Re-written history on 1965 Dart Charger 273!

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65dartcharger

Dart Charger 273 Historian
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After two years of searching and plowing through tons of paper and hundreds of phone calls new history will be issued soon!

Stay tuned!

Dartcharger Youtube.PNG
 
(too lazy to insert the popcorn smiliey)
 
The Dart Charger 273 story!

When the Los Angeles / Orange County Dodge dealers started discussions about a Dodge that could compete with the Plymouth Barracuda Formula S as well as the Ford Mustang the Dart Charger 273 was born. When this discussion started is at this point unknown. All the factory cars were assembled at the Los Angeles plant. The selling process were simply the dealership signed an order with a customer. In the next step the dealership contacted the zone representative to order the car. Finally the zone representative ordered the car from Chrysler in Highland Park.

The Dart Charger 273s all had a specification list;

273 x 4 bbl engine
Automatic or 4-speed manual transmission
Power Steering
Special order yellow paint
Special order yellow painted roof or white or black vinyl roof
Black or white/gold interior
13 x 5,5 polished Cragar S/S wheels with Goodyear Power Cushion 7.00 x 13 tires BW or WW
Woodgrained steering wheel
Radio w/antenna
Front fender Dart Charger 273 badges with recessed plate
Instrument panel Dart Charger 273 badge
Cragar S/S center cap with recessed center with Dart Charger 273 badges.

These items are based on the known factory Dart Chargers. Other items seems to have been options.

It is assumed that the production of the Dart Charger 273s started in late August of 1964. The first known Dart Charger was assembled September 8, 1964 and recieved paint code 991. The paint codes for an official Chrysler mono paint style at the time was a two letter code or a two digit code + number one showing a mono paint style car. Ex AA1 is gold roof and gold body in mono paint style. The background for the Los Angeles plant choosing to use 991 as a paint code is up to this point unknown.

The Los Angeles plant used the 991 paint code until mid December of 1964. This might have caused problems for the zone representative as well at Chryslers Highland Park office. The paint code 999 had for years been associated with special order paint. Since 991 was not an offical color to chose for customers, in mid December of 1964 the Los Angeles plant changed the paint code to 999 for special order paint style and used that code until early March of 1965.

In mid February of 1965 Chrysler officialy introduced pale yellow as a spring color. The first known Dart Charger using the paint code 881 was assembled in mid February of 1965 since the pale yellow was now an official color.

From the production start in late August 1964 the Los Angeles used the S.O. number sequense starting with 70xxx used on the fendertag. The reason for this seems obvious, Chrysler wanted to highlight special order paint style with a special S.O. number. All other Darts assembled at the Los Angeles plant used the S.O. number 06xxx. Chrysler stopped using the S.O. number 70xxx in early March of 1965. But already in mid February of 1965 the Los Angeles plant started using the 881 paint code for the new released pale yellow as now it was an official color. The first known Dart Charger using the paint code 881 was assembled February 17 of 1965 and used the S.O. number 06xxx. The reason for this seems to be that the pale yellow wasn't a special order paint style any more.

Regarding the known ”kit cars” as many has heard of it has been said that they were using the paint code 881 and the S.O. number 06xx but this information seems to be incorrect. Chrysler wanted to make these Dart Charger 273s in the yellow color but the ”dealer kits” were put together and shipped out to Dodge dealers in the U.S to be put on any Dart GT with 273 x 4 bbl engine, the dealers had in stock.. The ”kits” consisted of four polished Cragar S/S 13 x 5,5 wheels with Goodyear Power Cushion 7.00 x 13 tires with BW or WW tires, fender badges with Dart Charger 273 badges with recessed plates, one instrument panel Dart Charger 273 badge and four Cragar S/S center caps with recessed center with Dart Charger 273 badges. At this point it is now known were these kits were put together.

The first known Dart Charger kit car was assembled November 12 1964 and the last one known April 1st of 1965. They were put on cars with gold, light blue, white, bright red and ruby red paint as these kits were intended for. This makes sence since they have a different paint code showing no yellow or special order paint and used the S.O. number 06xxx on the fendertag.

The production of the rare Dart Charger 273 seems to have been 180 cars but there is also one dealership in California that in 1965 stated that only 140 cars had been produced. This information is up til now not confirmed. The last factory Dart Charger 273 known was assembled June 3rd of 1965.

So for you FABO members this is the last known information!

Thanks for helping me out with knowledge and information as well as lots of input.
 
That’s so amazing to know this history ! Thanks Ulf for this ! Takes times and more but should be an entire satisfaction to re-write the history of our DC thanks to you ulf
 
There was issues with ordering process at the Los Angeles plant. The zone rep wanted to spcial order a color that that wasn't existing. Los Angeles ordered 991 and Highland Park answered with 999!!

Is there any other FABO members that have a car with a special order color? I just know of the pink Barracudas that were built but I haven't seen the fendertag!
 
I wonder how the deal to put Cragars on them went down.
 
There was issues with ordering process at the Los Angeles plant. The zone rep wanted to spcial order a color that that wasn't existing. Los Angeles ordered 991 and Highland Park answered with 999!!

Is there any other FABO members that have a car with a special order color? I just know of the pink Barracudas that were built but I haven't seen the fendertag!
My Dart Charger has paint code "999", Ulf.
 
1966 Playmate Pink Barracuda that I saw on a lot several years ago had "99" or "999" paint code.

I also seem to recall that the 1965 Formula S that was originally sold in Madera, CA and lived near Oakhurst for many years had special order paint. That was the factory disc brake car (was on the window sticker that the original owner old lady kept in the glove box). I believe somebody on this site has owned that car.
 
I wonder how the deal to put Cragars on them went down.
The wheels were delivered to the Los Angeles plant in sets. Each set were four Cragar wheels. The spare tire was the standard 13 inch rim.

If they were mounted on the assembly line or on a side line is unknown at the moment. I don't think Chrysler delivered the cars with standard 13 black wheels to Bell's Automotive, who was the manufacturer of the Cragar wheels, and had them put on the new wheels and then shipped the cars back to Chrysler. That would have been a very expensive way, it's is more likely that the Cragar wheels arrived from Bell Automotive in racks.
But what is known is that when the new Dart Chargers were deliverad to the dealerships the Cragar wheels and the Dart Charger 273 instrument panel and the fender badges was mounted.
 
Interesting procedure but I was referring to the negotiations and even the origin of the idea to "factory equip" those cars with aftermarket wheels.
 
Interesting procedure but I was referring to the negotiations and even the origin of the idea to "factory equip" those cars with aftermarket wheels.
I totally agree. I have been in contact with Bell's re the idea of putting "aftermarket wheels" on a production car. The only thing I can come up to is that Cragar S/S wheels became availible for rhe public in mid 1964. Due to that both Chrysler and Bells was in California might have helped this idea.
For what I know of this was the first time that Chrysler announced a factory car with aftermarket wheels.

We'll see what they can come up with. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic I'm pretty sure the speed with my question is not a top priority thing!
 
Having been in the car biz for over 30 years I find this interesting . Especially the story around the origin of the whole concept.
 
Today the Carlstar group contacted me. They are the owner of the Cragar brand. They had no information due to the brand Cragar has changed owners over the years. Even Wynn's owned it once!
Anyway the sales guy referred me to Bell Automotive which was the owner of the Cragar brand during the sixties until the company Wynn's bought it.
I called Bell and they were busy so a new contact tomorrow.
 
"The ”kits” consisted of four polished Cragar S/S 13 x 5,5 wheels with Goodyear Power Cushion 7.00 x 13 tires with BW or WW tires, fender badges with Dart Charger 273 badges with recessed plates, one instrument panel Dart Charger 273 badge and four Cragar S/S center caps with recessed center with Dart Charger 273 badges. At this point it is now known were these kits were put together."

Is there any documentation of what dealerships received the Kits ?
Berry Dodge in Oxnard, CA probably put the kit on one of their existing "Go Go" units that I bought in October 2 of 1965. I would wonder about how many dealers put together units?

Best wishes to you Ulf,
 
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