"Mr. Norm's" 1972 Dodge Demon GSS 340

We start with a tale of a Factory Performance Car legend. It was 1972, and the clock was clicking down on factory performance muscle cars heading towards their demise. Increasing federal emissions requirements and insurance company mandates were writing the death certificate. Already compression ratios were dropping, and carburetors were now being tuned for clean air instead of performance. Not good...

One man, "Mr. Norm" however, failed to get the message that the factory performance car was heading the way of the Dodo bird. Instead of caving in as most were, he created the 1972 Dodge Demon GSS, the fastest production vehicle of that year. Norman Kraus (who was affectionately known in the car world as "Mr. Norm"), was responsible for churning out muscle mayhem in the late '60's and early '70's. His Dodge dealership sat at the corner of Grand and Spaulding in Chicago, and were the breeding ground for some of the fastest Detroit Iron in muscle car history.

Mr. Norm took a base 340 1972 Dodge Dart, then gave it the exclusive Mr. Norm package. It included a supercharger, oversized pulleys, modified fuel pump and pressure regulator, a competition oil pump, heavy duty valve spring retainers, and a "Sure Grip" 3:55 ratio rear axle. Every GSS had it's distributor curve adjusted, and the carburetor recalibrated and re-jetted. Before it was delivered, each GSS was dyno-tuned and sun-scoped. Your transmission choice was either a 4 speed manual, or a heavy duty TorqueFlite.

Buyers could order their GSS as a "plain paper bag bench seat sleeper" with little to let on what was going on internally or any indication it was a muscle car at all, or as an "in your face" factory Hot Rod with all the bells and whistles: twin functional hood scoops, an 8k rpm hood mounted tachometer, bold body side stripes and rally wheels. Headers were also available. All recieved a multi-colored "Demon 340" emblem on the front fender, and buyers could add high back bucket seats and a center console for both a sporty look and added creature comfort.

Because detailed dealership records were not kept, there is no way of telling just how many GSS Demons were sold, or how many are still in existance to this day. Unfortunately, 1972 also spelled the end for Mr. Norm's performance packages, as his Grand Spaulding Dodge dealership instead began to get into the newest rage of custom vans. Norm Kraus sold his ownership of Grand Spaulding Dodge in 1977...but his legacy still lives on in survivor cars, and various "Mr. Norm" enthusiasts. Every muscle car fan owes a round of applause for the work of the legendary "Mr. Norm!"