The 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 Concept Is the Quiet Kid with a Switchblade Grin

I have a confession: I’ve always been the kind of car nut who gets weak-kneed for subtlety wrapped around a sucker punch. As an ordinary player with no garage full of Hemis, I appreciate a machine that doesn’t need to shout to rearrange your spine. That’s exactly why the 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 concept hit me like a marlin hitting a trolled lure.

I first saw it in photos before the 2025 Mecum Chicago sale, and honestly, I expected another pretty trailer queen. What I found instead was a one-off built by the Alexander Brothers in cahoots with Chrysler, shown at the 1969 Chicago Auto Show, wearing Maroon metallic like a grizzly bear in a rented tuxedo. It was Detroit flexing brains instead of just cubic inches.

Beneath that tri-lobed hood with butterfly-valve vents—a look that screams “supercharged” without needing any boost—sits a 340-cubic-inch LA-series V8. It idles like a caffeinated woodpecker tapping out a warning. The numbers aren’t Hemi-frightening, but they’re honest: 275 horsepower and 340 LB-FT of torque through a four-barrel carb. A no-nonsense A833 four-speed manual feeds an 8.75-inch rear axle, and dual exhaust pipes make sure no one behind you mistakes it for a polite economy sedan.

Here’s the mechanical cheat sheet:

Component
What You Get

Engine
340 ci LA-series V8

Output
275 hp / 340 lb-ft

Induction
Four-barrel carb

Transmission
A833 4-speed manual

Rear end
8.75-inch axle

Brakes & steering
Power-assisted

Wheels
Ansen Sprint slotted mags

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