Final-Year Find: A Restored 1976 Dodge Dart Sport Asks $25,500

Mopar fans shopping for a compact muscle-era coupe may want to look at the last installment of the Dodge Dart line before it gave way to the Aspen. This 1976 Dart Sport, listed for sale in Daytona Beach, Florida, carries an asking price of $25,500 and presents as a restored, mildly upgraded example of the final model year.

The Dart Sport name itself has an unusual backstory. When Dodge introduced the Plymouth Duster-derived coupe in 1971, it wore the Demon badge. That moniker didn’t survive long, and from 1973 through 1976 the car was marketed as the Dart Sport until the Dart was retired in favor of the Aspen. Because 1976 was the swan-song year, just 13,642 Dart Sports were built, making it the hardest version to track down today.

Under the hood sits a 318-cubic-inch V8, though this one is a 1968-vintage engine rather than the original powerplant, described by the seller as having a mild build. It channels output through a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The car reportedly left the factory with a V8, which could have been either a 318 or a 360, but the current engine is not the numbers-matching unit. The body is finished in black over a red interior, topped by a black vinyl roof, with Keystone wheels that the listing notes pair well with the paint scheme.

History details are thin. The car is said to have originated in California, which likely helped it stay rust-free, but the seller does not provide total mileage or a full account of its past five decades. The interior has been redone and may not use factory-correct materials, and the car has recently been detailed. The bumpers appear to have been tucked in, a period-appropriate styling tweak. No formal claim of a full restoration is made, though the overall condition suggests one.

The open question for a Mopar shopper is whether a Dart Sport with a non-original 318 justifies the $25k ask. For someone who simply wants a clean, turnkey example of the Dart’s final year, the answer may well be yes. Collectors chasing numbers-matching originality will likely want to keep looking.