Also pre production Darts apparently had the name D-A-R-T  applied to the rear quarter panel where you normally have Seneca,  Pioneer, or Phoenix script.  This particular car was test driven by Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated all the way to Alaska.     Here is the text of his test drive report. 

However, let's ignore the "first" claims and take a look at the Dart for what it really is.  It is a red-hot threat to the Big-Three leaders.  The Dart is not likely to blast Chevy, Ford or Plymouth from their present positions in the industry.  But, as they say in Costello's Third Avenue Saloon, the Dart could very well "whip  a lot of froth off the head of the beer."  Where it will rank in the industry a year from now depends on a lot of factors such as strikes, sales outlets and, most important of all, public acceptance.

Back in the 20's before Plymouth got off  the rock,  Dodge was comfortably nestled for many years in the Number Three slot later held by Plymouth.  The chances of dislodging Plymouth from its current perch during this model year are about as likely as a blizzard at the Panama Canal but the Dart may cut deeply into Plymouth's sales because of its unique size.  It might be described as a giant compact car, or a compact Big Three car.  It is about an inch shorter than Plymouth in overall length and several inches scantier than Ford.  Overall height of 54.8 inches and the interior dimensions of 34.5 inches headroom and 63 inches of tail room make it a big car on the inside.

On the road, due to its size,  the Dart is effortless to drive.  When coupled with the optional big Dodge D-500 engine displacing 383 cubic inches and two four-barrel carburetors, it should be able to chew around the race course with enough stuff to turn the humidity into steam.  When I tested the Dart at the Chrysler Proving Grounds my test car was the 318 cubic inch small V8 Phoenix model with a four-barrel carburetor.  This job can also be had with a two-barrel carburetor for slightly more economy.  With this comparatively small mill, it banged out 0-60 mph in 9.8 seconds and 0-30 mph in 3.9 seconds.  So you won't need the imagination of Jules Verne to figure out that with the big 383-cubic inch stroker and two four barrel carburetors, plus higher compression ratio, a Dart should make a helluva ridge-runner for the moonshine boys.
 
 

Considering the rugged terrain to be covered, which might include some snow, rough dirt roads, and just about everything you wouldn't expect on a turnpike, I knew suspension had to be an absolute must.  Since DuPont wanted a full-sized car without  oversize, the Dart was my selection.  A couple of weeks later, Bill Carty, Advertising Manager of DuPont's anti-freeze division, picked up a Dart and headed for Seattle.  Here are some of his findings (and if you read the papers regularly you must know that DuPont doesn't own any Chrysler stock--in fact, they own roughly 23 per cent of General Motors).

On the open roads where speed limits are only a suggestion, he kept the Dart running between 75-80 mph wherever possible.  Despite this hard break-in, when the Dart arrived on our northern West Coast it had averaged 17.8 mpg at the highest cruising speeds possible.  The only complaint the DuPont boys had was that the windshield wipers lifted away from the windshield at speeds above 60 mph.

After the trip to Alaska started, over open gravel and dirt roads before the AlCan highway was reached, speed was held to around 80 mph.  It was on this gravely dirt road that the advantages of the new Unibody construction became apparent.  As stated earlier, these body-and-frame units are dipped, not only to seal against corrosion but to fill any seams as well.  There were three cars in the caravan: two almost new '59 cars and the '60 Dart.   All the clothes, duffel, camera equipment, etc., carried in the two '59 cars were covered with a layer of fine, whitish gritty dust--even in the trunks.  The Dodge Dart, with its sealed Unibody, remained absolutely dust-free.
 

The test trip was an entire success and the  Dart made it to the Land of the Eskimos without a balk.  The best way I can show you how Bill Carty felt about the car is to tell you the first thing he did on his return  home was to order a brand-new Dart for himself.  I understand one of the other DuPont boys on the run did  the same thing.  To say the least, DuPont was thoroughly satisfied with  my selection--which was peachy because if  I'd goofed I'd probably be working  for McMichael's Amalgamated Chemicals next year.

One thing this Dart is going to do is to show us all pretty quickly whether or not Americans want smaller, easier-handling cars.  During the course of a year I get many letters from readers who claim they need lots of interior room but want to know why our standard cars must be so big on the outside with such ramp-like overhangs.  Well, if they really want a car with ample interior dimensions but not too much bulk on the exterior, this Dart with its large choice of engines from an economy six to a wildcat double-barreled V-8, should provide a pretty obvious answer.

In summing up,  the Dodge Division of Chrysler has had a few good years and a lot of lean ones.  The full-sized car, right in the middle of the medium-priced field, has had to face competition that was the roughest in the entire industry, from such makes as Mercury, Pontiac, Olds and all the deluxe models of the Big Three.  Dodge has always been a good car.  But so have some of the others.  The Dart is actually  unlike anything Dodge has built  in many years.  ( editor's note - in Canada Dodge produced a line of smaller cars for years - based on the Plymouth body with Dodge front sheet metal bolted on).  It is a car with a medium-price name selling in the low-price field and ready to undersell all but the panic models of the Big Three.  If the boys keep screwing them together right, the Dart should once again put Dodge among the five top  selling cars in the world.  If it doesn't then you can discount all that talk about "what we want is a small car with lots of room"  as just so much heated air.

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Below is the Drive Test  Report from Motor Trend on the 1960 Dodge Polara four door hardtop.  These articles were taken from the 1960 Dodge web site which is no longer in service.   

Motor Trend's Test of the 1960 Dodge Polara,
Re printed From  April 1960 

Things we like:

Smooth, rapid acceleration,   Good Brakes,
Reasonable fuel mileage for h.p., Solid
construction, Driver and passenger comfort,
Good Luggage space.

Poor installation of trim, 
Wide cracks around doors, Long rear overhang.

Ruggedness, the ability to stand the wear and tear of every day use, has become a big factor in the public's appraisal of a product they are preparing to buy.  Most of our early automobiles were extremely rugged - they had to be just to withstand the vibration of their huge solid-mounted engines, poor springing, hard tires, and pavement comprised of a series of chuck holes laid end-to-end.  Among the most rugged of these pioneering motor vehicles was the Dodge.  Some of these cars of World War 1 vintage were still running strong in the era before World War II.

While highways and tires have improved, the fantastic growth of the American motor car is due largely to its dependability, nationwide service facilities and ease of operation, but ruggedness is still a big factor.  Today we have more interior space in which to carry heavier passenger loads, speeds are higher, bumps are lower but we hit them faster, and we travel at a great deal farther per year than we did 30 years ago.

The Dodge Polara four-door hardtop tested by MOTOR TREND  was equipped with  the D-500 engine package, which is the ram-inducted  version of the 383 cubic inch OVH V8.  This is a lot of powerplant, but the Polara unit body/frame construction is plenty rugged and stands up well under the performance capabilities of this engine.  Standard engine usually furnished with this car is the same displacement and compression ratio (10 to 1) as the ram-tuned option and can be coupled to a three-speed manual transmission with a choice of 3.54 to 1 or 3.31 to 1 rear axle ratio.  Basic price of the  Automatic three-speed torqueflite transmission will cost an extra $210.70 with a choice of either 2.93 to 1 or 3.31 to 1 rea-axle ratios.  We thought it best to bring out  these details to avoid confusion and point out the terrific bargain of the D-500 package at $395.20, which includes the Torqueflite automatic, the only transmission available with the ram-tuned manifold.  Rear end ratio is standard 3.31 to 1 and optional 2.93 to 1.  There are no complaints with the handling of the Polara, and the Sure-Grip differential at $49.70 makes good use of power available at the rear wheels.
 

Highway touring in a car with such power is quiet, effortless and exhilarating, especially with  the extra margin of passing acceleration even at high cruising speeds.  Wind noise is not excessive, but gaps around the doors steer annoying drafts on feet and ankles even with the windows closed.  This was a strange thing about this test car.   The body was stiff and rugged.  No rattles developed, and the doors opened and closed well but they did not fit.  Similar discrepancies were apparent in most of the chrome strips and the stainless steel binding  around windshield and rear window.  They were poorly applied and did not fit well.  Tighter production quality control is clearly indicated.

Horsepower and economy do not exactly go hand-in-hand when pulling large passenger vehicles at high speed.  The Dodge Polara requires premium fuel but at normal cruising speeds does not gulp the gas one would expect.  At steady speeds with our 1/10 - gallon fuel test bottle, we were able to stretch a lot of distance out  of that little container, but anyone who drives a car with such power potential is certainly not going to miss the thrill of having so much acceleration under the throttle foot.

The MOTOR TREND staffers who drove this car could not resist the go....go....go temptation either.  We took the car over into the straight flat stretches of Nevada highway for the really fast road cruising, knowing full well we could easily stir up a citation  under California's newly enforced 65-mph limit. 

One 200-mile stretch of this road had practically no traffic, only slight grades, and nothing but barely detectable curves, providing a chance to check stability, comfort, driving ease and mileage at cruising speeds in the 85-90 mph range.  Under these conditions the car tracked very well, noise level was so low that the speeds were hard to judge by sound alone, and fuel consumption was just a shade under 14 mpg.

In the mountains there is sufficient power to get about the same mileage as in fast highway cruising, but the shift-down braking and acceleration advantages  of driving such roads with the transmission in D-2 will cut fuel mileage if such a driving technique is followed.

Unseen suspension changes improve steering and handling over last year's model with some softening of  the feel of the road through the power steering system, whose lively 3.5 turns lock-to-lock ratio has been retained.

1. BRAKES  Total-Contact drum hydraulics, identical front and rear, have bonded linings.  Effective lining area is 230 sq. ins., pretty fair for 2-ton car.  Single-stop deceleration is excellent (60-0 mph in 4.3 seconds in 180 ft).  Repeated stopping results in fade, since 11 in. cast iron drums are pretty snug inside 14 in. wheels shielded by 8 in. wide tires.  Power brake pedal has only 4.6 in. of travel ( 6 in. non-power), but since leg effort is doubled by engine vacuum,. it does not have to be depressed very far. 

2. ENGINE, TRANSMISSION   The big ( same as DeSoto ) ram-inducted 383 cu-in. engine and 3 speed torqueflite transmission make a pretty potent package.  It seems a shame to run the car at anything under 100 MPH  (indicated 120).  The cubic inches give strong low-end torque, tuned intake provides a surging mid-range for passing, and the high speed cam peaks 340 HP around 100 MPH!  The close ratio (1.43:1) kickdown gear gives plenty of punch for close-distance passing at moderate rpm. 

3. FRONT SUSPENSION   Independent, with unequal, non-parallel arms supported by torsion bars, dampened by direct acting shocks, stablizer bar.  There is a combination of comfortable ride and seemingly unlimited cornering ability, especially on sweepers where long wheelbase is not a liability ( as in tight turns ).  On long, undulating straights we did notice a tendency for the front end to become unweighted in excess of true 100 MPH, but directional stability is excellent.  With power steering, ratio is reduced so that little wheel movement causes a lot of turning.  It's an effort saver, but wheel feel is that it is being detached from the car. 

4.  BEHIND THE WHEEL  The feeling must be akin to piloting a space ship, with a complex looking panel disguising a few simple instruments and controls.  The out-of-round steering wheel is very comfortable, gives legroom under it and vision over it.  Whatever is lacking can be made up by jacking up the six-way power seat ($95.65).  Wrap-around windshield is as distortion free as any similar type.  Generally, everything is well at hand for comfortable and very pleasant driving in town or on the highway. 

5.  SEATING, FRONT AND REAR    Seats are set quite close to floor level, giving a feel of being part of the car, comfortable under moderate lean or hard cornering.  Vision is helped by wheel shape.  The full-power seat is a worthwhile option if there is more than one driver.  Front hip and legroom are spacious, effect of tunnel hump is negligible.  Swivel seats ( $87.15 ) are a help for women entering and especially exiting, but men tend not to bother using them.  Rear seat of the 4-door has enough room for 3.  Entry and exit are fair through low doors. 

6.  REAR SUSPENSION    Semi-elliptical leaf springs are mounted well out, highly unsymmetrical to reduce acceleration squat.  End result is a good ride with enough stiffness to keep car reasonably flat under most conditions.  Springs do not bottom easily, though huge body overhang frequently drags curb.  Unfortunately, springs must take huge (460 lb-ft ) torque, suffer from torque reaction.   At end of 1/4 mile acceleration, for example, rear fenders were still tilted though sure-grip differential  (another worthwhile option ) reduced wheelspin on unloaded wheel.

7.  BODY DESIGN    A combination of fast lines and sturdiness is the overall styling motif, though there is certainly room to question the reason for such big fins.  They loom quite prominently in the rear-view mirror.   This year's unit construction adds a torsional stiffness old models didn't have ( actually, chassis and body used to be quite flexible in turns ).  Also, there is the feeling of oneness - that the car is one piece.  Unfortunately, the workmanship of the assemblers must have been void of pride.  Fenders did not line up, and doors suffered from "gaposis".  Even trim was not aligned, and many pieces were loose.  A shame to detract from a well-designed, excellent-handling, high-speed go-er by shoddiness. 

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In the Polara Test Article above the tester notes that even with the windows up he had strange drafts around his feet and ankles and attributes the draft to poorly fitting doors. I will make 2 suggestions on this:

#1 it was a pre-production model with poor fitting panels and doors causing a draft, but I doubt this.

#2, the draft at his feet is more than likely an open cowl vent which directs air down to the left and right side of the transmission tunnel. The cowl vent is controlled by the heater push buttons and it could have easily been open.

Compare the test article by Tom McCahill on the Dart,   and he loved the car - praised the Unibody construction and claimed it was tight and  remained dust free even on the Alaska Highway gravel road.

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