Dodge Dart is Back!

The New Chrysler has been short of a compact sedan. But soon, that problem will be elegantly solved with the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart. The car will debut at the Detroit Auto Show one month from today.

If the name sounds familiar, that's because it is. Dart was introduced as a version of the full-size Dodge back in 1960, but it was the ground-breaking 1963 compact model that made it was it was. That car, after changes in 1968, ran into the mid 1970's and featured an economical and bulletproof "slant 6" as well as some mighty V8s, making it popular for the modest and the manic.

A 1966 model is pictured. I learned to drive on the Plymouth Valiant of the same year--it's corporate cousin--and later drove my mother's 1966 Dart convertible--a baby blue beauty with "three on the tree" manual transmission and black vinyl interior.

The 2013 is shown in teasers like the red one posted here. It's based on an Alfa Romeo and promises to be handsome and a fine driver. Three efficient four-cylinder engines, including one with a turbo, should, like the early Dart, provide a choice of driving experiences.

The new Dart will be built in the updated Belvidere, Illinois plant that has produced compact Dodge and Plymouth Neons and other models for Chrysler since it opened in 1965.

I hope they offer one with a manual transmission!