NASCAR Maximum Warlord Bill France saw that the new American compact cars- the Ford Falcon, Chevy Corvair, and Plymouth Valiant- were getting a lot of attention in the marketplace, so he created the Compact Series, which ran during 1960 and 1961. Some big names participated, including Curtis Turner, Richard Petty, and Fireball Roberts, and a few Volvos even got into the act. The Valiants utterly dominated, thanks to the Hyper-Pak Slant Six engine, but the Corvair managed to earn an all-important NASCAR racing pedigree, 49 years before UDMan's 24 Hours Of LeMons Corvair really put the rear-engined Chevy on the racing-history map. Thanks to UDMan (who else?) for the tip!
[Persh.org]

I checked out the snake charming, burlesque performances, accordion music, and cotton-candy booths inside the warehouse, and it was all pretty entertaining… but I was there for the cars. My primary mission: to convince these art car builders to bring their creations to the Goin' For Broken 24 Hours Of LeMons race, since the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir was such a hit at the Gator-O-Rama LeMons. Here's what I found:

In fact, he's shot so many interesting cars and trucks down on the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa streets that I have no choice but to share some of them. We've seen other Tomsk DOTSBE cars before, and we're sure to see more in the future, since rust-free Orange County is loaded to the gunwales with old iron. First up is this trio of Malaise Detroit Iron, with each of the Big Three represented: a 1978 Buick LeSabre, a 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V, and a 1974 Plymouth Duster. Technically, a Duster isn't a "Yank Tank," but imagine it parked next to some spindly Renault 5 and it might as well have clanking treads and a guy named "Sarge" at the wheel. Here's what Tomsk has to say about these fine machines:

1974 Plymouth Duster: Everybody loves Dusters, possibly because they attract comely young lasses like Ethel, but also because it was such a clean design. My research seems to suggest this is a '74, though the Mopar fanatics are welcome to correct me if need be. It even has the original "Plymouth Division" dog dishes. Le sigh...

1979 Lincoln Mark V: Picture this: It's 1978, and you need a snazzy, two-door way to get from one of your hoes to the next. Price is no object, as your girls make you more scratch than you know what to do with, nor is size, because you were a mildly successful truck driver before you decided to try your hand at pimping.
What to buy? You could get a Rolls Camargue or a Mercedes 450 SLC, but your father had instilled a strong sense of patriotism and respect for the American worker during those formative years where he beat you to a pulp while you cowered helplessly in your crib.
Okay, so it has to be American. A Cadillac Eldorado? No, because when Daddy wasn't wailing on you while pontificating on the evils of foreign goods, he was wailing on you while pontificating on the evils of front-wheel drive. "ONLY RUST-PRONE, COMMIE-MADE SHITBOXES SHOULD HAVE THAT LAYOUT!!!!" he'd bellow as he pummeled your still quite soft cranium with your favorite rattle.
So, no Caddy for you, then. How about the Chrysler Cordoba? That's a non-starter, too, as the accent of that car's pitchman reminds you of the time you caught your mom and the gardner playing "the game only grownups can play."
That leaves...the Lincoln Continental Mark V. But when you get to the Lincoln-Mercury dealer, you don't order any old Mark V. Oh, no sir; you plunk down the extra cash for the mofuggin' Cartier edition. When your customers see that name on the opera windows, they'll say to themselves, "This guy is the real deal. I should probably pay up, because if I don't, he probably will knock me out, stuff me into a safe, and drop aforementioned safe into the river."

Excellent choice, sir. Excellent choice.

The Dodge Dart will always hold a special place in the A-body section of our heart as the affordable underdog. Entire books and countless magazine articles have been written about the [insert legendary muscle car here], but the Dart and its Plymouth brother Valiant have long been synonymous with affordable and fun transport. Whether equipped with the leaning tower of power Slant 6 or any number of V-8 mills, the Dart and Valiant were for the longest time the 500-dollar car of choice for cat-eye glasses wearing geek girls and hoist toting engine swappers alike. What other automobile was ever worthy enough to wear the name Swinger? Obviously attempting to cash in on the muscle car craze via Craigslist Los Angeles, this guy has an "original" 340 Dart, with most everything original removed from the car listed for 18 large. The 340 has been yanked for a 440. The original 4-speed replaced with an automatic. Various parts from the Summit and/or Jegs catalog have been installed in place of the stock Mopar stuff, and the engine bay features plenty of supplemental wiring for maximum performance. Oh, and this rare and rattle-can primered classic Mopar needs paint. – Mike Bumbeck

68 DODGE DART GTS 340 4-Speed [craigslist.org]

Related:
A 12-Second Dodge Dart for Two Grand: Anything is Possible [Internal]