65DartV8GT
New Member
An All-American Driver's Collectible:
The "Grandma of Muscle Cars," this is one of only 1,400 V8 Dart convertibles to roll of the Los Angeles assembly line out of a total production run of 174,000+ (>1%). Overshadowed in 1965 by the huge publicity surrounding the introduction of the runway sexy, six-cylinder Ford Mustang, this newly designed '65 Dart has a more powerful two-barrel, 273-cu.in. "LA" power plant that generates 180hp and 260-lbs.ft. of torque at 1,600 rpm. This particular car also has power steering, a power roof and a first-of-its-kind three-speed floor shifter. If the Mustang was the Lady, the V-8 Dart was the Tramp that hauled-***!
This particular car is a genuine "Holy Crap!" rat rod unmolested barn find. I bought it in San Diego from just the third owner - a SDSU college professor who dreamed of restoring it to original specs. Then, his dumb kid went off college, his wife said SELL! and the poor boy never got the time to develop a love-affair with this 'ol girl like I have. Historically, this Dart is one of the greatest American cars ever built. How can I say that? From this model, the fastest American muscle cars were born. The late '64-'65 Dart birthed the idea to put more horses in a smaller, lighter frame to do one thing: eat up the quarter mile like a junkyard dog eats raw meat. Mopar madness starts here: likely the only all-original 1965 Dodge Dart GT convertible on the road today.
It spent the first half of it's life in LA and the SF bay area - never driven outside California. The documentation is impressive and establishes that A) the miles are true B) no major work or accidents have happened over the 52 years it's been on the road C) it is a genuine original down to the feeble (rebuilt) 10" drum brakes, the charming (rebuilt) two-barrel carburetor and the bulletproof TorqueFlite automatic tranny that still shifts as smooth as the day it was assembled.
The car runs great and is dependable enough for long drives (I've driven 200 mile round trips on its 300 mile-range, 16-gallon tank). Yes, the car will need a valve job, the main seal replaced (five-drops-of-oil-a-week leakage), leaf springs rebent, some cosmetic bodywork (rust in one rear quarter panel), a new rag top (I never put the top up. NEVER!).... all the piddly stuff you should expect for a $8,500 obo sale price. But like all 60's Darts, this car is solid - never needed a major repair and has been maintained and used as a daily driver for over five decades. The '65 is a rugged driver, not a prissy garage queen.
The bottom line: I have never seen a '65 V-8 - any - that hasn't been repainted, reupholstered and unoriginal. Not in person, not in ads, not at auctions. Have you? They don't exist. This is it. On top of that, it's a freaking convertible! The odds are incredibly low that another car like it exists on planet Earth. Out of 174,000+ Dodge Darts assembled that year, this is the Last of the Mohicans. Isn't that incredible!?! That's what makes this a genuinely affordable collectible.
You can't stop in public without getting a thumbs up, a question about the car or mostly heartfelt storytelling by whomever is within ear-range about what their old Dart was like. It is a very popular car with the non-collector crowd and coveted by Mopar fans. Kids smile when they see this car because it just looks like fun.
It is!
This car is a hoot to drive. Like the classy muscle car that it is, it's engine gurgles without bragging. It's got pep to it's step and the power steering makes it a dream to drive on the freeway even if it corners like a WWI tank. If you want an honest collector car that you can enjoy every day (not just the weekends), this is your golden ticket. Located in North Park community of San Diego.
Why sell it? Unexpected family events has me now living in Pennsylvania, not San Diego where the car is. I don't have access to drive it enough (it's sitting in storage again) and it would be a sin to take it out of California. Just not going to do it.
This gorgeous old girl needs to be DRIVEN and enjoyed! If you don't buy it, you'll kick yourself in the *** for years and years as it sit on that noisy Harley wishing you had something more substantial that a two-wheeled convertible. Think about it.
Power top works fine.
$8500 obo.
Thank you and God bless.
The "Grandma of Muscle Cars," this is one of only 1,400 V8 Dart convertibles to roll of the Los Angeles assembly line out of a total production run of 174,000+ (>1%). Overshadowed in 1965 by the huge publicity surrounding the introduction of the runway sexy, six-cylinder Ford Mustang, this newly designed '65 Dart has a more powerful two-barrel, 273-cu.in. "LA" power plant that generates 180hp and 260-lbs.ft. of torque at 1,600 rpm. This particular car also has power steering, a power roof and a first-of-its-kind three-speed floor shifter. If the Mustang was the Lady, the V-8 Dart was the Tramp that hauled-***!
This particular car is a genuine "Holy Crap!" rat rod unmolested barn find. I bought it in San Diego from just the third owner - a SDSU college professor who dreamed of restoring it to original specs. Then, his dumb kid went off college, his wife said SELL! and the poor boy never got the time to develop a love-affair with this 'ol girl like I have. Historically, this Dart is one of the greatest American cars ever built. How can I say that? From this model, the fastest American muscle cars were born. The late '64-'65 Dart birthed the idea to put more horses in a smaller, lighter frame to do one thing: eat up the quarter mile like a junkyard dog eats raw meat. Mopar madness starts here: likely the only all-original 1965 Dodge Dart GT convertible on the road today.
It spent the first half of it's life in LA and the SF bay area - never driven outside California. The documentation is impressive and establishes that A) the miles are true B) no major work or accidents have happened over the 52 years it's been on the road C) it is a genuine original down to the feeble (rebuilt) 10" drum brakes, the charming (rebuilt) two-barrel carburetor and the bulletproof TorqueFlite automatic tranny that still shifts as smooth as the day it was assembled.
The car runs great and is dependable enough for long drives (I've driven 200 mile round trips on its 300 mile-range, 16-gallon tank). Yes, the car will need a valve job, the main seal replaced (five-drops-of-oil-a-week leakage), leaf springs rebent, some cosmetic bodywork (rust in one rear quarter panel), a new rag top (I never put the top up. NEVER!).... all the piddly stuff you should expect for a $8,500 obo sale price. But like all 60's Darts, this car is solid - never needed a major repair and has been maintained and used as a daily driver for over five decades. The '65 is a rugged driver, not a prissy garage queen.
The bottom line: I have never seen a '65 V-8 - any - that hasn't been repainted, reupholstered and unoriginal. Not in person, not in ads, not at auctions. Have you? They don't exist. This is it. On top of that, it's a freaking convertible! The odds are incredibly low that another car like it exists on planet Earth. Out of 174,000+ Dodge Darts assembled that year, this is the Last of the Mohicans. Isn't that incredible!?! That's what makes this a genuinely affordable collectible.
You can't stop in public without getting a thumbs up, a question about the car or mostly heartfelt storytelling by whomever is within ear-range about what their old Dart was like. It is a very popular car with the non-collector crowd and coveted by Mopar fans. Kids smile when they see this car because it just looks like fun.
It is!
This car is a hoot to drive. Like the classy muscle car that it is, it's engine gurgles without bragging. It's got pep to it's step and the power steering makes it a dream to drive on the freeway even if it corners like a WWI tank. If you want an honest collector car that you can enjoy every day (not just the weekends), this is your golden ticket. Located in North Park community of San Diego.
Why sell it? Unexpected family events has me now living in Pennsylvania, not San Diego where the car is. I don't have access to drive it enough (it's sitting in storage again) and it would be a sin to take it out of California. Just not going to do it.
This gorgeous old girl needs to be DRIVEN and enjoyed! If you don't buy it, you'll kick yourself in the *** for years and years as it sit on that noisy Harley wishing you had something more substantial that a two-wheeled convertible. Think about it.
Power top works fine.
$8500 obo.
Thank you and God bless.
- do NOT contact me with uns
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