The Dodge Dart made its debut in 1960 and was manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler Corporation. At the start of its production, the Dart was available in 3 body styles; the Seneca, Pioneer and Phoenix. Seneca was the main base model; Pioneer was the intermediate model, and Phoenix the superior model. The Dart name stuck to Dodge's full sized models in 1960 and 1961, then jumped to mid-size cars in 1962, and finally was used for compact models from 1963 to 1976.

A wide choice was offered in the engine department; slant-6 engine, 318 and 361 cubic inches V8 engines were available, which could be enhanced with different carburetors to improve the horsepower. The 318 cubic inch V8 engine churned 230 horsepower, whereas the 361 cubic inch V8 stirred up 310 horsepower. The engine was located in the front and was a rear wheel drive car. By 1963, the Dart name tagged Dodge's redesigned compact cars that were styled on the Valiant. The wheelbase was increased to 111 inches. The body styles that were now available were Dart 170, Dart 270, and Dart GT. It was available as a 2-door hardtop coupe, station wagon, 2 or 4-door sedan, and convertible. The Dart was equipped with a standard 3-speed, column shift manual transmission and had an option of Chrysler's pushbutton-shifted TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The Dart GT belonged to the premium/sporty car league and was available as a convertible or coupe.

The Dart had a long life span and underwent evolution through the years. Country specific Darts were produced adapting to the various trends and finally the Darts were decommissioned in 1980.