The Dodge Drag Strip Weapon That Was Renamed After Religious Protests
Racing culture is all about pushing the limits, and one Dodge muscle car quickly learned that it had gone too far as it faced tons of backlash. The seemingly perfect name for a drag strip weapon was pretty sinister, and people just couldn’t handle it. As a result, Dodge had to step in and make a few massive changes to save face. Muscle car fans could likely handle it today if it were to make another comeback.
Dodge Needed To Compete In The Fastback Market
In the late 1960s, Dodge discovered that it was a bit behind market trends in terms of styling. The automaker desperately needed to compete in the booming fastback market. The Ford Mustang arrived in 1964 with a sloping, aerodynamic roofline that drove fans wild and exploded into a cultural icon.
Chrysler and General Motors scrambled to catch up and compete with their own SportsRoof designs. In 1970, the Plymouth Valiant Duster was released with an aggressive fastback style that was a massive success for the brand. In fact, Dodge would say it was too successful, as Plymouth began outselling the brand. Introducing the Duster caused Plymouth sales to increase by 150% in 1970.
Dodge also needed to cash in on the trend of placing larger engines in lighter cars to offer more horsepower per dollar as rising insurance rates and increasing emissions standards were starting to choke out intermediate cars. Providing an affordable sports car was crucial for retaining younger buyers.
On top of that, things were still in the “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” era, so Dodge needed to prove its racing dominance. So, Dodge got to work adapting the A-body platform to create an affordable coupe that could challenge the Ford Mustang at stoplights with incredible speed and performance upgrades.
The Dodge Dart Demon 340 Arrived To Terrorize The Strip
The 1971 Dodge Dart Demon 340 was created by adding a fastback design to the front end of the Dodge Dart with an incredible performance package. This car features a 340 cubic-inch small-block V8 with 275 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of torque. The Demon 340 could be paired with an A-230 three-speed floor shifter manual, A-833 four-speed manual, or TorqueFlight automatic transmission.
The car weighs in at about 3,100 to 3,300 pounds. It launches from 0 to 60 mph in about 6.5 seconds and completes a quarter-mile in nearly 14.49 seconds at roughly 98 mph with a top speed of 130 mph. Being equipped with a four-barrel Carter AVS carburetor, a forged steel crankshaft, a double roller timing chain, dual exhaust, and an open air cleaner certainly made a difference.
It’s outfitted with a standard heavy-duty Rallye suspension package with larger 0.87-inch torsion bars and a .88-inch front stabilizer bar. In the rear, you’ll find heavy-duty leaf springs, gigantic shock absorbers, and a rear anti-sway bar to limit body roll. The lightweight front end improved dynamic weight transfer during hard launches, thereby aiding initial traction.
The 1971 Plymouth Valiant Duster 340 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in around 6.2 seconds, with a 14.2-second quarter-mile time at roughly 98 mph and a top speed of about 130 mph. Then the 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351 rings in with 330 hp and 370 lb-ft of torque. It flies from 0 to 60 mph in about 5.8 seconds and finishes a quarter mile in around 13.6 seconds at 104 mph.
But The Dodge Dart Demon Name Faced Protests
The satanic panic didn’t even get ramped up until about 1980, but religious groups still protested the Dodge Dart Demon name. On an interesting note, rumors suggest that Dodge wanted to use Beaver as the moniker instead of Demon to pair it with the existing Dart Swinger. It is unclear how the two names relate, but allegedly, Dodge dropped the Beaver idea after learning it was a slang term for a woman’s anatomy.
Rumors also suggest that the Demon title was innocent, as a play on the word “demonstration,” and one could argue that the car did demonstrate high-power performance. But religious groups felt like the Demon moniker promoted anti-Christian values by honoring the devil. Plus, decals of the cartoon demon holding a pitchfork on the body and fenders only added fuel to the fire by further enraging Christians.
Despite facing protests and pressure to change the name, sales remained solid in 1971. About 70,000 to 80,000 models were sold. But Dodge removed the cartoon graphics in 1972 in an attempt to appease critics. However, due to emission standards, the Demon 340 was detuned to 240 hp and an 8.5:1 compression ratio.
This, along with continued backlash, resulted in lower sales as the Demon sold under 50,000 units in 1972. Meanwhile, the extremely similar Plymouth Duster watched its sales increase from 186,999 to over 212,000 units. This forced Dodge to change the name from the Dart Demon to the Dodge Dart Sport by 1973.
Collectors Sleep On The Dodge Demon 340
Despite the Demon having good sales during its first year, only about 10,098 were the Demon 340 variant. Only about 8,700 Demon 340 models were sold in 1972, making it a rare option that encapsulates the rebellious nature of muscle car culture. But it might be more affordable than you think.
Models found in good condition usually sell for about $30,600. Examples in higher quality condition typically hover around $39,000. Then ultra-rare builds in pristine condition push the price up to $88,000. But it does hold more value than the 1973 Dodge Dart Sport 340, which sells for about $10,500 to $13,000 depending on quality and condition.
1971 Plymouth Duster 340 models in driving condition fetch between $7,900 and $12,800, while models in average condition sell for between $17,200 and $24,100. Duster 340 cars in excellent condition cross the auction block for between $43,900 and over $75,700. Only 1,806 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 351 models were made, making it much rarer. It sells for between $72,000 and over $150,000, depending on condition.
Source: Hemmings, How Stuff Works, , Dodge
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