Cars with history: Dodge Dart/3700

In past times, when fuel costs were not a major concern for drivers of the era, seeing American cars in Spain was odd, though not so unusual. In 1964, Barreiros Diesel, a company that manufactured industrial machinery, reached an agreement with Chrysler to build cars under the Dodge brand (and also Simca).

The car chosen for production was the Dodge Dart, then being built in the USA. The first units were assembled with parts brought from the USA, as almost always happened in these cases, but over the years assembly began to use parts manufactured in Spain. The Dodge Dart remained in production for 6 years. After the Dart was discontinued, the 3700 arrived, another “big” saloon, a little more up to date but sharing the same platform as the Dart.

There were several versions of the Dart with different engines (including a diesel), some offered by the factory itself and others modified by private owners. Ambulances, a convertible, two units with transparent roofs used to carry distinguished visitors to the factory, and the Spectro, a coupé model of which only one unit is known to have been built.

Today, several examples are kept running by enthusiasts and experts, although a major problem with these cars is the spare parts, which are difficult to find in Spain. According to official statistics, the total number of Dodge Darts built in Spain was 17,589 units, while 1,700 examples were exported to other European countries.

Source and more information | Los Grandes Dodge Españoles