Story
1966 Dodge Dart
The final year of this compact Dart body offered three factory series on one related platform: the base Dart, Dart 270, and Dart GT. This page keeps their sedans, hardtop, convertible, wagon, and four regular engine paths together. The Spanish Barreiros Dart, altered-wheelbase race cars, the 1966 D/Dart competition package, and the redesigned 1967 Dart remain separate identities.
Bodies and series
Base Dart models included two- and four-door sedans and a four-door wagon. The better-trimmed 270 added a two-door hardtop and convertible, while the GT remained a bucket-seat hardtop or convertible. Passenger bodies used a 111-inch wheelbase and station wagons used 106 inches. Series, body, plant, engine, and model year are encoded in the 13-character VIN and must agree with the shell and title.
Four power teams
Dodge listed a 101-hp 170 Slant Six, optional 145-hp 225 Slant Six, 180-hp 273 two-barrel V8, and optional 235-hp 273 four-barrel V8. A three-speed manual was standard. Sixes could use TorqueFlite; V8 cars could add a floor-shifted four-speed or TorqueFlite. The 235-hp engine was unavailable in station wagons, and current induction or an engine swap cannot establish the born-with power team.
Chassis and brakes
Every 1966 Dart used unequal-length control arms and longitudinal torsion bars in front with a leaf-spring live rear axle. Published references disagree on whether every regular drum application used nine- or ten-inch hardware, while the rare Kelsey-Hayes front-disc option required 14-inch wheels. The page therefore preserves application-specific drum and disc paths and requires component, wheel, date, VIN, and order evidence instead of flattening them into one universal specification.
Trim, cabin, and proof
Base and 270 cars used body-specific bench seating and trim; the GT added all-vinyl bucket seats, carpeting, deluxe covers and sill moldings, and a console where the transmission used floor controls. Paint, roof, top, upholstery, radio, air conditioning, power equipment, towing equipment, brakes, suspension, and axle choices varied. Authentication starts with VIN, title, body and data plates, shell, and ownership history, then reconciles every drivetrain, chassis, finish, cabin, option, and dated component.
Production and price
One compilation reports 29,800 base Darts, 35,100 Dart 270s, and 18,700 Dart GTs, but its calendar/model-year labels and detailed rows do not form an audited Chrysler ledger and conflict with other published totals. Reported starting prices retained here are $2,094 for the base two-door sedan, $2,280 for a 270 four-door sedan, and $2,417 for a GT. These are labeled reference figures, not a complete dated factory price schedule.