Friday, September 24, 2010

1975 Dodge Colt GT

This is another one of those cars that was extremely popular in its day, but few still exist now. Dodge sold 125,000 Colts in 1975 alone.

Introduced in 1971, the Colt was Dodge's answer to the Pinto and the Vega. (Plymouth got the Cricket - a rebadged Hillman Avenger. In a typical Chrysler "let's confuse the hell out of everyone" move, Chrysler marketed the Colt as a Plymouth Cricket in Canada after they stopped importing the Avenger. In the US, after Chrysler pulled the plug on the British built Cricket, Plymouth didn't get a "small car" until 1976 when they go the Mitsubishi built Arrow.) In hindsight, it was a much better car than both the Pinto, Vega and many other small cars for sale in the US in the early 1970s. Like the Pinto and Vega, it was rear-wheel drive.

The Colt GT got special exterior striping, a fancier interior (with a center console) and special wheels. But it was more than just an appearance package. The 1975 Colt GT received a bigger engine, the 2.0 liter "Astron" engine with its "Jet Valve" technology. The Jet Valve was a third valve that induced swirl in the intake charge, enabling the use of leaner fuel/air mixtures for lower emissions.

Like most cars of the early 1970s, Colts rusted badly.

The seller of this Colt says the paint "getting a little thin", but it appears to have little, if any rust on it. The drivers seat needs to be redone. It's also said to run and drive "great".

While the later Colt Turbo is more exciting, this 2.0 Colt is less trouble prone. If you're looking for a classic Japanese coupe, one that's dependable and not often seen these days, this might be a car worth looking at.

Located in Santa Clara, CA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.


rrshadow2 said...

That's kinda cool, but I'd Really REALLY like to score a Plymouth Cricket or a Simca 1204 from roughly the same era

Just A Car Geek said...

I'm right there with you on both.


Anonymous said...

I NEED that car