MOD CAR 1971 DODGE DEMON 340 FOR CAR MECHANIC SIMULATOR 2018

Dodge Dart Demon (1971-72)

To respond to the emergence of small imported cars, in the 1960 model year, Chrysler Corporation had their first compact cars - Plymouth Valiant and Dodge Dart. It was on the basis of Valiant that they created the sports model Plymouth Valiant Barracuda, which became a competitor to the Ford Mustang in the new pony car market.By 1967, Valiant and Barracuda stopped sharing body panels, but then the two-door hardtop and convertible completely switched to the more sporty Barracuda. Finally, by 1970, the Plymouth Barracuda received a completely new body close to the Dodge Challenger and it was this image that became the reference for this model. However, at the same time, this created a gap in the assortment: Barracuda competed well with Camaro and Mustang, but not with compact muscle cars like the Chevrolet Nova SS. The corporation had only $ 15,000,000 to create a new car and they went in a non-standard way: took the Plymouth Valiant as a basis and without touching the front part, reworked the body itself.

The resulting two-door hardtop with a sloping roof line was named Valiant Duster and it turned out to be phenomenally popular - 192375 copies sold against only 50810 ordinary Valiant sedans. Moreover, another 24,817 units of Plymouth Duster 340 were sold with the “340” V8 with a volume of 5.6 liters, perfectly recalling which cars were of interest to the Americans at that time! Dodge dealers selling the Valiant twin called Dart had nothing of the kind, but had a more conservative Dart Swinger hardtop (also with the optional “340” V8). Therefore, by 1971, a mutually beneficial exchange took place: a Dart Swinger - Valiant Scamp clone was introduced into the Plymouth lineup, and Dodge received their exact copy of the chicly sold Duster, minus the redone grille and new rear lights with a vertical mesh, rumored to be originally created for the annual restyling of the Plymouth Duster for the 1971 model year. This car received the name Dodge Dart Demon and the emblem on the front wings and trunk in the form of a cute cartoonish demon with a trident.

Initially, the car was planned to be called Dodge Beaver - "beaver", but it turned out that in the jargon of CB radio, this word means a female genital. To avoid misunderstandings, they abandoned him. According to Dodge employee responsible for product planning, the idea of ​​the name Demon came to marketers strangely - as the basis for the slogan in future advertising: "Come to the demo." Strange, but this slogan, in the end, was not even used, and the advertisement didn’t really emphasize the unusual name ... By the way, a curious coincidence: in 1957, Chrysler first used the name Dart on the concept car from Ghia, which was renamed a year later ... Diablo (and then became an inspiration for the failed restyling of Dual-Ghia).

Like its variant from Plymouth, the car was distinguished by a large trunk and interior volume for its class, good aerodynamics (and, consequently, lower fuel consumption) and a good appearance. Despite this, the 1971 Dart Demon sales were lower than the Duster and, moreover, about three times lower than the Dart Swinger: 69,861 units with the Slant Six inline six or the base 5.2-liter V8 under the hood, plus another 10098 copies of the most powerful Demon 340, which completely replaced the Dart Swinger 340.

According to Road Test magazine in April 1971, the 275-horsepower Dodge Demon 340 with automatic transmission accelerated to 100 km / h in 7.8 seconds, had a top speed of 205 km / h and passed the “quarter” in 14.56 s. From the other Demons, the 340 variant was distinguished by increased brakes and the Rallye Suspension Package suspension kit (reinforced torsion bars, front stabilizer, rear springs and shock absorbers), tires and wheels. Standard equipment was a 3-speed manual transmission with a lever on the central tunnel, a Rallye dashboard with a 150-mile speedometer, a three-seater sofa in front, and white or black vinyl stripes. The buyer could choose from 18 exterior colors (including four bright High Impact for an extra charge) and three faux leather interior colors.

At a cost of $ 2,721, it was 15% more expensive than other Demons, but still the cheapest Dodge of all the muscle cars of the 1971 brand. However, options such as a 4-speed manual transmission or 3-speed automatic transmission, various main pairs of the rear axle, a vinyl roof, a hood with two air intakes and / or black color, a rear spoiler, hood locks, a center console could raise this price a lot. , Tuff steering wheel with a thick rim, tachometer, fabric upholstery and separate front seats.

Starting March 1, 1971, “sporting in their own economy” (the official Dodge wording!) Buyers were able to order also the Demon Sizzler - a package that adds Demon 340 external elements to the regular Demon, but with the usual Slant Six or 318 V8 engines. By the way, Plymouth did the same by introducing the Duster Twister. Several elements were included in the package at no extra cost: a partially painted black hood with a Sizzler vinyl emblem (slang word for something related to heat), a radiator grille in body color, Demon 340 side and back lanes and Rallye rims. But for the "racing" rear-view mirrors, wide tires, chrome moldings, a Tuff steering wheel or plaid interior trim had to be paid extra. According to the advertisement, the car was offered "strictly for the young.