Minneapolis Street Sighting: Dodge Dart convertible

When I begin my car hunts, the first thing I expect to see is more and more GMs that I haven't seen; Fords are a tad less common, but I do still see them around, often in terrible condition, even for their age. Older Chrysler corporation cars are another story entirely; for whatever reason, they don't seem to be as popular in the Midwest--I suppose that was true, too, as Chrysler's muscle cars never really seemed to be as popular as the ubiquitous Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang. That's a shame, too, because over the years, I have developed a serious liking of Mopar's history and heritage. Out of all the cars I started to like, the Dart (particularly the 1963 to 1966 cars) has quickly become one of my favorites. I think that may actually be because I learned about them early on; my mom had one as a first car, hers was white with red interior (I think) and push button gears.















This represents summer shooting at its finest; relatively clean example of a seldom-seen car. A car enthusiast just can;t beat that combination--especially in Minnesota, where everything rusts or decays faster than normal. Okay, so this Dart isn't in absolutely pristine shape-- but what classic that gets used daily is? I absolutely love the color combination here. That teal color is possibly a favorite color "group" of mine, and it certainly beats the heck out of white, silver or black on a classic car. The hubcaps too provide a nice, period look even if they might not be original.
The interior is where things get a tad interesting. I appreciate stainless steel (chrome?), and the black panels are quite nice, as is that big deep-dished steering wheel. What I'm not so sure about are the seats. I know I can't even see them in these photographs, but they appear to be recovered modern-era buckets. So what if the new seats are more comfortable than an old bench? The old bench suits this car better. And if this Dart were mine, I'd leave it in place.
I don't see too many--and I think this is the only one I've been able to shoot in depth; I quite like this, and I wish I could find more. To me, a Dart convertible is probably the most perfect Dodge this side of a Superbee or Charger Daytona, and I don't mean the new renditions.