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More fish stories of Mopar cars and trucks: Car Spotter #29

by Tom Buss

I decided to do another hodge-podge article of miscellaneous photos I’ve gathered over time, so welcome to the Hodge Podge Dodge Lodge, which welcomes any and all older Mopars, actually….

U-Haul Dart Seneca

Our first photo is a 1961 Dodge Dart Seneca or Pioneer station wagon. I acquired this photo at least 10 years ago when I was arranging a U-Haul rental for a car show. The Dart series was introduced in 1960 as a group of cars that were just slightly smaller than the full-size cars. These Darts were very different from the 1962-1976 compact Darts we all know and love. Since this retro advertising wagon caught my eye, I couldn’t resist sharing it.

Airflow in trailer

Our second photo is a Chrysler Airflow inside my friend’s enclosed trailer. He was hauling the car for the owner. I got a glimpse of the car and thought the view had an artistic flair. This is also at least 10 years ago.

ChooChoo Cruiser

Our third photo is a painting on the back of a PT Cruiser. I saw this car in 2012 at a Penn Argyl, PA car show on Father’s Day.

red 1964 Dodge Dart

Our fourth photo is a 1964 Dodge Dart. It could be a 270 Series, but I suspect it is a GT. I saw this car at Das Awkscht Fescht in Macungie, PA at least 15 years ago. My parents had a ’64 Dart 4 door sedan, so I have a soft spot for ’64 Darts.

Dodge HumpBack truck

Our fifth photo is a 1937 or ’38 Dodge Commercial Panel Truck I saw as I was walking from a distant parking lot to the Das Awkscht Fescht show at least 15 years ago. When a car show comes to town, it is fun to see what old cars come out of the woodwork to be on sale by the side of the road. Some people refer to these as a Hump Back because of their raised rear roof.

1973 Dodge Sno Commander?

Our sixth photo is a four-wheel drive Dodge pick-up. I was told it was a 1973 Sno Commander, but the grille seems a little newer than ’73. The first time I saw this truck was on a used car lot near my home in Dover, NJ at least 17 years ago. I looked at it on a dark, cold, winter night. It had a plow in the bed. The salesman insisted it was an original Sno Commander, though the stickers were gone and the truck had been repainted at some point. A few years later I saw it at a nearby auto body shop and took this photo.

The rumor was that an autobody guy bought it and took it to his shop to fix up. When I was speaking to the salesman, he tried to get me to imagine buying it and starting my own snow plowing business. I couldn’t imagine abusing an older truck that way. He also told me it had a 318 engine. I suppose a 318 could be strong enough for plowing, but I felt that a 360 or 400 would probably have been a wiser choice.

2014 Power Wagon

Our seventh photo (slightly blurry) is a top-of-the-line 2014 ~~Dodge~~ Ram Power Wagon. Dave Zatz, my very nice Mopar friend, was able to secure this truck from Dodge for a weekend in order to test it and write a review. This baby had everything from storage compartments in the bed walls to an electric winch. I grabbed this photo as Dave was leaving my house in June of 2014. (which is why it’s a little blurry).

More fish stories of Mopar cars and trucks: Car Spotter #29

Other Car Spotter articles by Tom Buss