The Space Race was on in the late 1950s, so U.S. automakers took advantage of that by giving some of their automobiles related names. Over at Ford, there was the Galaxie. At Chevrolet, the Nova soon appeared. And Dodge went with the Polara from 1960 to 1973. Usually filling a full-size role, the Polara was a likely buying alternative to the Galaxie and the Chevy Impala. This seller has a carport project with this 1967 Polara coupe, complete with a partially disassembled HiPo 383 cubic inch V8. Located in Coupeville, Washington, this Mopar opportunity is available here on eBay for $5,500 OBO.
The third generation of the Polara (1965 to 1968) was based on Chrysler’s C-body platform, returning to full-size status after a competitive miscalculation had the car on the B-body mid-size chassis. While the 318 V8 was standard, the 383 was the next step up in the 1967 Polara, and this car has one, though we don’t know if it’s original to the Dodge. We assume all the parts that aren’t installed are in the trunk or the passenger compartment (that’s where the intake manifold is hiding out).
After a redesign in 1965, the 1967 full-size Dodges got a facelift in 1967, gaining some of the biggest taillights of the era. We don’t know the history of the seller’s car or how long it’s been sitting. It seems like a project someone started working on but got sidelined. The body may be solid, but the blue paint has seen better days and should be redone.
The interior is good in some places, and not in others. A bit of the stuffing is coming out of the seats, and the headliner is falling down and needs replacing. The seller characterizes this Dodge as “a perfect candidate for a restoration.” Do you agree with this assessment?
Thought I would die one night in one of these. Was probably 30 below and we only left base to get to town (Minot) was a friend’s in my squadron and asked me to drive it about every third day. I you left a car inactive for a week in the winter forget about starting it til spring unless it sat in a heated garage or shop. Was a 14 maybe 15 mile drive and at 20 mph best as visibility was bad due to the blowing snow. Dog gone radiator froze, lost my heat. So after I concluded it wasn’t really going to cook the engine I zipped up the parka, mitts on and had to drive with the window part of the way down. You would be surprised how much moisture comes out of you breathing and at those temperatures. Got me back home, scraping the inside of the windshield. I was truly scared for a but. Didn’t hurt that 383 at all. Next day I cranked it up and it ran just fine. Dave only had it protected to about -20 and the air moving though the radiator just went to heavy slush. Those old Mopars are tough! This one needs some attention, those heads are just sitting on the block, so it’s a mystery. And it’s got the right number of doors, get a fresh 440 or bigger and have some fun!
They didn’t have tailfins in 67
Seems pricey for a project needing this much work.
Steve R