Super-Cool Indy Cylinder Head 572 Hemi Dart

THE 1968 HURST-BUILT HEMI DA RTS WERE LEGENDARY AMONG MOPARS AND WERE BARELY STREET LEGAL. BUT FIVE DECADES ON, IF YOU BUILT A STREET-CAPABLE HEMI DART AND WANTED AIR CONDITIONING, IS IT POSSIBLE?

- Richard Truesdell

When someone asks whether any Hemi cars were built with factory-installed air conditioning the answer is usually an unqualified no. And if you meant factory-installed by Chrysler, that answer would be correct. But one car did come from the factory (such as it was)with air conditioning and the mid-engine, one-off, Swiss-built, hyper-exotic 1970 Monteverdi Hai 450 SS and was powered with a Chrysler 426 Hemi. Notwithstanding that exception, the answer is still no.

Certainly we know that none of the 80 or so Hemi Darts built by Hurst for 1968 that rolled off the conversion line in Madison Heights, Michigan, had airconditioning. They were as stripped down as one could get, the LO23 models arriving at the plant sans batteries, cables, seats, armrests, carpet, sound deadening, window regulators (replaced with pull straps), and radios to save weight. Air conditioning? These cars lacked even a heater.

Over the years the original Hurst-built Hemi Darts (and their companion 1968 Plymouth Barracudas) have gained the reputation for being among the fastest muscle cars of all time. While that is open to interpretation in some quarters, there’s no doubt that the cars were wickedly fast. And in the five decades since they were unleashed, given the cost and opportunity to acquire one, many muscle car aficionados have done the next best thing—they’ve built one as close as possible to the Hurst originals.

The owner of this car, David Dempsey, is an ex-military officer currently semiretired. For this avid motorsports enthusiast living in the high desert of Southern California, building a Hurst Hemi Dart was the route chosen. But with a twist. He wanted a dual-purpose Hemi Dart, one that was nominally street capable. And his wife Lonnie, who would also be driving the car (believe it or not for grocery shopping and trips to the local Kohl’s) insisted it has air conditioning. So you see his challenge.