Dodge Dart

The Dodge Dart is a line of passenger cars produced by Dodge from the 1959 to 1976 model years in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets.

The production Dodge Dart was introduced as a lower-priced full-size model in 1960 and 1961, but became a mid-size car for one model year for 1962, and was then reduced to a compact for two generations, from 1963 to 1976.

Chrysler had first used 'Dart' name plates on two Italian styled show cars, in 1956 and 1957, before it became a Dodge model name. The Dart nameplate was resurrected for a Fiat-derived compact car that was introduced in 2012.

The Dart name originally appeared on a 1956 Chrysler show car, featuring a streamlined body designed by the Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia, that was later modified and renamed the Dart Diablo. For 1957, Ghia built Chrysler a second, visually similar show car, the Chrysler Ghia Super Dart 400.

The first Dodge Darts were introduced for the 1960 model year. They were downsized large cars developed to replace Plymouths in the standard, low-priced car segment for the Dodge dealer network. Dodge dealers had been selling Plymouths since 1930, but divisional restructuring took the Plymouth brand away from the Dodge dealer network. Project planners proposed the name Dart, only to have Chrysler executives demand an expensive research program that produced the name Zipp. This was promptly rejected in favor of Dart.

With the cancellation of Chrysler's upper level DeSoto brand, upper-level Dodge products were pushed upmarket, while using Plymouth products with more features for lower-level Dodge products.

The Dart sedans and coupes were based on the unibody Plymouth platform with a 118 in (2,997 mm) wheelbase, shorter than the standard-size Dodge line. However, the Dart station wagons used the same 122 in (3,099 mm) wheelbase as the upmarket Polara wagons. The Dart line was offered in three trim levels: the basic Seneca, mid-range Pioneer, and premium Phoenix. The new Dart came standard with a new engine, the 225 cu in (3.7 L) slant-six. The 318 cu in (5.2 L) (standard equipment on certain Phoenix and Pioneer body styles) and 361 cu in (5.9 L) V8s were optional with two-barrel or four-barrel carburetors, and with single or dual exhaust. The Dodge 383 cu in (6.3 L) V8 was added in 1961. Brakes were 11-inch drums.

Sales of the new Dart were greater than those of the full-size Dodge Matador and Dodge Polara, which also created an in-house competitor for Plymouth. Advertising from 1960 and 1961 compared the Dart to the "C" car (Chevrolet), the "F" car (Ford) and the "P" car (Plymouth). After the economic downturn of 1958–59, Dodge production for 1960 rebounded to 367,804 cars, the division's highest total to date, and good for sixth place behind Chevrolet, Ford, Plymouth, Rambler, and Pontiac. Chrysler officials were somewhat less comforted at how 87% of Dodge's volume consisted of the low-profit Dart line, compared to the upmarket Matador and Polara, of which only 41,000 were sold for the 1960 model year.