In my opinion, Jay Leno is the best high-profile vehicle collector there is. In addition to being a fun person to watch, he also performs a lot of the restoration work by himself. In addition, his collection is incredibly diversified, including steam cars, cars from the early 20th century, muscle cars, and the newest hypercars with battery power.
I’m a huge fan of vintage cars, so I get excited everytime he features one in his weekly vlog. Much more so if it’s a pre-WWII vehicle or a heavily modified pony from the heyday of the muscle car. If you like these cars as well, the most recent Jay Leno’s Garage program has a 1968 Dodge Dart GTS, a truly fantastic Mopar.
Introduced as a full-size car in 1960, the Dart was redesigned into a midsize in 1962 and then reduced to a compact size in 1963. In 1967, the fourth-gen Dart arrived with a sportier design and high-performance engines that turned it into a proper muscle car. While overshadowed by the Charger, Challenger, and Super Bee, the Dart spawned a few impressively powerful variants in the late 1960s.
The most recognizable and desired model is probably the LO23. Only 80 of this factory-built dragster’s 426 cubic inch (7.0 liter) HEMI V8 engines were produced. The enormous 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB was installed in 50 Darts that same year by Norman Kraus of Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago to create the GSS. Dodge was motivated by the latter to use the same engine in the Dart GTS in 1969. There were just 640 Dart GTS 440 models produced.
Jay Leno’s GTS is not one of those highly desirable 440 cars, but it stands out as a one-owner rig that was restored to its original specifications. And it’s not a slouch either, thanks to a four-barrel 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8. It’s pretty rare, too, as only 2,112 Darts left the assembly line with a 383 big-block during the 1968 model year.
Owned by the same family for many decades, it ended up in Leno’s garage when the lady decided it was time for the Dart to go to a new home. Jay purchased it as a wonderfully restored example that looks just like it did when it left the assembly line save for the Cragar SS wheels and the aftermarket tach. And check out the incredible Bronze Metallic finish, which, by the way, was exclusive to the Dart in 1968.
So what distinguishes the GTS model? Well, it was the top-of-the-line, performance-driven model for the marque. A four-barrel 383 engine with 340 cubic inches (5.6 liters) of displacement and 275 horsepower was available as an option. The latter is installed in Jay’s gorgeous Mopar, and when the pedal is depressed, it makes an absolutely fantastic sound.
The ex-TV host seemed to be content with the GTS, which he calls a “big go-kart” and a “fun car overall.” Due to its relatively small footprint, at least when compared to most muscle cars from the era, he also thinks the Dart would be a fantastic everyday vehicle.