The Ultra-Rare 1968 Dodge Dart That Came With A 426 HEMI

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s heyday of the American muscle car, Dodge delivered some of the fastest and most powerful vehicles on the road, with the Charger, Challenger and certain other underrated muscle builds typically headlining such conversations. One name that might not immediately enter the chat is the Dodge Dart, though, for one model year, the build ranked among the hardest-charging cars in the manufacturer's lineup. 

Dodge debuted the Dart as a full-size passenger vehicle for the 1960 model year and kept the vehicle in production through 1976. However, the Dart did not keep its full-size frame for the entirety of its run, with Dodge ultimately transforming it into a compact by its first end of production. For the bulk of its time in the Dodge stable, the Dart boasted a touch of muscle in the engine department via various versions of a four-barrel Charger V8. But in 1968, Dodge went wild in the power department for their shrinking Dart build, outfitting the vehicle with one of its most powerful ever engines, the 426 Hemi.

Yes, Dodge actually packed its 425 horsepower Hemi under the hood of the Dart for the '68 model year, giving it a full-on muscle car makeover. It was an almost absurdly bold move, as the Dart hardly fit the muscle car mold in any of its various iterations. But with its scooped hood intake and fierce frame, the Hemi-powered Dart proved capable of handling all comers on the two-lane blacktop.

As it was, 1968 was a big year for the Dart, which also received a Hollywood close-up via TV's Mannix. While the George Barris custom GTS convertible wowed on television, muscled-up Hemi-powered Darts were wowing on drag racing circuits, which is precisely what Dodge intended for the limited production vehicle. Ultimately, just 80 Darts were manufactured with the 426 Hemi that year. Bearing the LO23 model code, each Dart was overhauled individually at the famed Hurst Performance facility in Madison Heights, Michigan. 

Dodge's Dart muscle cars were stripped-down versions of the proper production model and largely shipped out for use by factory-sponsored racing teams. In the years since they were last seen burning down drag tracks across the land, Darts outfitted with the 426 Hemi have, understandably, become sought after by muscle car enthusiasts. Given how few of the vehicles were actually made, you can likely guess that you'll need to pony up a fairly large stack of Benjamins to park one of those builds in your garage or driveway.

We're likely talking a minimum six-figure stack of Benjamins, for the record, as it seems Dart Hemis are rarely offered for under $100,000 these days. Indeed, we saw only one posted on Classic.com under that threshold, and even it was listed at $95,000. Prices start in the $100,000 range, and they only seem to go up from there, with one Hemi-powered Dart recently even going for more than $300,000 through Mecum Auctions. But for true muscle car lovers, that price may be worth it to experience the feeling of the vehicle's now legendary power for themselves.