While a newer paint job and a fresh engine rebuild might be warning signs to some, if they’re done well, the car’s buyer is certainly money ahead. The new owner of this 1968 Dodge Polara will be the lucky beneficiary of a lot of expensive work if that’s the case. Painted “to match the original color,” which appears to be “Pale Blue Metallic,” this nice example of Dodge’s big C-Body can be found on Hemmings.com in Lakeside, Arizona, with an asking price of $16,500 or best offer. Thanks to Barn Finds reader PRA4SNW for the link.
As I mentioned, the seller of this Polara also says that the engine was recently rebuilt; the car was taken on a recent “two-hour trip,” and it “cruises at freeway-plus speeds without any issues.” The engine itself is a 383, and based on the two-barrel carburetor and manifold pictured in the car’s trunk, it was originally the 290-horsepower regular-fuel unit. Although the advertisement doesn’t mention it, the 383 appears to have been pumped up with an aluminum intake manifold and most likely an Edelbrock four-barrel based on the fuel line routing. The air conditioner was recently recharged with R12 and blows cold, but it does have a leak in the system (the owner suspects it’s an O-ring).
The interior appears to be mostly original with the exception of the driver’s side seat bottom; the material’s color matches but obviously the pattern doesn’t, so most likely an upholsterer sewed in the closest thing they could find. There are some cracks in the dash pad, which doesn’t come as a surprise if this car is an Arizona original.
Once everything is cleared out of the trunk, the sheetmetal doesn’t show any serious signs of rust, but there aren’t any undercarriage pictures shown in the ad.
Although the paint is new, the seller says that the vinyl top is in excellent original condition, and I’ll argue that a ’68 Polara Hardtop is the kind of car that looks better with a contrasting vinyl top to break up all those relatively flat body panels.
The rear view of the Polara is perhaps the best, with those wide taillights and round side-marker lights highlighting what is really a fairly clean design. A 1968 Polara is a little off the beaten path as far as collector cars are concerned, so you can get a pretty nice one (like this car) for a reasonable price. With deft styling by Mr. Elwood Engel and associates, and nearly bulletproof Chrysler big-block power (and Torqueflite drive), it’s as the seller says—the epitome of cool.
This is what Ward Cleaver would have driven if Leave it to Beaver had went through 1968. This car presents beautifully and is a rare bird for sure. Curious about what lies beneath the surface of that mysterious black coating spread across the trunk as there are imperfections underneath. Buyer needs to get it up on a rack and do a complete inspection of the frame and pans before committing. A very cool and classy ride indeed!
That’s a great roofline on the 2 door Hardtop mid to late 60’s Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouths. Really handsome.
And a classic Mopar powertrain that sounds like it’s now even better than stock to match the looks Dave👍
Absolutely Stan!!! Nothing like a nice running 383 purring under the hood. Hats off to PRA4SNW for finding it, and Aaron, really great write up too.
No right rear view mirror. I owed a 67 Plymouth VIP with the same roofline and no mirror. I had to change lanes with a cane!
When I first spotted it, I thought that roofline made it a perfect example of fuselage styling. Come to find out that the term applies to styling that started in 1969.
Maybe this one can be an exception to that.
Nice find @PRA4SNW. My dad had a 68 Dodge Monaco coupe with the 383 in dark green with black vinyl top and that was a great date car at the drive in. This one looks very nice in blue but that front seat need to be redone in the stock color.
These were really a beautiful clean design. Also really love that shade of blue. Had the same wheel covers on my 69′ Dodge Charger. If I owned it I’d definitely want to get the interior issues, driver’s seat, dash pad, addressed. Overall it looks very clean, but even being a AZ car a full inspection would be warranted.
Do you mean a rebuilt engine and fresh paint job? :)
Love the write up.
Ack! Yes I do! Thanks for the tip – I try to catch them all, but one will slip by every once in a while. :)
SOLD for $13,650.