Dodge Daroo I

Built in late 1967, the Dodge Daroo I was a radical factory show car created by Dodge design manager Bill Brownlie in collaboration with George Barris of Barris Kustoms. Based on a 1967 Dodge Dart GT convertible with the rare 383 CID engine, the body was shortened 10 inches at the rear and lengthened 17 inches up front, with a sharp V-nose and low wraparound windshield giving it a futuristic roadster profile. Finished in Pearl Honey Yellow, the Daroo debuted as part of Chrysler’s Scat Pack and Rapid Transit show-circuit displays. Retired after touring in lime-green candy for a second season, the Daroo I later resurfaced in the collection of Steve Juliano.

The Dodge Daroo I was a radical factory show car created through a collaboration between Dodge design manager Bill Brownlie and George Barris of Barris Kustoms. Built from a new 1967 Dodge Dart GT convertible with the rare 383 CID option, the Daroo I was developed as a crowd-puller for Chrysler’s hot-rod show-circuit displays, aligning with the Scat Pack and Rapid Transit programs. “Daroo” was said in period press to mean “dart” in Anglo-Saxon.

Barris Kustoms reshaped the production body shell extensively, shortening the rear 10 inches, lengthening the front 17 inches, and fabricating a deep V-shaped nose. A low, wraparound plastic windscreen replaced the stock windshield, with extensions running the length of the rear deck to accentuate the lowered, lengthened profile. The rear seat area was capped with a fitted metal tonneau, converting the five-place convertible into a topless two-seat roadster. The cockpit was retrimmed in black naugahyde, with stylized hood intake stacks and rocker-panel exhausts completing the competition-inspired look.

Finished late in 1967 in Pearl Honey Yellow, a brilliant golden, orange—the Daroo I proved popular enough to tour a second season after a mild facelift and a fresh coat of lime-green candy. Retired from the circuit thereafter, the car survived and, by 2017, was owned by Steve Juliano of New York.