According to the folks at Allpar, SRT Brand CEO and President Ralph Gilles posted on Twitter that the upcoming Dodge Dart GT would not arrive until August or September – likely making it a 2014 model year vehicle. This comes as a disappointing surprise for those prospective buyers who had hoped to buy a 2013 Dart GT this summer but it sounds like there will be no 2013 model year Dart GT due to unspecified delays.
Mr. Gilles tweet, which could not be verified by Allpar, stated that “The Dart GT is in the final stages of durability testing, looking like it will be a 2014 meaning August/September.” Allpar clarifies that production would begin in those months so deliveries likely wouldn’t begin until October or November.
In the long run, it really doesn’t make any difference to the consumer world what model year is assigned to a vehicle but if Chrysler has decided to wait until the 2014 model year to introduce the Dart GT, it means that those waiting for the highest performance Dart possible will have to wait longer than expected. When the Dart GT was first introduced, it was believed that this high performance sedan would arrive in time for buyers to enjoy the summer, but a production launch in August or September kills those hopes.
It might seem odd that the head of the high performance SRT brand would tweet about a vehicle that currently has no SRT affiliation but Gilles has commented in the past that the Dodge Dart GT offers a similar driving feel to the current Street and Racing Technology lineup. It is widely believed that a Dart SRT is on the way in the next couple years with the GT serving as the “step vehicle” between the fuel efficient Dart lineup and the high performance, likely turbocharged Dart SRT. On top of that, Ralph Gilles is a fan of the high performance compact world with one of his personal vehicles being a built Dodge Neon SRT4 – a vehicle that saw success that the Dart SRT would hope to emulate.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
