The Dodge Daroo I, one of the wildest factory show cars on the '60s scene, was the product of a partnership between Dodge design manager Bill Brownlie and George Barris, Hollywood's self-professed King of the Kustomizers. Revolution was in the air, and the Daroo I made a big splash for Dodge on the custom car show scene with its radical, cut-down profile and flamboyant pearl paint. While there was never any production intent for the stunning custom, Chrysler was a major presence on the hot rod show circuit with its Rapid Transit and Scat Pack display programs, and the Daroo I made an ideal attraction.
The name Daroo means dart or spear, and its pointed nose certainly emphasizes the name. The Dodge Daroo I hit the show car circuit in 1968. The Daroo I was based on a new Dart GT Sport convertible, and the job called for a lot of slicing and dicing! It was hard to find the Dart underneath all the swoopy bodywork with its cut-down roof and glass, pointed nose, and velocity stacks. But tracers of the stock Dart dashboard could be seen among Daroo I's new interior features. It was presented at the 1969 Detroit Auto Show and appeared later in the October 2001 Mopar Muscle Magazine.
Source: Dodge Dart and Plymouth Duster. By Steve Statham; Barris Kustoms of the 1960s. By George Barris, David Fetherston
Images: Chrysler Corporation; Boss Mustang's photostream
