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Resting Since ’81: 1966 Chrysler Newport

In 1966, I had two uncles and a great uncle on my mother’s side of the family that bought new 1966 Chryslers. My Great Uncle Mid and Uncle Tom bought New Yorkers, while Uncle Jack bought a Newport in a lighter shade of blue than this one. I remember thinking that even though the New Yorkers were very nice looking cars in 1966, they even made the Newport look pretty good with just the right amount of chrome trim and unique grille and taillights. Here is a 1966 Chrysler Newport 4 door sedan for sale here on Craigslist in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. Our Barn Finds reader Ikey H. is good at spotting great cars and here’s another one Ikey has found.

Speaking of New Yorker, it does look like those wheel covers have been borrowed from a 1966 New Yorker. This car was taken out of service in 1981 and stored inside, so it has had a 38-year rest. It’s actually a 53-year-old survivor at this point. The body of the car is in great shape. This is the regular sedan, but there was also a Six-Window Town Sedan available in both Newport and New Yorker (which Great Uncle Mid had).

The interior looks wonderful even considering this car did see 15 years of normal use. The front bench seat is finished in blue cloth and vinyl. This car has factory air conditioning, but no word on whether it is working. The dash is free of cracks. The floors are solid underneath the blue carpeting.

This Newport has a 383 cubic inch V-8 mated with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. It runs and drives great. This Chrysler has been driven only 60,000 miles, which means even during its 15 years of service, it only averaged 4,000 miles per year. The seller is asking $8,700. The 1966 Chrysler brochure proclaims “Youth comes twice in life. When you’re young, and when you want to be. The 1966 Chrysler is built for both.” Are you ready to feel young with a 1966 Chrysler?

Comments

  1. Avatar TimS

    I wouldn’t feel young, but I’d definitely feel classy. Especially rolling down the highway with working A/C.

    Like 5
  2. Avatar DETROIT LAND YACHT

    Nice car…but the snob in me is only interested in the Imperial or the 300 models.

    Like 2
  3. Avatar motoring mo

    How many Smurf hides were harvested for that interior?

    Like 7
    • Avatar Elvis A Hale

      Just amazing found a sleeping Chrysler that no body want

      Like 1
  4. Avatar Tiberius1701

    Needs more windows… ;-)
    http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/mopar/66chryl/bilder/10.jpg
    But seriously, nice car!!

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Kenneth Carney

    Bill, my Uncle Bud bought one too. His
    was a 2-door hardtop with a 383 V-8
    and Torqueflite tranny. His was Copper
    with a black vinyl top and interior. I tried
    to buy it from him in ’73 but he chose
    not to sell it to me because I was family.
    He got 140+K miles out of it before
    trading it for a new Mazda rotary wagon.
    What a POS! Spent more time in the
    shop than in his driveway. He should’ve
    kept his Chrysler instead!

    Like 2
  6. Avatar Steve

    Growing up in the 70’s an old fellow in his 90’s who lived in my small town had a Chrysler the same color as this one. Im not sure if it was a Newport or New Yorker. It was most likely a 1966 as well. My dad owned a little grocery store and the fellow would come in and buy a coke in a bottle. He would hold them up and compare which one had the most soda in it (!) My dad liked old cars and I remember them talking about it and him telling my dad that the Chrysler had a 440 in it. Whatever it was, it DID NOT have a posi rear axle, as the old fellow must have run 50+ psi in his tires, and when he would leave the store, due to being nearly deaf, could not hear that he had the engine wound up tighter than a spring. He would leave one black mark about 200 ft. long when getting on the highway! LOL

    Like 4
  7. Avatar Pete in PA

    The wheelcovers on this Newport are the optional deep dish covers. They could be ordered on all 66 Chryslers. There were not standard on any model including the New Yorker.

    You couldn’t just slap a set on any car either since they required the 14×6 wheel (which the New Yorker did have).

    I think they look great and pieced together a set for my 66 NYer 4DHT.

    Like 4
    • Avatar theGasHole

      Hey there Pete your ’66 New Yorker looks like it might have been my ’66 New Yorker I had back in 2012-2013. I miss that car.

      Like 0
  8. Avatar PatrickM

    This is a nice looking car. I just need the money and space. I live in a compact townhouse in a cram-packed neighborhood. Yuch! Really want to move.

    Like 0

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