History originally published in Sport Compact Car June 1998; republished by the author It should have been no surprise that in 1978 when Chrysler introduced its first homegrown front-drive subcompacts – the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon – it would follow later in the year with a pair of two-door coupes. Called the Dodge Omni […]
1969 Dodge Dart GTS 383: A high-water mark of straight-line performance
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek January 15, 1990; republished by the author Crank the steering wheel around at least a couple of times, gingerly let out the heavy clutch and edge up the revs just a bit. The big V-8 chuffles and the car edges forward and around, out onto the narrow two-lane blacktop […]
1978 Dodge Li’l Red Truck: A red-hot hauler
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek March 2, 1987 Overlap, overlap, overlap, the V-8 whispers, telling secrets about its camshaft, gently rocking the truck with the merest suggestion of motion. The column shift lever is at D, forward movement prevented by my right foot on the brake pedal. As light turns green I release the […]
1967 Dodge Dart GT convertible: Piece of Americana goes grand touring and topless
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek February 9, 1989 Certainly “turbo” was the most overused automotive term of the 1980s, misapplied to everything from computers to washing machines. But at least when it came to automobiles, if it said “turbo” on the outside, there was probably a turbocharger on the inside. Unfortunately there was no […]
1969 Dodge Charger 500: Or is it Charger 392?
History/driving impressions originally published in AutoWeek April 15, 1985 The year was 1968. Both the Dodge Charger and the Ford Fairlane had been freshly rebodied. The Chargers swoopy new styling replaced the angular tacked-on fastback of its original incarnation, while the Fairlane got a fastback version to go along with the formal notchback sedans. It […]
1978 Dodge Warlock: Playing with Adult Toys
History originally published in AutoWeek October 29, 1978 Dodge advertised “Adult Toys” in the late 70s. To Dodge dealers, this meant trucks: 4×4 Ramcharger SUVs (though the term wasn’t in use yet), the gaudy Macho Power Wagons, and the Street Van, based on the commercial Dodge Tradesmen, the source, Dodge suggested, for your own custom […]
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