Limited-Edition Print of 500 (13x19)
Signed and numbered by the Artist.
In 1971, when The Dodge division of Chrysler was to release it's version of Plymouth's "Duster," the boys in the Marketing Department named it the "Beaver." Which begs the question, Why?
As soon as they learned that "Beaver" was slang for a certain female body part, they quickly came up with a new name, the "Dart Demon." This was accompanied by a logo of a little Red Devil with a pitch fork. Which begs another question, shouldn't someone in the "Marketing Department" have been fired by now?
So of course, this name went over like the proverbial "Lead Balloon" and in 1973 the car was again renamed, now the "Dart Sport."
In 173 "Dick Landy Industries" (DLI) built 4 "Dart Sport" Pro Stockers. Two went back to the East Coast, the third was sold the Larry Huff and Landy kept the forth car.
These Darts were acid dipped bodies mounted on a Kent Fuller square tube chassis with Chrysler's 426 Hemi for motivation.
Huff's car was so successful in 73, that he won the AHRA World Championship and he would repeat winning the Championship again in 74.
Meanwhile, Landy had just crashed his car in an accident, so he purchased the Championship Dart back from Huff, and repainted it in his colors. That is the car you see here...
Landy drove this car until 1977 when NHRA made the dominating Mopars add so much weight as to make them obsolete. With that ruling, Landy retired his driving gloves, built a new smaller Dodge "Omni" and hired Brad Yuill to do the driving...
By 1977 Dick had managed to get the "Dart" to run as low as 8.715et at 157.61mph...
Many feel this car was the "Last Hurrah" for the "Glory Days" of Pro Stock racing.
With it's front wheels hiked in the air, this seems a fitting salute, to one man's remarkable career, and to one of Dodge's Best Competitors and Ambassador ...
"Dandy" Dick Landy...
