At Mecum’s January auction in Kissimmee (Florida), a vintage Dodge Concept car will be on the block.
The 1969 Chicago Auto Show saw the debut of the Dodge Dart Swinger 340 concept. This was a preview of the final production Dodge Dart Swinger, which debuted soon afterward as a trim-level for the small Dart.
The concept was created by Alexander Brothers of Detroit. It is based upon a Dart but has many modifications. Although the roof looks chopped, the concept features square Cibie headlights, rather than the rectangular production pieces, fog lights in central part of the grille, as well as a Charger-like rear fascia. The auction listing states that a custom grille frame and hood scoop were used to inspire designs for production models.
1969 Dodge Dart Swinger concept (photo by Mecum Auctions).
Maroon Metallic paint is used on the concept. The black tail stripe was common for Mopars of that era. The wheels are Ansen Sprint slots aluminum with Goodyear Polyglas tires. This car is not equipped with windshield wipers or a capped washer reservoir.
The engine’s power comes from a V-8 of 340 cubic inches with a 4-barrel carburetor (4-barrel) and dual exhaust. The Dart Swinger production model used a similar engine. A 4-speed manual transmission is used with a Hurst shifter to send power to the rear wheels.
The Dodge Dart was around till the 1970s when the Aspen replaced it. Dodge revived the Dart name for the 2013 model-year, however this 21st century model only survived to the 2016 model-year. Dodge did develop a few concept cars in the same vein as the Swinger. However, these concepts didn’t lead to any production models, unlike the 1969 Swinger.
