The Psychopath Red Dart

I don’t know about you, but when someone is more competent than I am, I tend to get a little nervous. As I prepare to photograph Anne-Louise Lindberg’s stunning Dodge Dart GTS, my knees start bouncing like popcorn in a Friday-night pot.

“Photographer” isn’t a protected job title. Anyone with a camera can call themselves one. I shoot for a living – and do it well enough that people are willing to pay for the pictures. That’s all, folks.

When I meet Lindberg on a sunny June day, it doesn’t take long before the conversation turns to her past work – including modeling for star photographers such as Ingalill Snitt, who has shot for Vogue and is known for her mastery of natural light.

Large-scale productions mean assistants, props, makeup artists and reflectors – plus a photographer who knows exactly what they’re doing. Suddenly, the weight on my shoulders feels heavier. Suddenly, I can’t just wing it through the shoot.

But Lindberg is humble and quickly sweeps away any tension. She offers solid photo ideas, and together we make them work beautifully. Fun day, really.

The real star in the afternoon light, however, isn’t Lindberg, it’s her 1969 Dodge Dart GTS. A bright red gem she’s owned for seven years.

“I bought it when I was 17, before I even had a driver’s license. It’s my first car – not just my first American car, my first car,” she says. “I practiced driving it home. The sellers were so worried I wouldn’t reach the steering wheel that they brought me a couple of pillows to sit on.”

The pillows weren’t needed – nor was any hesitation about buying the car. The Dart appeared on Blocket (Sweden’s Craigslist) at 7 p.m. Ten minutes later, Lindberg was in the car heading toward Skara. By 11 p.m., she arrived – and minutes later, the deal was done. When it comes to “from thought to action,” she’s almost as fast as the peregrine falcons nesting above us. Those birds, the fastest in the world, can hit 320 km/h – and Lindberg Ozolinš isn’t far behind.

So why a Dodge Dart GTS?

“My ex had one,” she says. “It was the first American car I ever rode in. His brother and mom each had one, too. Two years before I bought mine, I told him I wanted a GTS. He said there were only 14 of them in Sweden – that I’d never find one. When mine popped up on Blocket… I bought it.”

The price was right. And when a guy in Rättvik recently offered her 300,000 kronor cash for it, she realized that was ridiculously more than she’d paid – but also that prices have climbed sharply for many cars.

“When I bought the Dart, a Charger cost 300,000. Now they’re double. A Road Runner I saw listed for 250,000 sold recently for 670,000. But I’ll never sell my Dart. Even if I have to give up my house – it’s not for sale.”

That devotion makes sense. Lindberg has poured time, energy, care and money into her GTS.

“What haven’t I done to it? I’ve restored the entire engine bay, replaced the inner fenders, sanded it down to bare metal and repainted it. Rebuilt the engine and transmission. Rewired everything cleanly and neatly – I work with wiring, so I’m picky about that. Occupational hazard, I guess.”

The list continues – the grille and rear filler panel, sound-insulated the cabin, reupholstered the seats and center console, refurbished parts of the dashboard, replaced faded plastic trim and converted the rear axle to the large bolt pattern since wheel choices for the small one are, to put it mildly, limited.

“There are maybe three good-looking wheel options – and everyone uses the same ones. I wanted something different, something unique.”

And she got it. The Dart now wears Revolution Street Pro wheels – with her own twist. Look closely and you’ll spot the red line.

“Centerlines are great and all, but they look kind of bland. The Revolutions have muscle. The redline lip gives contrast – something that pops.”

Then there’s the investment she jokingly says “costs like heavy drugs.” Lindberg, it should be noted, holds a black belt in karate – and, verbally, one in sharp wit too.

“It had Hooker headers when I bought it. Just showing them a photo of a manhole cover made them rattle. So I bought TTI headers – custom-fit for Mopar_® A-bodies. Perfect clearance everywhere, and changing plugs is a breeze. Price? Thirteen thousand kronor – worth every cent.”

She adds that original exhaust manifolds can now easily run 10,000 kronor (1,000 dollars) – something not everyone realizes.

“The previous owner didn’t, he cut his off with an angle grinder. Not just a dumb move, but an expensive one.”

The drivetrain consists of a 340 small-block, a 727 TorqueFlite and Mopar’s 8¾-inch rear axle. The V8 wears an Edelbrock Victor intake and a Holley 650 cfm carburetor.

“It’s got a pretty wild camshaft, and everything’s prepped for nitrous – even the piston rings. Power? Around 400 horsepower naturally, so 150 more with spray. At 1,400 kilos, that’s plenty. Especially considering the handling is about on par with a shrimp boat,” she laughs. “Most American cars feel that way, really. The GTS came with factory sway bars to make it as stable as possible – but it’s still a Yank tank. Stability, sure, but it’s smart to keep your life intact.”

A manual transmission is in her future plans, but for now the 727 with a manual valve body does the job. She’s also renovating a house and studying to become a real estate agent, so priorities matter. The rear end runs 3.23:1 gears with a limited-slip differential.

Future plans? Plenty.

“There’s still some bodywork left. Not that it’s bad – just not as good as I want it. I’ll fix the rockers, replace the quarter panels and the panel under the rear window. Then I’ll make sure all the body gaps are perfect.”

After that – new paint. Red, of course. But not just red.

“I’m painting it psychopath red. So red it gives old people cataracts, makes kids cry and causes planes to crash. That’s when I’ll know I’ve got the right shade,” Lindberg says with a serious smile.