Two, well, actually three, things struck me when reviewing the listing for this 1962 Chrysler Newport Town & Country wagon. First is its color, second is its four-door hardtop configuration – unusual for a station wagon, and three is the fact that these are rarely spotted. Add that to the station wagon vein that I’m in (1960 Pontiac Catalina reviewed on 11/3), and I thought this car would be an interesting BF subject. It calls Sequin, Texas, home, and it’s available here on craigslist for $26,000. Three cheers to Tony P. for this tip!
First up, the images for this car are poorly positioned, so I suggest you review all that are included in the listing. OK, with that out of the way, Chrysler offered station wagons within both the New Yorker and Newport model lineups for ’62, with the Newport providing seating for six or nine passengers – this example appears to be a six-seater, one of only 3,200 assembled that year. The bright blue finish is said to be the original shade (Sapphire Blue Poly?) —just resprayed with a “modern paint mix,” which I take to mean two-stage. OK, maybe so; it just pops so much that to my eyes it doesn’t look like a legitimate ’62 hue. Regardless, it’s in great shape, with lots of depth and no signs of fade, rust, etc. The white top is a nice contrast, and the car’s entire presence is pulled together perfectly with strong chrome and trim. As for those crazy headlights…well, it is a Chrysler from the early sixties…
Powering this wagon is a 265 gross HP, 361 CI V8 engine, which channels its output via a pushbutton-activated TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The seller tells us, “Runs and drive to car shows with no problem. Refreshed cooling system, refreshed charging system. Refreshed brakes and suspension including steering. Also refreshed fuel system.” Man, that’s a lot of refreshin’ going on, and I suppose “refresh” is open to interpretation. One noted refreshment is the double-bale master cylinder – always a solid refresh. Anyway, other than the open-element air cleaner, this 80 K-mile engine room is clean and tidy.
The interior is a surprise, as I wasn’t expecting the mostly white vinyl upholstery that has been tastefully accented with bits of gray. The upholstery pattern appears to be correct, though I question the shade – I do like it, however, and the seller states that it has been “refreshed” too. The white dash pad, wrapping around the large, single, elliptical instrument panel binnacle, in particular, is a standout attention getter. The seller mentions, “Still going through the buttons on the dash. Some are froze up, the one that move work!” Unfortunately, no images of the wayback are included in the listing.
As with the ’60 Pontiac, if you’re looking for a longroof and want to stand out from the usual Ford or Chevrolet fare, here you go; doubtful you’ll encounter another at a local car show. Whereas most of the comments considered the $25,000 ask on the Pontiac to be reasonable, what do you think of this Town and Country’s $26,000 price tag?
Not to sound like a griper about this car, but there isn’t one design choice I like. The upholstery isn’t close to the original, and it isn’t that good; the dash is bad.
The blue isn’t a 62 Chrysler color. The wheels and the stance are all wrong for a 1962 station wagon. Is it a hot rod? No. Then why try to turn a 62 wagon into one?
Finally, 26K is a lot to ask for a “customized” wagon, especially a homely 62 Chrysler wagon. That’s just my opinion.
Yeah, seems like someone was trying as hard as he could to make it look like a 50s Chevy or something. The way to go with one like this is to emphasize how it’s different, not try to ape another design.
+1 for using the word “wayback”
Ahhh it’s refreshing to see a 62 Chrysler station. What’s not refreshing NO AC!! And its in Texas!! That family must love the heat!! 😂 No Rex you don’t like a griper. Someone likes the B5 blue paint color like on a 1970 Dodge Challenger. Also missing review mirror. Black wall tires with raised white letting does not belong on a Chrysler. What would look nice is thin double line white wall with the factory wire rims. To me that would look cool. If you Google for the colors I found a beautiful blue wagon with those wire rims. That wagon looks real sharp!! The price ahh sorry to high. Since lots of things are refreshed 😄 again surprised they didn’t refreshed for AC!! 🤦♂️ Being a Mopar guy i like this wagon my Dad had a 61 Plymouth Fury 2 dr talk about funky design 😂! Good luck to the seller. 🐻🇺🇸
I may be the only one who likes the canted headlamps but it is a hardtop wagon and that’s pretty cool 😎.
No, Nelson, you’re not the only one who likes them, and the fact that it’s a hardtop wagon. Appreciate the other comments about it’s lack of originality.
Is that how it sounded? I enjoy the comments. There are some very insightful people among us. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I’m not offended if you disagree with me.
I’m not a fan of the padded dashboard, but it doesn’t turn me off either. They only made less than 800 of this model so it’s pretty rare. However, I recall, being a New Yorker Town and Country, it should have the 413 engine. I don’t think the price is unreasonable, especially if it’s a turn key and go rig. I had a 64 Dodge 880 four door hardtop wagon years ago. I wish I would have kept it.
Like the car as it sits with the exception of the white dash and no AC. AC is easy and not that expensive. White dash must be an eye killer in sun.
Has anyone else ever made a 4-door HARDTOP wagon? Looks very cool and makes practical & easy use of the rear seat a possibility.
Mercury and Rambler did. And also Buick and Olds had them for 1957-’58.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/all-those-glamorous-four-door-hardtops-hardtop-station-wagons-of-the-1950s/
Great link. Thanks for sharing SteVen!
Buick Caballero
Several MoPars of that era, and some late 50s Ramblers and Mercurys. The Mercury also had a nice looking two door hardtop wagon.
I certainly hope it does not have a Hydro-matic! Even a cast-iron A466 (Torq- Flyte) is vastly superior to one of those slush boxes!
Been for sale for awhile now………
Please spare me the stuffed crying toddlers in the back.
The seller on Craigslist might want to spell his town’s name correctly: it’s Seguin with a G not a Q.