The sales brochure for the 1972 Dart Swinger – “The compact with the split personality” makes for some interesting reading.

“1972 Dart Swinger. The car that’s at home both in the city and on the freeways. It’s compact and nimble enough to give you a fighting chance in downtown traffic and to get you into tight parking spaces.”

Careful inspection of the drivers side of today’s featured model, seen at Shakespeare County Raceway, reveals many indentations caused, according to it’s owner, by a li’l old lady who had difficulty getting in and out of her driveway in San Francisco. This 1972 Swinger is fitted with the optional larger 5211 cc / 318 cui V8 which the sales literature described as “easily up for passing”.

The Swinger name was first applied to all forth generation Dart two door hardtops except the top end Custom line in 1970. Choosing a hip name for a model is fraught with pitfalls especially when that name becomes subverted through the activities of a sub culture. I wonder what howlers are being manufactured today that future generations might find so amusing ? If you have any suggestions please chime in below.

The boot / trunk is described as big enough to carry ” three men’s overnight suitcases, a two-suiter, three lady’s overnighters, a lady’s Pullman case, her warddrobe bag, a train case and your golf clubs.” Considerably more than might fit in my Mk 4 Golf Estate / station wagon even with the seats folded down ! I wonder how many Swingers ever carried so much baggage ?

Thanks for joining me on this “The Compact With The Split Personality” edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !