If you thought the styling of the 1957-60 Chrysler products was wild, the looks of the 1961 Dodges and Plymouths were just plain weird. Virgil Exner threw caution to the wind, and the Dodge Polara had reverse tailfins with the lights built into the rear quarter panels. Buyers were not pleased with the outcome, and Dodge dropped from sixth to ninth place in the 1961 sales race. This 1961 Polara has appeared here on Barn Finds in the past, but not before it moved from Nevada to north of Portland, Oregon, and has since received an engine swap. It’s available here on craigslist for $4,900.
Though still futuristic in appearance, the new Dodges were awkward when compared to the competition, earning nicknames like “Old Elephant Ears” and “Toilet Seat.” Exner had a chance to fix that in 1962, but instead downsized the cars based on bad intelligence, and the 1962 Dodges and Plymouths became known as the “Plucked Chickens”. It would take years for Chrysler to recover. The only saving grace during that period was that the Dart and Valiant compacts sold well enough to partially carry the load.
When we last saw this ’61 Polara 2 ½ years ago, it was in Pahrump, Nevada, and had a possibly stricken 318 cubic inch V8. And was advertised for $3,900. Today’s seller is a Mopar fan, and he also bought a 1963 Imperial with a rebuilt 413 V8 and push-button automatic. Both of those were extracted and transplanted into the Polara, though he’s yet to hook everything up. But the setup was running in the Imperial, and the seller has a video of it doing so.
The body is said to be rust-free, so restoring the car may be focused on the final engine hookup, putting in a new interior as the desert sun has taken its toll on the latter, and the paint. The seller has some leftover parts to go with the car, and its black California license plates will be included, but only at the full price. Trades are a possibility, but very specific, like an old VW Beetle or a tow truck. Thanks for the tip, Barn Finder Barney!
William C. Newburg was who ordered the downsized ’62s.
It was done without Exner’s approval or knowledge as he was recovering from a heart attack.
It was he who called them “plucked chickens” when he saw the final results.
could never buy in on the design, the quarter panel/reversed fin concept just didn’t cut it. Bad then, bad now. The old bath tub in the background has better styling (IMO) than the Dodge. Luckily, Plymouth and Dodge did recover by 1963.