WHEN DODGE grabbed the previously used Dart nameplate to be the new moniker for its compact A-body platform for 1963, it marketed the model as a workaday, economical family car for the masses. The new Dart replaced the Lancer in the lineup, which had been the Dodge version of the original Valiant, and Dart continued to carry the torch for thrift-conscious transport at the division, offering just two engine choices, both of them Slant Sixes: the base 170-cu.in version rated at 101 hp and its more powerful sibling, the 225, pushing out a much better, though still tepid, 145 hp.
As the ’60s rolled on, the Big Three’s compacts would all gain V-8 engine options, and some would evolve into mini muscle cars, including the Dart, being offered with the 340, the 383, and even the 440 from the factory. Then there were the handful of Hemi-powered Darts created for the drags.
Meanwhile, Slant Six Darts were rolling off the line by the tens of thousands, and soon became common as “hand-me-down” cars that wound up in the hands of teens. The keys to one of them were handed to a young Rob Vano.
“My Papa had a Slant Six ’72 Dart that he used for years as his daily driver. I needed some transportation, so he decided to pass it
