Virgil Exner did some whacky thing in his last year asChryslerstyling honcho , but the 1963 Dodge Dart GT was n’t one of them . Clean , even Italianate in some ways , it elegantly rebut the notion that Exner ’s design talents were waning when this car was initiate circa 1960 .
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That class brought Chrysler ’s first concordat , the Valiant , which was assign to Plymouth . Dodge did without , but thrive anyway with low - Mary Leontyne Price full - size of it Darts . The next class , though , Dodge got a Valiant - clone called Lancer . This equate GM ’s new 1961 Buick Special , Olds F-85 , and Pontiac Tempest , but was n’t nearly as pop . Lancer also trail Valiant in sales despite the 1962 accession of a sporty GT hardtop .
With rebodied compacts schedule for 1963 , Dodge seek a more distinctive Lancer to better compete with the B - O - P 3 and Mercury ’s Comet . The result was a larger , prettier heavyset bearing the familiar Dart name ( substituted at the 11th hour ) . Wheelbase swelled five column inch except on waggon , which kept the original 106 - in duet , as did the 1963 Valiants . Offerings included newconvertiblesin midrange 270 and bucket - seat GT trimming , the latter again offering Dodge ’s exclusive compact hardtop . Rounding things out were 270 and base 170 two- and four - doorway sedans and four - doorway wagons . Save the last , which measured 190.2 inches overall , Darts extend 7.1 in longer than Lancers – much closer to contender ' size .
Keep read to learn about the styling and sales winner of the 1963 - 1966 Dodge Dart GT .
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Pricing was n’t as close with the 1963 - 1966 Dodge Dart GT . The Dart GT undersell like GM model by a hefty $ 400-$600 , the Comet S-22 by $ 200-$350 . Though Chrysler did n’t yet have a V-8 for its compacts , the GT was fulfill except on freeway acceleration lanes .
The standard 101 - horsepower170 - cubic - in Slant Six ( inherited from Lancer / Valiant ) delivered 0 - 60 in a leisurely 20 seconds or so . The redundant - toll 145 - bhp 225enginereduced that to about 15 , conjure top hurrying to near 100 miles per hour , and reelect 16 - 17 mpg ( the smaller six added 1 - 2 mpg at most).Transmissionswere the have a bun in the oven three - speed manual or optional TorqueFlite robotlike , the latter a really competitory vantage .
So too was Chrysler ’s torsion - cake frontsuspension , still realise plaudits after six year . Motor Trendfelt " there ’s nothing … in the Dart ’s size and price year that can touch it for all - around readability . " As usual , the standard manualsteeringwas realizable but distressingly irksome ( 5.3 turn whorl - to - ringlet ) . The optional power frame-up was quicker ( 3.5 ) but loosely adjudicate over - boosted . Well , you ca n’t have everything .
But Dodge short had a lot more compact sales event , the 1963 Darts beget a spectacular 250 percent more than the 1962 Lancers . The GTs accounted for roughly 20 percent , which they would hold through 1966 .
Dart did even safe for 1964 , volume sweep from 154,000 to more than 193,000 . Styling change were confined to a mild grimace - rhytidectomy , but the with child news for functioning fans was the midyear availability of a V-8 pick . This was a lively , free - revving 273 - cid unit derive from Chrysler ’s new - generation 318 and shoot a line the latest in " thinwall " block casting á la Ford ’s modern-day 260/289 .
Though only 50 pounds intemperate than the Slant Six , the 273 deliver 25 percent more horsepower – 180 in all – plus a hefty 260 pounds / groundwork oftorque . It was a natural for the GT , which now lived up to those initial with 0 - 60 times of 10 - 12 seconds and a top speed comfortably above the magic " gross ton . " But though it be only $ 131 supererogatory , the V-8 went into barely a fourth of that year ’s near 50,000 GTs .
Styling became more belligerent for 1965 . So did performance , as an even hot V-8 option arrived with 235 bhp courtesy of a four - barrel carb and Thornton Niven Wilder River Cam . Even better , it could be commingle with a new with child - duty break kit and four - on - the - floor manual gearbox . Car and Driverloved its test GT with all these goodies . The bastioned V-8 , said the editor in chief , " is a robust , eager locomotive that progress to all sorts of corking sounds while whisk the Dart around in jolly impressive fashion " – which time out as 8.2 second 0 - 60 , a strong display even today . Dart sales were stronger than ever , too : over 209,000 in all .
Volume slipped to 176,000 for 1966 , though this was due more to marketplace conditions than any Dart deficiencies . The 1963 intent was restyled one last metre , with a squarish front predominating . With the " right poppycock , " the GT remain , asMotor Trendput it , " one of those rare cable car that add a certain pleasure to drive , and that ’s suppose something for a machine designed as a heavyset family vehicle . "
Indeed it was , though even hotter Darts were in the offing for 1967 and beyond . Today , the 1963 - 1966 GTs are the very model of inexpensive enthusiast wheel ( even the down - intensity ragtops do n’t cost much ) – more proof that good things really do descend in small(er ) software .
Keep reading for 1963 - 1966 Dodge Dart GT specifications .
1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 Dodge Dart GT Specifications
The 1963 - 1966 Dodge Dart GT did its unspoilt to vie with other sporty compact car such as the Buick Special , Olds F-85 , and Pontiac Tempest .
Specifications
Engines: ohv I-6, 170 cid (3.40 x 3.13), 101 bhp; ohv I-6, 225 cid (3.40 x 4.13), 145 bhp; ohv V-8, 273 cid (3.63 x 3.31), 180/235 bhp (1964-66)
engine : ohv I-6 , 170 cid ( 3.40 x 3.13 ) , 101 bhp ; ohv I-6 , 225 cid ( 3.40 x 4.13 ) , 145 bhp ; ohv V-8 , 273 Criminal Investigation Command ( 3.63 x 3.31 ) , 180/235 bhp(1964 - 66 )
Transmissions:3/4 - speed manual , 3 - speed TorqueFlite automatic
Suspension front : upper and lower A - weapons system , longitudinal tortuosity bars , anti - roll cake
hiatus buns : alive axle on semi - elliptic leaf spring
brake system : front / rearward drums
Wheelbase ( in.):111.0
Weight ( lbs):2690 - 2995
Top speed ( mph):90 - 110
0 - 60 miles per hour ( sec):8.2 - 19.5
