Well I don't know if any of that writing made sense, but I'll just blame my being so excited about that huge greenhouse and those great graphics. I'm in Berlin now and the cars over here are wild - there was a gold SM a block away from my apartment!
@voodoojoo: I have always wanted to try roasting kielbasa in the back window. When I knew a guy with one, it was in too cold a climate. And when I lived in Houston, I didn't know anybody with a 'cuda. You might say my desires have been 'foiled'. Because all I would have needed that close to the Equator, would have been a righteous Barracuda and some aluminum wrapping.
One of my earliest memories is of driving through town, looking up at the sky while laying down back in the trunk. Nice little cars, and quite a visual improvement over the toilet seat Valiants. Nice to see a survivor in great shape.
Quite a nice find! In NYC, it must be rare by now. I mean, just the size and near-horizontal orientation of the rear window teases street urchins into throwing hard items at it.
@that ain't the way to have fun, son: If one did score a direct hit and broke it, good luck finding a replacement. You'd almost have to settle for building a Barracamino. Which would be pretty bitchin', actually. The slant six would sound nice through vertical stacks.
The 1965-66 Barracuda had a swept-back C-pillar and a huge rear window somewhat similar to the the Avanti, but I think the latter had much nicer proportions. Of course, the Barracuda had the more practical cargo-area configuration.
@DrLemming: That huge rear window on the Barracuda made the car nearly unbearable in sunny summertime Florida. Back seat passengers in particular were slowly broiled, and even if the owner was lucky enough to have A/C, it was pretty much overwhelmed by the heat soak.
I can't believe it, but you have apparently located my little sister's old 1982 ride. The crinkle fender looks right. Also the color. Definitive evidence would be a glove box that fills up with water whenever it rains...
I had happy words and humorous tales of my late-Uncle Ed today with my mother, and this vehicle right here is the quintessential "Ed" car. Nowhere near enough rot, and the floors are likely metal and not fast-food wrappers covering plywood scraps, but it's got the vibe.
His faves were late-60's to early-70's Valiants, wagons, Darts, and the like.
I don't think he ever bought a car which cost more than $200...and managed to get both years of use and sold them for more, later.
PJ O'Rourke once wrote in Car and Driver that old Darts and Valiants were cars that refused to die, no matter how badly their owners wanted them to. Anyone who thinks that Chrysler has always made nothing but junk should be shown this car. As usual, it looks like Alameda has woven its magic spell and kept this car mostly rust-free. Coastal Florida is far less kind. As for styling, not bad for the era, though I prefer the split grille of the '70 and '71 models.
@tonyola: The 1972 grille did have a rather cheap plastic look, and the 1973+ had the unwieldy 5 mph bumpers. So, yeah, the 1970-71s were better. I'm partial to the 1968-69 because the styling is more original (and the detailing a bit cleaner than the 1967).
The rear of the 1970+ was given a swept-up-and-forward back end that -- like so many other cars of that era -- copied the original Mustang. At least the Dart's new front and rear matched the swept-forward arc of its wheel cutouts.
There's two reasons it wouldn't be parked there in New Hampshire, and only one is rust - that there is a stop sign, and those have hydrantlike levels of protection here.
Gotta love the patina, the wrinkles, and that it still shines through despite 'em. Honest and classy, and just as indestructible as my 240. I salute it.
I remember when there were a gazillion of these Dratted Darts out there. Other than rust, what else could kill one? Built Ford tough by Chrysler...LOL! Slant-6 or 318 B-block with a Torqueflite, they were unstoppable.
My dad was considering buying a 1972 Dart sedan. I made fun of the Dart brochure's picture of the sedan, which also included a nerdy, middle-aged couple frolicking in the grass. Shortly thereafter my dad bought a Mercury Montego MX Brougham instead.
I wish he had bought the Dart -- it would have been a much better car even though it was rather plain.
@ProstWest: Great song! Wolf Creek Pass is in the SW Colorado mountains. It's an absolutely beautiful drive, but is frightening to the flatlanders. Thank you very much!
@ProstWest:
I spent my Junior Highschool years working part-time at the local Radio Shack selling CB radios during the craze in the mid-1970s. I think most of the models had a "P.A." switch that was precisely for your Dad's intended application. Back when cars had room for all-weather horn speakers under the hood.
@skaycog was here: Wolf Creek Pass is not scary (in the rainy summer time) I was the Flatlander who was engine braking down the whole mountain getting passed by locals, a Missourian, 2 Kansans, and at least three others from flat states.
@skaycog was here: Wolf Creek Pass is a wonderful spot. Last time I drove over it was in late March, it was snowing, and traffic crawled up the mountain before coming to a semi jacknifed across the crest.
Further on I crossed the Sierras into California, and on a beautiful, sunny day after a snowfall, the staties were making everyone coming the other direction put on chains. I rolled happily down into the Central Valley on my three season tires that had carried me right across the high country.
@Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet: Yay for your 3-season tires! I've not driven over any passes in the snow, but have been a passenger. I had confidence in the driver, but there's always other drivers (usually out-of-state skiiers) who scare me.
I drive over Monarch Pass on occasion now, but only in the summer months thus far.
@skaycog was here: Yep it sure was and I was going westbound. Met some fire service personal who explained why there are bunches of Soda Pop boxes down the cliff side. Two tractor trailers were racing down the hill and one got upset, but thankfully both truckers survived. The Soda Pop was either Diet or Zero Calorie so nobody wanted it.
What a classic flashback! That color was everywhere. In fact, on CL the other day I found one of these, slightly younger, as a Swinger with a stripe across the ass. I was tempted. Such a clean, nice design. I've always loved these fine little MoPars!
This is essentially the car that my high school's drivers ed program used, albeit a later model year.
Bulletproof slant six and Torqueflite automatic; refrigerator white paint with black vinyl interior; an air conditioner that could freeze meat. These cars took all the abuse a bunch of 15 and 16 year olds could dish out, and just kept on going.
We could use cars like this again, even though that's impossible.
11/29/09
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11/29/09
Batter up!
01:46 AM
01:52 AM
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12:18 AM
11/29/09
I've always liked these, anyway. And being a '66, we know it's the quite-reasonable 225.
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11/28/09
I had happy words and humorous tales of my late-Uncle Ed today with my mother, and this vehicle right here is the quintessential "Ed" car. Nowhere near enough rot, and the floors are likely metal and not fast-food wrappers covering plywood scraps, but it's got the vibe.
His faves were late-60's to early-70's Valiants, wagons, Darts, and the like.
I don't think he ever bought a car which cost more than $200...and managed to get both years of use and sold them for more, later.
A Mopar savant, he was.
11/28/09
11/28/09
That too. Beat-to-hell cars were like stray puppies to him.
11/28/09
PJ O'Rourke once wrote in Car and Driver that old Darts and Valiants were cars that refused to die, no matter how badly their owners wanted them to. Anyone who thinks that Chrysler has always made nothing but junk should be shown this car. As usual, it looks like Alameda has woven its magic spell and kept this car mostly rust-free. Coastal Florida is far less kind. As for styling, not bad for the era, though I prefer the split grille of the '70 and '71 models.
11/28/09
The rear of the 1970+ was given a swept-up-and-forward back end that -- like so many other cars of that era -- copied the original Mustang. At least the Dart's new front and rear matched the swept-forward arc of its wheel cutouts.
11/28/09
Gotta love the patina, the wrinkles, and that it still shines through despite 'em. Honest and classy, and just as indestructible as my 240. I salute it.
11/28/09
AAA+++ Find Murilee!!!
11/28/09
11/28/09
I wish he had bought the Dart -- it would have been a much better car even though it was rather plain.
11/28/09
11/28/09
11/28/09
11/28/09
11/28/09
11/28/09
I spent my Junior Highschool years working part-time at the local Radio Shack selling CB radios during the craze in the mid-1970s. I think most of the models had a "P.A." switch that was precisely for your Dad's intended application. Back when cars had room for all-weather horn speakers under the hood.
11/28/09
11/29/09
11/29/09
Further on I crossed the Sierras into California, and on a beautiful, sunny day after a snowfall, the staties were making everyone coming the other direction put on chains. I rolled happily down into the Central Valley on my three season tires that had carried me right across the high country.
11/29/09
I drive over Monarch Pass on occasion now, but only in the summer months thus far.
11/29/09
11/28/09
11/28/09
Come to think of it, Ford had one that was close to it, and my '69 Sedan DeVille was the GM version of this color, as well.
11/28/09
I can't save them all, but I sure can go broke trying!
11/28/09
11/28/09
11/28/09
Bulletproof slant six and Torqueflite automatic; refrigerator white paint with black vinyl interior; an air conditioner that could freeze meat. These cars took all the abuse a bunch of 15 and 16 year olds could dish out, and just kept on going.
We could use cars like this again, even though that's impossible.