Written by Joseph Newhouse

The Dodge Dart Page has been a labor of love ever since I first posted the page in June 1995. I grew up with two Dodge Darts, a 1966 model totalled in 1984 and a 1974 model I still have (see the "Gallery of Goldilocks" for pictures of the latter car). Ever since I was a tot, I have been nuts about cars, and I was always impressed by the reliability and design of the Darts. And I always looked forward to turning 16 and being able to drive the 1974 Dodge Dart.

http://www.wam.umd.edu/~sragow/dart/dart.html (1995-1997)

When I first became aware of the World Wide Web in 1995 while studying at the University of Maryland, I realized that while there were some pages devoted to individual Dodge Darts (in particular, the "Tank Page," maintained by Catherine Skidmore), nobody had set up a page for ALL Dodge Darts. So this was the task I set for myself, along with learning a little HTML. I scanned in pictures from some brochures I had, copied some others from members of the Mopar Mailing List, and borrowed some Dart stories from David Zatz's Plymouth Valiant Page (with his permission), and the page was up. I invited visitors to the page to submit their own stories and pictures for publication, and the Dodge Dart Page steadily grew.

http://www.cyberbyteds.com/dart/dart.html (1997-1999)

During my final semester in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland, I posted a public plea to visitors of the page saying that the Dodge Dart Page would need a new home soon because my University account would end after my graduation in May 1997. I received about a dozen offers of various kinds (THANK YOU to all who wrote!), and later that spring, the Dodge Dart Page took up free residence in Florida, courtesy of Mike Edmonston of Cyberbyte Digital Studios. He graciously allowed me to continue maintaining the page on his server and gave me as much storage space as I needed.

Shortly after I moved to Michigan in September 1997, I discovered the National Automotive History Collection at the Detroit Public Library. Their archives contain a lot of useful information for all makes and models, and as I was browsing the Dart-related material, I was intrigued by the press releases Chrysler had written about the vehicle. Here was a vast collection of primary-source automotive history, and I decided that it would be a worthwhile addition to the Dodge Dart Page. So, I made a couple of return trips to photocopy all of the materials (hundreds of pages worth), and, over the next year and a half, I typed them all into the computer, converting them to HTML as I went. The finished collection of press releases has material on Darts for every year from 1960 through 1976.

In late 1998, I was thinking that it wouldn't be right to take advantage of Mike's generosity for too much longer, and it also seemed time to get my own domain name. So, with great appreciation, I bade Cyberbyte farewell and set the page up on a fee-based web hosting provider.

http://www.dodgedart.org (1999- )

First, I registered the domain name with InterNIC, choosing the ".org" suffix in lieu of the more common ".com" because the Dodge Dart Page has always been non-commercial and non-profit. Then, I signed up with Hostway, which offered a competitive web hosting package among the many providers I considered. Hostway offers some user-friendly cgi scripts which have allowed me to set up the classified section that so many visitors have requested, along with fledgling databases on parts vendors and repair shops. (Please contribute to those databases if you haven't already!)

Since I posted the Dodge Dart Page in 1995, people from all over the world have sent me pictures, stories, and suggestions. I have been amazed by the positive response to the Dodge Dart Page. Many have written to express sentiments along the lines of, "I have always loved Darts, but I did not realize so many others did, too!" People write me with stories, comments, or questions nearly every day. It is truly heartwarming.

I realize that most Web pages are far glitzier than mine, but I value substance over style. I carefully edit every story posted to the page for grammar and spelling, and I try to ensure that all information provided is accurate and clearly organized.

It has been a pleasure to create and maintain the Dodge Dart Page, and I hope to do so for a long time yet. Thank you for visiting the Dodge Dart Page!

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Maintained by Joseph Newhouse / E-mail Joseph Newhouse