A single owner. Low mileage. Never fully restored. In the world of muscle car collecting, these are the magic words that turn sensible adults into keyboard warriors. This week, a 1971 Dodge Dart Demon surfaced on eBay, and the internet has collectively lost its mind.
Hundreds of potential buyers are currently sharpening their digital blades to fight for a car that spent its entire life with just one person. The same man who drove it off the dealership lot back when bell-bottoms were unironic.
The Dodge Dart line saw a chaotic evolution between 1969 and 1971, transitioning from the Swinger 340 to the introduction of the Demon, famously sold as the Plymouth Duster elsewhere. This specific specimen wears a desirable B5 Blue finish, and while it isn’t an “impeccable” showroom queen, it has the pedigree collectors crave. It survived the decades without a major accident, though it did receive a fresh coat of paint in the ’90s.
However, “original” doesn’t always mean “perfect”. While the seller promises the chassis, undercarriage, and trunk floor are clean, the “demon of rust” has already invaded the driver-side quarter panel. Inside, the original bench seat was swapped for era-appropriate black buckets, and the headliner is currently asking for mercy.
Mechanically, the original 318 ci engine still starts and runs, but the transmission isn’t the one it was born with; the original broke 20 years ago and was replaced with a period-correct unit from another 1971 Dart.
The VIN (LL29G1E113504) has sparked a nerd-war in the comments, with some confused bidders thinking the “LL” prefix implies a Swinger. But “LL” was actually standard for 318-powered Demons, while the 340 variants used “LM”. Regardless of the technicalities, the bidding war is ruthless. With over 1,000 views and 43 bids pushing the price to $9,600, the no reserve status means someone is going home with a new project in four days.
