1969 Dodge Dart GTS Convertible Is a Super-Rare Big-Block Mopar — and Its Owner Still Takes It Out Once a Month

The Dodge Dart of the late 1960s may be one of the most overlooked muscle cars ever built. Back in its day, it lived in the shadow of legends like the Road Runner A12, GTO Judge, Hemi Chargers and Coronets, Mustang 428 Cobra Jets, and even Plymouth’s Barracuda Formula S and ’Cuda models.

Despite officially joining Mopar’s Scat Pack in 1968, the compact A-body Dart never earned the same devoted following as its B-body siblings, especially the Charger and Coronet.

Things began to change in 1967, when Dodge gave the Dart a fresh look. But one Illinois dealership decided styling wasn’t enough — performance mattered more. With Dodge lacking a true pony car contender, Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago took matters into its own hands by dropping a 383-cubic-inch V8 into the Dart GT.

They repeated the experiment in 1968, this time pushing even harder by convincing the factory to squeeze a 440 Magnum into the same tight engine bay.

That bold move became known as the “Grand Spaulding” treatment, named after the legendary dealership behind it. Chrysler paid close attention. After watching dealer Norman “Mr. Norm” Kraus prove what was possible, the automaker responded with its own factory performance package for the Dart GT. It was simply called the GT Sport — and that’s how the GTS story officially began.

Back then, Dodge was playing catch-up. The Camaro arrived for 1967, while Plymouth was struggling to make the Barracuda competitive against the wildly successful Mustang. Corporate priorities favored Plymouth, leaving Dodge without a serious small-car performance offering. The hottest engine you could order in a Dart was a modest 273 V8 — hardly a match for Chevy’s 350 or Ford’s 390.

Enter Mr. Norm.

A drag racing fan and hardcore performance advocate, Kraus pushed Dodge executives to install big-block engines — including the 383, 440, and even the 426 Hemi — into their compact cars. The official excuse was lack of space. Kraus proved otherwise.

Using a bare-bones Dart GT as a test mule, his team managed to shoehorn a 383 into the engine bay, ditching the stock manifolds in favor of headers. Power steering had to go, but the result was worth it.

That Coronet-sourced 383 was rated at 325 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque. Backed by a Torqueflite automatic and a beefy 4.11 rear end, the car laid down an astonishing 390 horsepower at the rear wheels on Grand Spaulding’s dyno. For comparison, a 426 Hemi tested on the same setup reportedly showed around 340 hp.

Those numbers lit the fuse.

By late 1967, Dodge released the GT Sport, with 457 examples powered by the 383. For 1968, buyers could also opt for the new 340 small-block — a compact powerhouse that quickly earned a reputation for punching well above its weight. Across both years, GTS production totaled 8,745 units, comfortably beating Barracuda Formula S sales.

By 1969, competition intensified. Ford introduced the Boss 302 Mustang, while the Camaro Z/28 gained serious momentum. Dodge answered with a limited run of 440-powered GTS models — just 640 cars — but overall interest in the GTS faded. Production for the final year landed at 5,557 units, partly cannibalized by the arrival of the Dart Swinger 340.

Most ’69 GTS cars came with the 340 V8. Only 1,912 received big-blocks, and convertibles were by far the rarest body style. Just 73 GTS ragtops left the factory with a 383, split almost evenly between automatics and four-speeds.

That brings us to this car.

Finished in red with a black bumblebee stripe, black interior, and black soft top, it’s about as perfectly spec’d as a late-’60s Mopar gets. The current owner, Doug Duell — known in racing circles for his eight-second Mopar wagon — picked it up at a Mecum auction in 2021 with help from a friend.

And he actually drives it.

Duell takes the Dart out about once a month, savoring every mile. In a recent video by Jim Campisano of Muscle Car Campy, he talks about the car with the enthusiasm of someone experiencing a ’69 GTS for the very first time.

The Dart’s value has climbed quickly. It sold at Mecum Glendale in 2019 for $43,500. Later that year, it failed to meet reserve at $32,000. By July 2020, the price jumped to $52,500 in Indy, and in 2021 it brought $62,000 in Indianapolis. Duell ultimately paid $68,500 — money well spent for such a rare A-body Mopar.

The car underwent a full nut-and-bolt restoration in 2014 and now runs a 3.23 gear in its 8.75-inch rear, making it a relaxed cruiser. With the push of a button, the convertible top folds away, though Canada’s climate — this GTS was built to Canadian specs — likely kept it from seeing daily-driver duty back in the day.

The odometer shows just over 20,000 miles.

Built in Hamtramck, Michigan, this Dart probably started life as someone’s weekend toy. Nearly six decades later, it’s come full circle — once again serving as a pleasure car, enjoyed regularly by an owner who understands just how special it is.