If you caught "Dodge Fever" in 1969, you might have purchased a Dodge Dart. The Dart had broad appeal from a sensible sedan like the Swinger to a pony car' with either the GTS or Swinger 340 catching the eye of hot rodders.

The Dart had a minor face lift for 1969. It was long and low with rounded fuselage lines and a pleasingly simple grille'. The low-end two-door compacts with bench seating still had their appeal. "Maybe it's Dart's stylish shape. A look that just doesn't say compact'." Or, the way it could handle - "It's nimble. Sure. Confident." One thing's for sure, it's low price drew buyers.

Offering five model types, the Swinger 2-door hardtop and Swinger 340 were new. "The lowest priced high-performance Dodge" was the 340's claim; a hardtop that "muscled up" with a 340 cubic inch V-8 and four barrels of fun. It boasted "power bulges" on the hood, bright exhaust tips, and the "Bumblebee Stripe" on the trunk hood.

You could have more options with the Dart Custom and GT models, while the GTS would just tear up the streets. The most sought after as a collectible car, GTS was top of the line. Standard was the 340 engine which could be supplanted by a 383 Magnum that pushed out 340 ponies from its eight cylinders. But what car restorationists might look for is a GTS with a big block 440 with four-barrels rated at 375 hp. For performance sake, the 383 and 440 were harder to handle.

Three basic transmissions were offered for the Dart line in 69. The standard three-speed manual with column-mounted shifter was standard on the two V-6 engines. The Swinger 340's Hurst was optional for V-8's. And for the performance car like GTS, the standard tranny was a three-speed Torque-Flite, which could be added to all engine types.

Other appealing options to help performance were the Dart Rallye Suspension and Firm Ride shock absorbers, standard on GTS and Swinger 340. Obvious was the need of bigger brakes for the bigger blocks. Power and front disc brakes were optional and much needed on the power models.

The pony model types were fun to drive and great for racing with Dart's excellent handling being mated with light weight and the high power ratio of the 340-equipped cars. Darts housing the bulky and restrictive big-blocks are ultimately limited to straight-line drag racing.

The values of these cars can be quite surprising. A GTS model with the 340 could be worth $42,000 in mint condition. The rarer convertible model is in the area of $53,000. With a 383, it might be worth a couple grand more. But don't be surprised to see the value of the bigger block cars dragged down.

Learn more about this author, Brian Keith Compton.
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