West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptionally straight and great daily driving survivor which has been recently comprehensively unibody up restored example of this very rare and original Mopar - a mostly all original and stock southern California with coveted 'Black License' plates 1961 Dodge Dart Phoenix 2 Door Hardtop with the car's 318 2BBL V8 engine matched to it's original and optional 'Torqueflite' push button automatic transmission and with factory power steering, power brakes & air conditioning!
1961 was the second year for the Dart and The Phoenix trim level was the highest option, the top-of-the-line! Restoration on this beauty was recently completed and it looks fantastic. The PPG Base Clear Red paint shines at any angle with much depth and gloss. The car is very straight, and shows exceptionally well. We would call it a higher end driver quality vehicle. The undercarriage is very clean, straight and a testament to the car's obviously always garaged status with original southern California dry state storage since new. It has a super clean appearance for when you pop the hood at local cruise nights! All Chrome, Bumpers, Trim, Door Handles, Stainless, etc has been redone and looks like new.
It rides, drives, and handles like a much newer vehicle; straight down the road with no shimmies, shakes, or vibrations. Extremely tight and surprisingly easy to drive for what it is. A person of any size or age could drive this vehicle comfortably and don't let the 318 V8 fool you, she will throw you back in the seat, yet cruise at 65 MPH economically with ease. All of the lights, turn signals, brakes, gauges, etc are functioning properly. Engine fires right up with no smoking, ticking, noises, etc and the car has a fantastic sound with the Dual Exhaust. The car is turnkey and ready to drive anywhere. Doors fit nice and have that distinct sound when they close. The Interior has been upgraded top to bottom with new seat foam and covers, Headliner, Carpet, and all show very well. Fresh Service including all fluids, new Battery.
The last year for Virgil Exner's "Forward Look' at Chrysler, the design mimicked 'Rocket Ship & Jet Planes of the fabulous fifties and she looks like a futuristic concept car or certainly something George Barris would have built!
Below is a detailed breakdown:
Standard equipment on the Phoenix included:
Deluxe interior with Cloth & Vinyl bench seats with foam front cushion
Electric windshield wipers
Exterior bright trim around side windows & body sides & back window
Full carpeting
Phoenix included additional exterior brightwork & deluxe interior trim
Towerback front seat design
Ultra rare mid-year dealer extra tail light
318 2BBL V8 230HP
'Torqueflite' automatic transmission ($211)
Airtemp Air Conditioning ($445)
Heater & Defroster ($74)
Power Steering ($77)
Power Brakes ($43)
Music Master AM Radio ($58)
Tinted Glass($30)
In 1960, Chrysler Corporation granted Dodge and Plymouth a divorce. No longer would the two makes have to share showroom space, although poor Plymouth would still have to share space at DeSoto and Chrysler dealers. But Dodge would have display space all of its own. Since Plymouth had appealed to a less affluent buyer than Dodge, the cheapest of which sold for $350 more than a Plymouth, the departure of Plymouth also represented the loss of some floor traffic. The answer was the Dart, a Plymouth-sized and priced Dodge, just $18 more than a Plymouth Savoy.
But not just one Plymouth-sized Dodge; there were three models, the Dodge Dart Seneca, the Dodge Dart Pioneer, and the top-of-the-line Dodge Dart Phoenix, all on the 118-inch Plymouth wheelbase. (Dart station wagons shared the big Dodges 122-inch chassis.) Darts came as sixes and V-8s and sold from $2,278 to $2,988, the latter for the top-of-the-line Phoenix convertible. They could also be ordered with 361 or 383 cubic inches, or even the 330 brake horsepower cross ram induction 383. Understandably, few were. The Dart, like the full-size Dodge, shared all of Chrysler Corporations advances for 1960, with the unit-body construction chief among them. There were two choices of automatic transmissions, the Powerflite with two speeds or the Torqueflite with three, and power steering, power brakes, power seats, and air conditioning were also available options.
The Dart returned for 1961 with the same array of models, but the bodies were re-styled with sculptured fins. The grilles were now concave, with the quad headlights inset at the outer edges. The 12-volt alternator, pioneered on the 1960 compact Valiant, was extended to all Chrysler products. The Dart convertible, only ever available in the Phoenix series, was now sold with V-8 only.
This particular 'Phoenix' 2 door Hardtop has been owned since new by obviously only very careful and mature owners and obviously has always been garaged from the elements and is seemingly rust and accident free, hence a true survivor car! The car boasts its original 318/230HP V8 engine and its original and the optional legendary Heavy Duty (A727-B) 'Torqueflite' push button transmission. The car also boasts its original AM Music Master radio and heater and defroster, power brakes, power steering & AC.
This great driving 1961 Dodge Dart 'Phoenix' 2 Door Hardtop is a rare survivor from this era and would make a wonderful daily driver for any Dodge or MOPAR enthusiast. The 318 V8 engine runs strong and sounds absolutely magnificent and this particular car drives really well - must be driven to be appreciated - does not miss a beat and purrs like a kitten - a truly remarkable daily driver that will give any modern day car a run for it's money!
With very few remaining '61 Dodge Phoenix's remaining anyway, this is an extremely unusual opportunity to own a great daily driving example of this rare and very desirable sixties MOPAR with power steering, power brakes & factory air conditioning in very fine daily driving condition ready and for any classic American car or Mopar enthusiast to enjoy or collect today!
