This 1960 Dodge Dart Has a Neat V8 'Police Package' Treat – And It Means Business

The opening year of the seventh decade was a high tide of change for Chrysler. The corporation debuted the unibody construction (‘the science of silence’ was gloating with promises of a squeak-free automobile). It introduced the ‘Leaning Tower of Power,’ the famous Slant-Six engine. It also introduced the Valiant, the highly successful Plymouth model that kept the corporation afloat for many years.

Strategic decisions came into effect in 1960: the dealers’ network was split into Dodge and the rest of the Mopar world. Practically, Dodge dealers couldn’t sell other makes from Chrysler, which put the salesmen into a bit of a tight spot. To counter this, Chrysler granted Dodge an unusually abundant range of products: 35 models.

New for 1960 was the full-size, compact-priced Dart – the model that effectively cannibalized Plymouth with its low-price demeanor. It turned out to be such a huge and instant success. Of the nearly 368,000 Dodges sold that year, 87% were Darts. The division wasn’t making much profit from the Dart, but the customers loved it (or, at least, its price-performance ratio).

Twenty variants of the Dart were available for buyers in three lines: the Seneca, the Pioneers, and the Phoenix (in cost-increasing order). Since the base price for the base Seneca was $2,330, some $600 under the next-in-line Dodge from the Senior series. The Dart skewed its brand cousins in sales thanks to several perks that pampered clients’ wallets.

From the economy-centric six-cylinder 225-cubic-inch engine (3.7 liters) to swivel seats, torsion-bar suspension, and push-button automatic transmission, all the way up to the 383 Cross Ram V8 with dual quads and 330 hp. Better known by its D-500 codename, this was the best available engine. It was a 6.3-liter big-block with its famous two-and-a-half-foot-long intake manifold tunnels extending from one bank of cylinders atop the opposite.

Allegedly, out of the 70,700 Phoenixes built during the inaugural year, only 586 came with the big gun firepower of the famous 383. Since Chrysler archives aren’t the greatest preserved resource of that era, official sales documents from 1960 don’t mention the 383 V8 optional engine. Instead, the performance fell on the shoulders of the 361-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) Cross Ram Induction V8.

Over the years, few rare D-500 Dodge Dart Phoenix have emerged that brag about their 383 V8, despite being available only as a police package back in 1960. But, in all likeliness, if a dealer knew the right person from Dodge, a special order could be filled for a select customer.

This is probably the case with the red convertible D-500 Dodge Dart Phoenix featured in the video by Lou Costabile. Shot this last July in Carlisle, the car came from Quebec to attend the motor gathering. The owner bought the automobile in 2014 and performed a restoration on the Mopar, giving it a great stance once more.

The most attractive feature is the hypnotic V8, with its long-tube intake and the pair of carburetors sitting at the side edges of the engine bay. The ram induction slightly impacted peak torque – approximately a 10% increase – and came with no compromises. Chrysler engineers touted it as similar to supercharging but without the drawbacks of a power-robbing mechanical assembly.

Briefly and drastically simplistic put, the air-fuel mixture flow through the intake manifold occurs only when the intake valve is opened. When the valve slams shut, the vapors have nowhere to go, and they travel back and forth through the runners until the valve reopens. The key to getting this working right is synchronizing the valve opening time with the arrival of the air at the valve.

If the two moments coincide, the pressurized air-fuel mix is sucked into the combustion chamber. More air means more efficient burning, thus more torque and power. The 383 V8 offered 330 hp and 460 lb-ft (335 PS, 624 Nm), but the cost of that performance was poor mileage. Since the rear had a gearing of 4.10:1, a heavy-duty Borg-Warner T85 three-speed manual transmission was standard. A Sure-Grip differential, heavy-duty brakes, suspension, and wheels were also part of the Police Package.

The car owner starring in the video below doesn’t say the final drive ratio, but his D-500 has the TorqueFlite three-speed automatic – which, by the way, still pulls parallel marks when the driver puts his foot down. But the Dart D-500's success was short-lived. After two years, the Dodge nameplate was moved into the mid-size segment in ’62, only to be demoted once more a year later and sent to run with the compacts. It didn’t have the same appeal as in its inaugural year but soldiered on until its retirement in 1976.