Nice paint and bodywork. Strong-running 440 with pushbutton automatic. Power steering and power disc brakes make it easy to drive. Beautiful factory color combination with nicely preserved original interior. Industrial-strength Mopar ready to rock.

In the early ‘60s, Chrysler was building horsepower but didn’t have a place to put it. This pre-dated ‘Cudas and Chargers, and instead they used the mid-sized Polara to showcase performance. With a no-nonsense look and that beautiful cantilevered roofline, a hardtop Polara was a great way to prowl the streets without attracting too much attention. This one, dressed in Dark Turquoise Metallic, is a great example of Mopar’s low-key industrial-strength performance cars. With straight bodywork and a bit of swagger, this big coupe speaks softly but carries a big stick. The twin scoops on the hood perhaps do a bit too much advertising, but they were added during the restoration, which was finished in the early 2000s. The rest is just beautifully done, keeping all the stock trim intact so it has a very OEM look. The doors close easily and slam with that characteristic Mopar solid kerCHUNK (if you know it, you know what I’m talking about) and gaps are pretty good all around. Most of the stainless was buffed before it was reinstalled and the shiny bumpers look great, giving the car a clean, well-finished look that whispers performance but doesn’t shout about it. If you like keeping a low profile, this is a great choice.

We believe the interior is original and it speaks of the care this car has received over the years. The door panels and seat covers certainly look like OEM Dodge and the headliner is in excellent shape with only minor signs of age. The carpets have surely been replaced at some point and are protected by heavy-duty rubber mats so it’ll look good for years to come. The dash is original and shows a bit of age, but all the gauges are operational. You’ll note there’s a factory block-off plate for the radio, suggesting that this car was ordered with performance in mind, although it does have a heater whose controls mirror the pushbutton transmission controls on the left side of the instrument panel. Seat belts were added at some point, but they were careful to make them look OEM, and the back seat is spacious enough for full-sized adults. And speaking of spacious, the trunk is positively massive and is outfitted with a correct plaid mat plus a full-sized spare and jack assembly.

This Polara was originally equipped with a 361 cubic inch V8 but somewhere along the line it received a burly 440 cubic inch mill from a later model. Rebuilt for street use, there’s a mild cam inside, an aluminum intake manifold, and a 4-barrel carburetor, which work with tubular headers to make a very entertaining street motor. It starts easily, idles nicely, and pulls with the kind of easy torque that makes Chrysler big blocks legendary. It’s also neatly finished with corporate turquoise engine enamel, a Mopar Performance dress-up kit, and OEM-style hardware to give it the right look. The 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission shifts through the gears without any hiccups and we believe there are 3.54 gears out back in the built Dana 60 rear end. Someone has thoughtfully added power front disc brakes with a Wilwood master cylinder and aside from a small 2x8-inch patch, the floors are quite solid. Those long-tube headers dump into a burbling Flowmaster exhaust system and the stance is perfect for a ‘60s cruiser. 15-inch steel wheels with “dog dish” hubcaps are perfect for the industrial-strength look and it sits on fat 235/70/15 Goodyear radials.

Big Mopars are always going to be cool, mostly because they carry big engines. With few frills but a build that was clearly meant to take no prisoners, this Polara remains easy to drive yet ferociously fast. If that’s your kind of fun, give us a call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.