“Every now and then a guy who drive a Dodge likes to close his eyes and imagine it’s a Ferrari.” — Al Bundy

Heh, heh.  I’m a big fan of Married with Children.  It’s just so silly.

Of course, there’s a car involved.  Al Bundy, the grown-up shoe salesman who peaked in life way back when he was a high school football player, drove a Dodge.  A brown, dusty Dodge that had been stolen in one of the episodes and Al went nuts to get it back.

Al Bundy in his Dodge which is actually a Plymouth Duster 340

Though the show often dismissed the Dodge as a loser car, fit for a guy whose prime peaked in high school, in reality, the car that was referred to as the Dodge was 1) not a real Dodge but a 1971 Plymouth Duster 340, and 2) a popular entry level muscle car in its heyday.

Quick Facts: Plymouth Duster 340

Smaller than the Plymouth Barracudas, but derived from the same family of cars (Plymouth Valiants), the Plymouth Dusters soon outsold the ‘Cudas.  They were fast.  Its size gave the Plymouth Duster an excellent power-to-weight ratio.  In fact, Car Life Magazine test ran a stock 1970 Plymouth Duster 340.  The Duster finished the quarter mile in 14.7 seconds at the speed of 94 mph.  It accelerated from 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds.

For its time, the Plymouth Duster was equipped with some of the best interior package such as optional low-back style seats, optional fold-down rear seats, locking glovebox, and optional electrically heated window defogger.

Additionally, the Plymouth Duster 340 had dual exhaust, a 340 cid V-8 engine, heavy-duty suspension, 3-speed manual transmission, and dual snorkel air cleaner.  Again, this was really a neat gem of a muscle car, often overlooked because of the Ford Mustangs and Chevy Camaros.

Plymouth Duster Diecast Models

Ertl Plymouth Duster 340 1971 blue Diecast 118 Model US $59.99 Auction Ends: Tuesday Sep-07-2010 16:06:12 PDT   | Watch this Item

1971 Plymouth Duster Mopar Musclecar LE 1:64 Diecast US $6.99 Auction Ends: Wednesday Sep-15-2010 11:06:01 PDT   | Watch this Item

Photos of 1971 Plymouth Duster 340

See Plymouth Duster 340 for sale on eBay.