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Photo Courtesy of hotrod.com
Most well-known as a compact car, the Dart actually began as a full-sized car for the Dodge brand in 1960. By 1962, it shrank to mid-sized, and was fully part of the compact niche by 1963. The 1967 Dodge Dart convertible kicked off the fourth generation of this popular model. The Dart went through a lot of changes in its early years and moved through generations one through three pretty quickly. As well as a reduction in size over those years, it slowly evolved from an affordable, safe family car to a genuine muscle car.
The 1966 Dodge Charger
The “Leader of the Dodge Rebellion” was introduced at the 1966 Rose Bowl, and although the Dodge brothers didn’t know it at the time, the 1966 Charger would impact muscle car history forever.
The Charger was built off of the Dodge Coronet chassis, but utilized its own body. This introduction was Dodge’s first fastback, high-speed street racer. The 1966 Charger was the first U.S. production vehicle to boast a spoiler, which was implemented to solve the lift that its body created. David Pearson drove a #6 Cotton Owens-prepared Charger, and won the NASCAR Grand National championship in 1966 (in addition to 14 other first-place finishes).
One Year Winners
In the world of automobiles, setting up an assembly line, creating tools and dies, and producing a new model takes a significant amount of work. This is one of the reasons why so many cars are made for several production years before major changes are made. Despite the work that goes into producing a car model, automakers have been known to occasionally create one-hit wonders – cars that were produced for only one year. Many times the cars were big losers on the lots, but in some cases the single year production cars were big winners. Here is a short list:
The Durable Dodge Dart
If you were a young driver looking for an inexpensive used car in the late 1970s, your elders were invariably going to recommend that you try to find yourself an old Dodge Dart. Now these sixties-vintage Darts were not going to turn many heads or have any cheerleaders asking you for a ride home, but they were reliable, durable, economical, and easy to repair.
1969 Charger Hemi 426
The Charger was Dodge’s entry into the muscle car segment and it was made on Chrysler’s B platform, based on the Chrysler Cordoba and the Dodge Coronet. In 1966, the first Charger rolled off the line and came with many engine options. One was the powerful 426-cubic inch Hemi V8. The new muscle car from Dodge was the perfect vessel in which to showcase this large, high-performance Hemi. In that first year, just 468 cars were produced with the big engine.
Metro Cruise Draws Big Crowds
Car guys and gals know all about the Woodward Dream Cruise that occurs each summer during the third weekend of August in Detroit, Michigan. However, the east side of the state is not the only place to show off your hotrod, muscle car, sportscar, or tin lizzie. Every summer for the past nine years, Grand Rapids holds the 28th Street Metro Cruise the weekend following the Dream Cruise on the fourth weekend of August. This classic car show draws huge crowds up and down the 10 miles of this business-lined five-lane road as everyone wants to see classic cars like the Ford Fairlane, Chevy Bel Air, as well as exotics like the Ferrari Testarossa and the Lotus Esprit.
Cars in James Bond Movies: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
James Bond movies are known for sexy cars, women, and Mr. Bond himself. While there are many extremely sexy cars, like the multiple Alfa Romeo models and the Aston Martins, there are plenty of rather ugly cars that defy the norm. These are a few of the best and worst cars that made appearances in the hot spy flicks over the years.
The Good: