One day in 1964, my grandfather told me that a new elephant had arrived but I would be disappointed that it was a smaller one with 6 cylinders. There, in front of a 6-year-old boy, was a Dodge Dart 270 Sedan and what a sleek beauty it was. It came in two-color paint, metallic gold and creamy white top. (Although I had been brainwashed earlier that the elephant must have at least 8 cylinders, the disappointment was quickly washed away, especially since the metallic color was new at that time, too.) My grandfather loved and respected this car so much that he only used it in special occasions. He drove it about twice a month to attend his duty at the Royal Household Department or to important meetings. Sometimes this Dart 270 would run between police cars during a special assignment to represent His Majesty the King. After 38 years of faithful performance, this car has clocked only 38,000 miles and maintains most of its original parts, except that the old paint has faded away due to the humidity of the tropical climate. The only foreign parts are new fuel and temp gauges.
Searching for other Dart 270 models in Thailand revealed that my old slant-six is the only surviving member of a pair imported in 1964, one in gold and the other in silver bronze two-tone color. The importer was a state enterprise called The Parcel Delivery Company that is similar to the UPS. They import a lot of Dodge trucks for their own use and, in the early 1960s, tried to expand into car selling business. Only these 2 trial cars were made available to the local market before they decided not to proceed further. The second Dart or the sister car had disappeared for decades until last year when I spotted its remains in the middle of rice field near a small scrap yard about 60 kilometers from the city. Sadly enough, all instruments, engine or any useful parts were stripped away. Now I can comfortably conclude that I have the only Dart 270 in my country.
I have had the Dart repainted to duplicate the original colors. The car was stripped into pieces at a garage recommended by the Thailand Vintage Car Club. I use Volvo's gold metallic for the body and white for the top that is a bit brighter than the original tone. The gold is sensible because the steering wheel stated 1914-1964 Dodge Golden Anniversary. The chrome grille, bumpers, seats and all of the rubber sealing parts can be reused and this proves how durable an old US made car can be. (I also own a MGA, which, as you know, does not carry the same quality.) To remind me of my grandfather, I keep the Stainless Garuda insignia attached in the front grill and a sticker date 1970 indicated that this car was allowed to enter the inner part of the Royal Palace, a rare permission indeed.