Have you ever reappraised a car that you didn’t like and realize that you were in the wrong? That’s how I feel about Chrysler’s 1963/4 models today. For much of my life, I thought they were simply weird-looking Mopars, and I didn’t give them a second thought; now, I’m drooling over this Newport Four-Door Hardtop. Barn Finder Wayne Z. spotted it here on craigslist in Phoenix, Arizona, and sent it to our tip line. It’s a California/Arizona car with a claimed 28,000 miles on it, and the best part is the price: a reasonable (in my opinion) $9,950.
Let’s take a second to appreciate the four-door hardtop bodystyle, as I think too many of us take it for granted. It’s airy, breezy, and dare I say more dramatic (sometimes) than even its two-door hardtop cousin. It also looks so much more special and expensive than a sedan.
And it gives us an unprecedented opportunity to look at the Chrysler’s dashboard.
The 1963 Chrysler is widely regarded as Chrysler styling chief Virgil Exner’s last stand, and say what you will about Mr. Exner, he loved his Italianate styling influences. The big Chrysler’s dashboard looks as if it belongs in one of his Ghia-bodied styling studies of the 1950s, with big, round gauges and symmetrical buttons for the TorqueFlite transmission and the climate controls. The dashboard itself is slim and unobtrusive, and its gently concave shape is a fine thing to look at when you’re behind the…I’ll just say it…weird rectangular steering wheel. The seller says that the car, including its interior, is mostly original. “Even the AM radio still works.”
Even the paint is original, except for the hood (which has been resprayed for some reason). Under that hood is the Newport’s standard 361-cubic-inch Chrysler big-block, which produces 265 horsepower in its two-barrel-carbureted Newport tune. It “starts, runs, and drives great,” and you’ll be able to steer and stop the 215-inch-long Chrysler with ease thanks to its power steering and power brakes.
Although the era of baby blues was coming to an end, Glacier Blue paint looks great on this big, spacious hardtop. Ford paid the 1963 Chrysler a compliment in its dealer filmstrip for the 1963 Thunderbird. It said that the competing Buick Riviera had styling, in profile, that was not as unique as the T-Bird’s, as it was very similar to the new Chrysler. As the owner of a ’63 Riviera (and a T-Bird) myself, I don’t quite see it, but to compare this Newport to one of America’s best is nothing to be ashamed of. And I am definitely liking this sweet ’63—it’s funny I didn’t see it before.
My uncle had one of these that he bought new. His was 4 door sedan, kind of an ugly brown. Very few options. It had the 3 speed trans on the floor, no radio, but he ordered back up lights as an option. Weird car but served us well for 5 or 6 years.