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Andre Gordon’s blue 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger runs a genuine 340-cubic-inch V8 with a four-speed manual and Hurst pistol-grip shifter — a far cry from the Fiat-based compact Dodge revived decades later, or the Pro Stock Dart five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. campaigns at the NHRA’s top level. Read on to see how one nameplate ended up telling three completely different stories.
A compact economy car has no business becoming one of the most feared machines at an American drag strip, but that’s exactly what happened to the Dodge Dart once Chrysler dropped a 340 small-block — and eventually a 426 Hemi — into its lightweight chassis. Factory-built Hemi Darts ran quarter-mile times most full-size muscle cars couldn’t touch. Read on to find out how a budget compact became one of Mopar’s most unlikely performance legends.