When mentioning classic and vintage muscle cars, people may think about the 1964 Pontiac GTO or the 1966 Plymouth Barracuda, which provide powerful high performance, unlike any other vehicle. These are just some cars that dominated the American muscle car scene from the 1960s to 1970s. However, the 1971 Dodge Dart Demon 340 is a vintage muscle car that gained attention in the past decade.
Initially less popular compared to its predecessor, the Dodge Dart Swinger 340, and inspired after Plymouth's sought-after fastback, the Duster 340, Dodge advertised the Dodge Dart Demon 340 as an excellent performing car.
Some notable manufacturers of muscle cars in the 1960s to 1970s were Dodge, Pontiac, Chevrolet, and Plymouth. Muscle cars manufactured by the companies mentioned above were top-rated and in high demand. A couple of them even made the list of the top 10 muscle cars ever produced.
However, the number of functioning vintage muscle cars is decreasing. These cars are increasingly sought after, especially by collectors, as such cars are getting older and rarer to acquire today.
Read on to find out how much a 1971 Dodge Dart Demon costs today.
The 1971 Dodge Dart Demon Has A 275-HP V8 Engine
The 1971 Dodge Dart Demon 340 lived up to its expectations as a performance muscle car. Accompanying the floor-shifted three-speed manual gearbox in the Dodge Dart Demon 340 is a 275-horsepower V8 engine. However, owners of the Dart Demon forego that standard gearbox and instead opt for a 4-speed manual gearbox that uses a Hurst shifter or a 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.
Furthermore, The Dart Demon 340 comes with dual exhausts with chrome tips to improve engine efficiency. The holes in the underside of the Dart Demon 340s’ hood would allow for cold air to flow into the engine. Thanks to this, the Dart Demon 340 could reach a quarter of a mile within 14.5 seconds.
The Dart Demon 340 is also equipped with a 3.23-geared rear end, allowing the Dart Demon to reach higher top-end speeds. It also included dual exhausts with chrome tips allowing for better engine efficiency. The rally suspension and E70 x 14 bias-belted tires on the Dart Demon allowed for improved handling of the vehicle itself, and the heavy-duty brakes enabled the Dart Demon to stop over shorter distances.
The Dart Demon 340’s appearance was also a marvel to some. It featured tape stripes on its side and had grille surround molding, front hood, and fender edge molding on its body. Owners could opt for a flat-black or white-colored deck panel stripe. Finishing off the formal yet robust feel of the Dart Demon’s theme were gauges, steel caps equipped with hubcaps, wood-grained door trim panels, vinyl bench seats, and a rubber floor mat.
The instrument panel of the Dodge Dart Demon 340 is unlike any of the other Dodge Demons. The Dart Demon 340 features two large round pods surrounding a smaller pod in the middle. On the left pod is a speedometer showing up to 240 kilometers per hour. At the same time, on the right pod are gauges showing the Dart Demon 340's fuel level, coolant temperature, oil pressure, and alternator. The smaller center pod could include a tachometer, but it is optional for customers.
The 1971 Dodge Dart Demon Costs $78,000 Today
When the Dodge Dart Demon was first announced, Dodge had only manufactured and built 10,098 Dart Demon 340s. Dodge then sold them at a low starting price of $2,721. Accounting for inflation, a brand new Dodge Dart Demon straight from Dodge would sell for about $16,240 today.
The price of the Dodge Dart Demon 340 then slightly increased to $2,759 in 1972. The number of Dart Demon 340 models built then did not change much; Dodge only built another 10,200 Dart Demon 340s.
The relatively tiny number of Dart Demon 340s sold makes it a rare vehicle to come across, even today. Most Dart Demon 340s are resold as second-hand vehicles and acquired through auctions. As reported by Classic’s statistics on the 1971 Dodge Dart Demon 340, most Dart Demon 340s sold through auctions have a price of around $30,000 to $50,000, with the average price of the Dart Demon 340 being $43,417.
The highest price bid was $90,200 for a 1971 Dodge Demon RestoMod in 2018, whereas the highest bid on an unmodified Dodge Dart Demon 340 was $78,000 at the Mecum Auction Indy 2015.
Regardless of the condition of the Dodge Dart Demon 340s, they will have to undergo restoration and maintenance work very often. One such example includes the renowned member in the automotive scene, Tony Angelo, who modified his original 1971 Dodge Dart Demon to make it a one-of-a-kind A-Body Mopar.