1967 Dodge Dart Hellcat
The Hellcat crate engine really did a number on the Mopar community. Suddenly, owners began to question if they should replace their classic big-block. This 1967 Dodge Dart did just that and it’s one of the cleanest, most impressive HEMI builds you’ve ever seen.
The Dart is a popular car for the drag racing strip, but not as a convertible. It made its debut in 1963 when Dodge needed an answer to the growing compact car segment. 1967 is kind of a turning point for the model, thanks to the improvements they introduced that year.
As the official Dodge press release put back then: “Any resemblance between the 1967 Dodge Dart and its 1966 counterpart is purely unintentional except that it’s still the largest compact in America.” Being a big boy with a 111-inch wheelbase meant the Dart could be sportier than the average compact as well, building a racing reputation.
Normally, a nice ’67 convertible would come with the 273 (4.5-liter) making 235 horsepower. But this bad boy is packing about four times the power. Dropping in a Hellcat seems like a normal thing to do with any old Dodge, as it gives you the 700 horsepower straight away. But did we hear that right – it had a 512 stroker version of the 480 before this? That’s pretty insane.
No wonder they got bored with a stock Hellcat eventually. For SEMA 2017, the builders had an opportunity to appear at the Magnuson booth. And so they installed one of their big blowers. We’re talking about a $7,000 piece of kit that presides over the engine bay. The HEMI is also tuned for big nitrous injection, so we think their “1000 hp” claimed output is actually pretty low.
And if engine bays could be called beautiful, this one fits the description, stuffed to the brim with big V8 components yet clean-looking. By comparison, the interior is rather flashy. It’s done in the style of a California street convertible with custom gauges and leather bucket seats.
The cosmetics are also a radical departure from what a normal 1967 Dodge Dart is like. Covered in black from head to toe and with powerful red accents, it could easily play the role of Darth Vader’s car. The villainous look almost hides the unique front end with four headlights or the custom lowering body kit. And at the back, you’re greeted by gigantic tires and straight pipes that snake their way from the Hellcat around the suspension and fuel tank.
