclusive to Dodge?
I once had them on a truck with air conditioning. I heard they were called smokers windows? I never smoked nor allowed anyone else to smoke in my vehicles.
I’ve never seen anything like them before either. Weird.
I didn’t think much of these when new but I learned they’re wonderful long lived automobiles .
Make mine a ’64 / ’65 GT coupe with 225 ‘leaning tower of power’, slush box, A/C and all the trimmings please .
-Nate