Loud and Proud – William Jordan’s Dodge Dart Demands Attention on a Number of Levels!
Sleepers might get all the internet cool points, but there’s something to be said for looking fast. William Jordan’s Dodge Dart has an unmistakable stance that screams acceleration, and we’re here for it.
William arrived at Hot Rod Drag Week 2025 a newcomer to drag and drive, having been introduced to the sport as a spectator at Sick Week 2023 Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive. The event inspired him to build a car of his own, and Drag Week was in the perfect location this year for the New Yorker to make his debut.
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The Dart arrived in William’s life as a ‘local street hero car’ with a full chassis and a stretched front end. With street miles and racing already in its DNA, the car was well-suited to his needs.
“It was overall a well-built set up,” he said. “I swapped it over to Holley EFI and cleaned up a few things, with the goal to have something safe and sorted to start doing drag and drive events.”
The metal might be vintage but the horsepower is modern thanks to a Ray Barton-built Gen 3 Hemi (if you can call a two-decades old engine family ‘modern’). A blow-through setup with an 80mm turbo provides enough horsepower for 168 mph quarter-mile speeds. The simple mix of a Powerglide and a Dana 60 rear end makes for a bulletproof driveline.
“I take it to work, I take the kids out for ice cream,” William said. “We updated the car to run flex fuel and I have been street driving the car ever since. Our goal for Drag Week was to finish and to run my first eight in the car.”
Not one to do things easy, William elected to drive the car from his upstate New York home to Maryland International Raceway. A rear wishbone mount had other ideas and William had to use his ‘phone a friend’ lifeline to get the car trailered the remaining distance to the track. Another racer had a spare clevis to make repairs and the Dart was ready to compete.
William met one of his goals right out of the gate with an 8.923 on day one. They needed another goal — the eight-second average was now in his sights. The first drive went well, but after an improved 8.678 on day two at Numidia Dragway, the Dart protested the hill climbs.
“We had some stalling issues that turned out to be a problem with the tune. That was stressful due to the type of roads we were on.”
Day three at Maple Grove saw the quickest pass of the week for the team, an 8.645. The final result would be an 8.731 average and an award for the quickest Mopar of the event.
“We did not focus at all on the class or any form of competition. Since the car is stretched, we get bumped into Unlimited. There is zero chance we are going to drive around those six-second rigs, so all we can do is focus on making the drive and making good runs.
“These are events that more people should get out and do. Don’t worry about times, or places. Just set some realistic goals and go have fun.”
Aside from the Dart, William has a unique stable of automotive interests, including an Aston Vanquish, a Maserati and a Toyota 2JZ-swapped Tacoma. “I am very much into odd cars,” he said. “The best feature of the Dart though is the stance. The car just has a look.”
Written by Luke Nieuwhof. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine.
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