A Gallery of Goldilocks

Written by Joey Newhouse

Goldilocks is our 1974 Dodge Dart Custom 4-door sedan, bought new by my father from Metro Dodge of Washington, DC, and named by my mother. The car is still fully functional, and is driven regularly, with approximately 120,000 miles. The engine is the famous slant-six (here in 225 cubic inch form), and the transmission is a three-speed manual floor shift, which has an interesting story behind it.

A few things I like about Goldilocks that most newer cars do not have:

Fender-mounted turn signals
Vent windows (excellent for defogging)
Rear windows that roll ALL the way down
An engine bay where I can identify almost everything

The car is not perfect; for instance, the only power steering it has is "Newhouse-power" steering, and parallel-parking a car this size with manual steering is a real upper-body workout if you don't keep the car moving while you steer. But this stems from decisions my parents made when ordering the car, not from any inherent design deficiency.

After more than twenty years of faithful service to the Newhouse family, Goldilocks continues onward in fine style. Here's to the next twenty years!

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