Last week, Elana Scherr from Hot Rod Magazine hung out in New York with all different kinds of car guys and girls. We’re sure that there will be lots of video and cool magazine stories coming out of the trip. During her adventure, Elana was blogging on the HRM website and we wanted to share with you the coolest story she posted over the course of the week. This story is about an old and crusty Dodge Dart that has some internet aura and lore surrounding it. The car has been spotted in Manhattan for years but no one (to date) had ever tracked down the owner and actually gotten the story on the car. Elana did just that and it is beyond cool. The guy who has the car has used it as a daily driver since the mid-1970s, he’s wrenched on it, fixed it, patched it up, and generally loved it for nearly 40 years now. It still has the original 340ci engine that it was built with, the factory tail stripes are still present, and although rough looking the car is structurally sound and continues to provide Alex Harsley daily transport. It is a car that has survived against all the odds.
Out of the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of cars that populate the streets of NY, this has to be the only Dart GTS in the bunch and it has to be one of (if not the only) muscle car era vehicle to live on the streets and serve as someone’s daily driver in Gotham. As cool as the car is, the owner is even cooler. Harsley is in his 70s, served in the military, owns an art gallery that he opened decades ago, made a living as a photographer, and has been a lifelong gearhead. Over the years he rebuilt the engine in the Dart, has rebuilt the transmission a couple times, and kept up on the mechanical maintenance to allow the car its longer than normal life as a daily driver in a harsh environment.
We always say stuff like, “Man, if this car could only talk!” In this case the car can speak through its owner and the story that Elana gathered and Alex Harsley told is well worth your time to read. Hit the link below to check it out.
Great Read: Hot Rod Magazine Tracks Down The 4th St Dart In Manhattan and comes away with an incredible story
” . . . if this car could only talk!” . . .
It’d be saying “Youse get me the . . . outta dis place. . . .How ’bouts a quick stop off at a Maaco on da way to a nice, warm Red State?”
no way that dart was used for 40 years up here, the torsion bars would’ve already broke the rusted/rotten mounts, and the rear leaf springs would be through the trunk
that’s had to be garaged winters
“[The owner has] kept up on the mechanical maintenance to allow the car its longer than normal life as a daily driver in a harsh environment.”
Beatin, bruised, and abused. Look at all those dents. If cars could talk-that one would be saying get me outta here, please save me from this hell.
I love the dents. It almost looks like leather.
Wow-not in the greatest shape as you might expect, but I think this is a true survivor.
I wonder why he don’t get historical plates…..lol
Sounds like he drives it all year round. I don’t know about New York, but in Wisconsin, if you have what we call “Collector” plates, you can’t drive the car in January. That is to prevent people from buying old pieces of crap to drive as winter beaters, and then putting Collector plates on them to avoid having to pay the yearly registration fee.
Amazing, lasting all those years in such a harsh environment. My cousin bought a 340 Swinger new in 1970 and if the neighbors dog pissed on a tire, the thing wouldn’t start for a week!
He needs to take it to Chryslers at Carlisle, and put it in the survivor class.,
yep ! that is a cool car & and it is a survivor and that in it’s self is cool. Today they need to make a cool car that (CAN & want’t to keep ) as a car
That is a really cool story about the car and it’s owner Alex!
I googled the name on the sign of his shop. Clicked on street view and scrolled down a little bit and sure enough there was the 4th Street Dart in the street view.
I did the same thing, lol.
very cool!