My original panther pink 1970 Dart Swinger 340 was purchased from a used car lot in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, in February, 1971, while I was still a university student. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Thanks to my father co-signing a loan, I was able to buy it. What a change from my 95 horsepower 1964 Chevy Nova sedan.
The car was an automatic with just over 12,000 miles on the odometer. For a nominal fee, the original five-year/50,000 mile warranty was transferred to me as the second owner. This was to prove beneficial as the positraction rear end failed at 22,000 miles and the transmission at 49,600 miles.
In 1975, 1 got married and between my wife and I, we decided that the Swinger didn't fit the image of my chosen profession - that of an accountant. In July, 1975, not knowing the rarity of the car I had, we sold the Swinger.
For the next twenty-five years, I had recurring dreams about that Swinger. Eventually, I told my wife that someday I was going to buy a 1970 Dart Swinger 340. Finally, in 1999, 1 felt that I could afford to buy one (and I was still having dreams about my original car) and so I started to look in earnest for one both on the Internet and at car shows.
Through my research, I discovered that there were about 13,875 1970 Dart Swinger 340's built. However, panther pink (FM3 paint code) was a promotional colour only used for a short time in the latter part of the 1970 model year and that no accurate record of the production numbers were kept. Educated guesses by those knowledgeable in Mopar history place the number at 60-110 units. A fellow named Joel Cooper maintains a registry of 1970 Dart Swinger 340's. He reports that he has 21 panther pink swingers in his registry. If you have a 1970 Dart Swinger 340 I suggest that you register it with Joel. He can be reached at dartsclub@snet.net . I am interested in hearing from anyone who has an original panther pink coloured swinger.
In the June, 2000, issue of Canadian Classics magazine, I found my dream car featured in an article. I was elated when Mr. Al Walker of Georgetown, Ontario, agreed to sell me his panther pink swinger.
The car spent its early life in Quebec and is an older restoration (1988). It has seen 13,000 miles since restoration. In the future, the car will see some sunny weather cruising and some local car shows.