Although the Mustang would be introduced in April of 1964, the horsepower wars were already in full swing, with all the Big Three putting big engines in their mid-sized cars, stripping them to the bare essentials, loading them up with heavy-duty components, and unleashing them on the drag strips of an unsuspecting America. Chrysler Corporation was perhaps most famous for doing this with a wide variety of cars, all of them 100% industrial strength, essentially delivering factory-built race cars that you could buy on Friday and race on Saturday. The Dodge Polara was a popular model for this very reason, and the fact that it’s also a great-looking car certainly helps with collectability today.

This 1964 Dodge Polara is about as subtle as a hammer to the head, but what a ride! The cantilevered hardtop styling looks best on these mid-sized cars, giving them a very futuristic 1960s look without diluting the muscles underneath. Treated to a rotisserie restoration a few years ago, this Polara isn’t one of those ultra-rare and valuable factory racers, but rather a wonderful combination of street car friendliness and brute strength, compliments of a built 440 cubic inch big block. The searing yellow paint is fairly close to the factory’s own Top Banana Yellow, so that’s what we’re calling it, and the big Polara wears it well. The bodywork is quite nicely done with nary a ripple on those big quarters. Gaps and panel alignment are decent all around, and that blacked-out steel hood looks formidable. The paint appears to be two-stage urethane, so it has a fantastic shine that’ll probably last for years with only moderate maintenance, and it was obviously fully disassembled prior to the paint, as there’s just no trace of the original WW1 white paint. The Polara doesn’t carry a lot of trim, which is likely why it was so popular with racers, but the stainless that runs the length of this car’s body is in excellent shape. The black insert in the side trim is a nice contrast with the bright yellow paint, and the bumpers have been re-chromed. Hood pins and twin scoops on the hood add a racy attitude, and there’s no missing the big 440 cu. in. decals against the satin black surface, so this car is probably the opposite of a sleeper.

With bright yellow outside, the only real choice is black inside, where the original upholstery has been replaced with comfortable cloth stitched to look a lot like the original vinyl. The front bench remains, which was a staple of the industrial-strength Mopars, and the door panels are nice-looking two-tone pieces that look authentic. A fat 3-spoke steering wheel seems appropriate in the racy Polara and the requisite auxiliary gauges, including a column-mounted tach, have been installed. Chrysler fans will dig the pushbutton TorqueFlite, which works as it should—just be sure to remember to put it in Park using the lever on the side! The original AM radio remains in the dash along with the heater controls that mirror the transmission selector buttons. Nice black carpets, a stock headliner, and a back seat that’s probably never been used round out the back-to-basics interior that looks great and is an easy place to spend some time. The trunk is also nicely finished with a reproduction mat, a matching full-sized spare, and a jack assembly.

The 440 decals all over the car give away the secret, and the nicely detailed engine bay does, indeed, carry a 440 cubic inch big block V8. It’s not the original engine, of course, but it fits quite nicely in the bright yellow engine bay and looks awesome wearing a coat of Chrysler Turquoise paint and finned Mopar Performance valve covers. With a single four-barrel carburetor on a stock intake, it’s fairly mild, but even a well-behaved 440 is a force to be reconed with in a lightweight street car like this. It starts easily and idles smoothly thanks to an MSD ignition system, and still uses the original exhaust manifolds to feed a great-sounding Flowmaster dual exhaust system that’s almost new. Crawling underneath, you’ll be impressed by the super sanitary undercarriage that’s been painted to match the body and nicely detailed. There are no rust issues and the bright yellow paint makes for a great background for the black suspension components and shiny exhaust system. There’s a new gas tank out back, recent shocks and front-end components, and the brakes are firm and confidence-inspiring. Handsome and traditional Torque Thrust wheels are fitted at all four corners and carry 195/70/14 front and 215/60/15 rear BFGoodrich T/A radials.

Nicely sorted and ready to enjoy, this is a great tribute to the mighty Mopar factory specials that used to terrorize the streets in the early ‘60s. In reality, this car will intimidate almost everyone and runs and drives so well, you’ll never think twice about jumping in and having some fun.