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If you're American, chances are you're a bit miffed that Dodge has put a Dart badge on a car that's so resolutely dissimilar to the original. The new Dart announced this week at the Detroit Motor Show has got half the cylinders, the driven wheels are at the wrong end and it looks like something George Jetson'd find in Jane's bedside drawer.

In a fit of nostalgic rage, we borrowed an original Dart from the sepia-tinged days of American motoring to see just how much better they used to be.

But our findings were curious. The Dodge Dart's actually rubbish. And it's a bloody good job Chrysler doesn't intend to build anything remotely similar.

Pictures: Rowan Horncastle