I love the Chrysler Corporation. It is sad to me that they have struggled so much in recent years, though really it is not just in recent years. It seems like they have spent much of their history struggling and even in good times have been the underdog in Detroit. They always had to find ways to do more with less, which led to their producing some of the most unique vehicles of their times. If you’re like me and love their historic cars, you should enjoy this assortment I saw during Auction Week in Scottsdale, Arizona. There are 15 classics after the jump, so settle in for a supersized dose of Mopar greatness (and quirkiness).
We’ll go chronologically through this collection of cars. Silver was a relatively small auction with about 350 cars (about half as many as Russo and Steele and a fifth of Barrett-Jackson), many of which would get laughed off the block at the big boy auctions. Never the less, it was well worth the modest gate charge to get in because some of the most interesting cars I saw all week were there.
Case in point, they had this very nice looking 1935 Chrysler Airflow sedan. The Airflow was made by Chrysler division and Desoto from 1934-1937 and was an amazing gambit by Walter Chrysler to radically advance automotive engineering. The most obvious innovation was the wind-tunnel-tested, streamlined styling, with a sloping grille and flush headlights. The body proportions were strange for the time as well, since the engine sits more forward over the front axle and the wider cab is located more over the center of the wheelbase. This made for increased interior room and a smoother ride for passengers. The truly new beam-and-truss steel body was light and strong, though curiously still had a fabric roof panel.
A hood-up photo doesn’t do the Airflow justice. This is a photo I took at the Houston Fine Arts Museum a couple of years ago when they had a special exhibit of Art Deco Cars. It is also a 1935 model. After selling 8,389 Airflows in 1934 (not counting Imperials), 1935 saw 4,996 sold, only 379 of which were coupes. Sales went down from there in 1936-37. Sales were clearly less than expected from day one. Chrysler hastily modified the front end to have a more upright grille for 1935 (as well as introducing, with amazing speed, a conventionally styled Eight [cylinder] model called the Airstream).
All Chrysler Airflows had straight 8 engines, while Desoto Airflows had 6 cylinders. 1935’s had 323.5cid putting out 115hp, or 120hp optionally. They were pretty fast for their time and got good gas mileage.
In the photo of the Fine Arts Museum car you can see a screen which had a video playing. It was this 1934 Chrysler promotional film, which some of you have probably seen before. It’s pretty entertaining and worth the six minutes because the last minute is the best.
Since this car was at Silver, I don’t know if it sold or for how much as they haven’t released a sales list yet. Barrett-Jackson had a 1934 Airflow in their indoor tent. It was in nicer condition and sold for $55k. According to the Barrett-Jackson website, they have only sold 7 Airflows in the last 15 years at all their auctions nationwide, and surprisingly to me, 3 of those are customs.
You will definitely get noticed driving one of these, a 1947 Chrysler Town and Country offered at Silver. The only production four door woody sedan, they were built from 1946-48 along with a two door convertible. 1947 was the highest production year for the sedan at 2,651 with a base price of $2,713. Doesn’t sound too expensive, except when you consider an equivalent Windsor model cost $1,711 and even a top of the line New Yorker sedan only cost $2,073
In 1947, all Town and Country sedans were six cylinders while the convertibles were eight cylinders. Convertibles also rode a six inch longer wheelbase.
After WWII, all the manufacturers were working on developing new designs, but that would take a few years. In the meantime, Chrysler thought a good way to bring attention to its cars, which were basically 1942 models like everybody had, was to have a whole line of wood bodied cars. They were planning on a full line of Six’s and longer wheelbase Eight’s with sedan, convertible and hardtop coupe available in each. They ended up having full production only for the Six sedan and Eight convertible. Still, the publicity purpose was served. They were popular with the Posh set and actually sold pretty well considering their high price (but probably didn’t make much, if any, money due to the high cost of hand building the wood bodies).
Strangely, Chrysler built woody wagons in 1941-42, but not after the war until 1949. In 1949, they had a convertible and wagon and in 1950 a hardtop coupe and wagon, their last wood bodied or trimmed cars. More obscure trivia: That 1950 Town and Country hardtop was one of the first U.S. cars to have disc brakes.
While not a musclecar, hot rod or sports car, Russo and Steele nevertheless had a 1950 Chrysler Windsor Club Coupe. Unfortunately, it did not sell. If you read my last article on Fords, you’ll recall I talked about the 1949 Ford as a design that was very forward thinking, and advanced the styling language perhaps a bit too fast for my tastes. Chrysler (along with Dodge, Desoto and Plymouth) took the exact opposite approach, releasing probably the most conservative all-new postwar cars.
Chrysler President K.T. Keller wanted cars that were roomy, practical and solidly built, to appeal to value driven customers who weren’t looking to make a fashion statement. Those qualities were built into a vehicle that would not challenge anyone’s existing expectations of what a car should look like, showing how much Chrysler had changed in the 15 years since the Airflow was released. Keller’s most famous decree was that a man should not have to remove his hat when driving a Chrysler. That would certainly not be a design parameter today!
In a deeper sense, the 1949 Chrysler corporation cars are actually a product of the same form-follows-function philosophy that birthed the Airflow. The devotion to functionality and quality engineering were there in both cases. The difference being that after the bad sales experience of the Airflow, it took 20 years for the company to want to do anything stylistically daring.
This car has the Highlander package, which gave you plaid upholstery. The seller states that the interior is all original. I think the dashboard and steering wheel on these are fantastic. The Windsor is part of the shorter wheelbase, six cylinder series. The 250.5cid straight six had 116hp, 19 less than the larger straight eight series cars. The horsepower race had definitely not been joined yet by Chrysler.
Suddenly it’s 1960! Fast forward 11 years and we have the Chrysler 300G. If you aren’t a Mopar junkie, G indicates its a 1961 model (OK, it was released in 1960!). Maybe it’s just me, but I found this car so FREAKING sweet, it was hard to breath in its presence. Did we ever actually build cars like this? My gosh, what an amazing vehicle. It sold at Russo and Steele for $57,000.
In my opinion, this car is just about perfect from stem to stern. Many 300 aficionados consider the F and G (’60 and ’61)to be the high point for Chrysler’s luxurious brute. Chryslers switched to unit body construction, so they are much stiffer. Also in 1960, 300’s got long cross ram induction, increasing torque significantly, as well as rear bucket seats and the Chrysler electroluminescent instrument panel. 300’s had their own 150mph speedometer, since the standard 120mph Chrysler unit would clearly be inadequate!
Was there a sexier looking engine made in the ’60’s? At 413cid, the exotic looking V8 put out 375hp and 495ftlb torque.
The 1960 front end was fairly conservative, but they had a fake spare tire (or toilet seat) on the rear deck lid. Though many manufacturers began to tone down their tailfins by 1960, Chrysler’s remained proudly large and kept them for 1961 while mercifully ditching the toilet seat. The front end got canted headlights and the trapezoidal grille was inverted. The 1960 front is pretty, but I think the angularity of the ’61 fronts works well with the tailfins and gives the car a bolder, distinctly Chrysler look. Sales increased in 1961, but still only sold 1,280 hardtops. For 1962, the 300 moved to a shorter wheelbase and completely lost the tailfins. Apparently, outgoing styling chief Virgil Exner was not happy with it since he called it the “plucked chicken”. 1962 also saw the introduction of a heavily decontented non-letter 300 series, contributing to a drop in letter car sales by 2/3’s.
Another notable Virgil Exner design is the 1962 Plymouth Sport Fury convertible. CC had a series of articles on the downsized 1962 Dodges and Plymouths a couple of months ago that were very interesting. I’ve always like the ’62 models. The styling is so out there, it delicious. I prefer the Plymouth to the Dodge. This one sold at Barrett-Jackson for $31,900.
The seller stated that the interior is original. Fuzzy dice included with car. So is the exceptionally legible speedometer.
Back at Silver, there was a 1963 Chrysler 300 non-letter car. In condition, it doesn’t compare to the 300G above or the ’62 Plymouth, but I included it because I really like these ’63-’64 Chryslers. This one has tired paint and cheesy wheels, but was still worth lingering on for me.
I have a soft spot for these that stems from my college days in the late 80’s. A friend of mine’s grandmother had a very low mileage ’64 300 four door that was in mint condition, even still rolling on its original tires. His dad took us out in it one chilly winter evening. When we started off, it felt like we were driving on a cobblestone street. He explained that those old bias ply tires were stiff in cold weather and that they had to get warmed up to get the flat spots out. Sure enough, they did after a few minutes. Then we just had a nice smooth ride in that charismatic car. He let it out a couple of times. In the late 80’s when just about everything on the road was slower, it seemed immensely powerful. Probably not any faster than an Accord now, but forever imprinted in my mind.
I love the dashes on these. Really simple and graceful. They even have a passenger “oh crap” chrome grab handle in the right side and, of course, pushbutton transmission. The interior on this car was nicer than the exterior.
Now for the Mopar muscle fans, here’s a 1967 Plymouth GTX. Parked next to it was a virtually identical car. They were both Hemi/4-speed cars. This one sold for $110,000 while its doppelganger went for exactly half that amount. They were both perfectly restored examples, but one was a recreation Hemi that originally had a 440. It was like a scientific experiment to find out exactly how much matching numbers are worth.
We’ve all seen the 426 Hemi before, but it never hurts to see it again. One of the most distinctive and attractive engines ever made. Oh, and powerful too.
If you don’t need a Hemi, but like convertibles, Barrett-Jackson had a third ‘67 GTX available. The “Super Commando” 375hp 440 and A727 automatic were standard, with the 4-speed a no cost option. This was a meticulously restored 440 car that sold for about the same as the recreation Hemi at $52,800. It was ready for cruising with the Torqueflite transmission and nice redline radial tires.
I like the 1966-67 intermediates a lot. They have simple, clean styling and the hardtop coupe’s roofline is really elegant. I’ve always preferred the Dodge a bit, but on this trip the Plymouths have grown on me.
Ever heard of an $82,500 Dart? You may have if you are familiar with Dodge’s insane one year decision to make the big block 375hp 440cid V8 available in the 1969 Dart GTS.
This car was in better-than-new, so-clean-you-could-eat-off-the-undercarriage, restoration-overkill condition. It was even sold new at Grand Spaulding Dodge. For a car that’s a restoration showpiece and likely doesn’t get driven, it seems odd to me that they would put radials on it. I think the stance has a tad too much rake, as well. I suppose I could correct those things if I wanted to invest in the ultimate Dart, which I don’t!
Only at the peak of the muscle car era would it have seemed like a sensible idea to sell such a small car with largest engine the company made! (though it actually doesn’t look all that crowded in there)
One of the fun things about Barrett-Jackson (or any other big name auction) is getting to look up close at the restorer’s handiwork in making a 49 year old car look better than a brand new one.
The 1968 Plymouth Road Runner was the original budget muscle car. This 383cid, 4-speed car represented just about the least one could spend in 1968 to get a genuine mid-size “supercar”. You could get a no-frills car that could do 100mph in the quarter mile for $2,896. The fact that it came with a Beep-Beep horn was just a sweetener.
Plymouth had been making hot engines available in their regular models for years, but was slow to get into specifically marketed midsize performance models (like the ’64 Pontiac GTO). The GTX was only introduced for 1967 and came standard with a 440 and a higher level of trim. Plymouth very astutely perceived a demand for an entry level high performance intermediate. The Road Runner sold almost 45,000 in 1968 (The G.T.O. sold 80k) and actually outsold the G.T.O. in 1969.
This car doesn’t look to have any options on it. It’s a coupe (not a hardtop) like all the early Road Runners and had only some basic heavy-duty chassis components from the police package and GTX, in addition to the 335hp 383. It sold at Barrett-Jackson for $36,300.
The Road Runner sold so well, that Dodge made its own stripped down muscle model, the Super Bee, and released it mid-year. It came with the same engines as the Road Runner and the same minimum of comfort and style features.
This 1968 Super Bee has the optional 425hp 426cid, dual 4-barrel Hemi engine and Torqueflite A-727 automatic transmission. The seller states the car has its original engine and 11k original miles, though it has had paint, interior and other refurbishment. He also states they only made 126 Hemi Super Bee’s in 1968, 94 with automatics. It sold for $61,000.
I like this generation of Dodge intermediates better than the Plymouths. They work well with the full rear wheel openings, coke bottle curves on the rear fender and the slightly coved front end. 1970 is a different story, but I think those are groovy, too. This particular car has a great color and perfect stance and looks particularly menacing with its dog dish hubcaps and blackwalls. It says, “Yeah, I’ve got a Hemi, but I don’t need to shout about it.” If I had $61k to spend on a muscle car, I’d be really tempted!
Now this really pushes some of my buttons. I’ve got a thing for full size performance cars, if you haven’t picked up on that yet. Obviously, I’m a fan of the Chrysler 300 letter cars which ended in 1965, around the time most companies started to get away from full size performance and focus their efforts on mid size muscle. The non-letter 300’s continued through 1971 as a slightly sporty trim model on the standard Chrysler. However, the 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst was a special one-year-only model that harkened back to the old letter cars, with a bit more contemporary muscle car flash.
The Hurst model got unique fiberglass hood and trunk lid, spoiler, special paint, decals and painted wheels, white letter tires, leather seats, 375hp 440cid “TNT” V8 with torqueflite automatic transmission, and upgraded suspension. Oddly, a Hurst shifter was not offered.
Chrysler’s 1969 “fuselage” styling is polarizing. Being a lover of Chrysler quirkiness, I dig it. This rear shot really shows off the absurd length of the cars. These are the longest standard length Chryslers ever, at least until 1974 when they grew by a couple more inches.
This car was at Russo and Steele and did not sell (because I was not a bidder!)
Barrett-Jackson also had one, in nicer condition but with an unfortunate black vinyl top, which sold for $50,600. It’s the only one listed on the B-J website that they’ve sold in the last 15 years.
This 1971 Dodge Challenger is a head scratcher. I neglected to shoot a photo of the info sheet, and my recollection is limited to it saying it was mostly original with a repaint, as well as some info about its equipment being original. I only have a casual knowledge of these cars, so this appealed to me as being different from the typical car show/auction Challenger R/T or T/A, as well as not looking like a base model either. So what the heck is it?
The car has a R/T scooped hood with hold downs, R/T fake side scoops ahead of the rear wheels, blacked out R/T grille and taillight panel and the 383cid Magnum 300hp engine with dual quad style chrome plated exhaust tips. On the other hand it has 14 inch wheels, hubcaps and whitewalls, no stripes or decals and very non-muscle-car colors. It also has a strange wide chrome molding around the nose, which may be aftermarket. Per XR7Matt: The Challenger with the pseudo loop bumper treatment was factory, the option code was M28, available on all trims but only for 1971.
With the help of the Old Car Manual Project, I found a 1970 salesman’s guide with a fair amount of detail, though not quite as much as I’d like. Assuming 1971 is similar, this car is an R/T, just a very unusually equipped one. 14 inch wheels with poverty caps were standard on R/T, with three hubcaps and two styled wheels optional (15 inch painted Rallye wheels were standard with 340 and 426 engines).
The Magnum 383 was one of nine (!) engine choices in the Challenger, and was optional in the base model and standard on the R/T. The one thing I haven’t determined is the stripes. A couple of sources state stripes were standard with either side stripes or a bumblebee tail stripe, while the salesman’s guide is silent on stripes. It seems likely that Dodge would have a stripe delete option, or it could be that the car was repainted and the original stripes left off. Stripes would look out of place on this car, so I choose to believe it never had them.
In any case, it is a very appealing car and appears to be a cool Mopar factory freak. It looked to be in very good condition, and the auction sale price of $25,000 seems reasonable.
Getting out of the muscle car era, this 1978 Dodge Magnum XE was at Silver. I think that this is the most attractive post-1974 version of this platform that Chrysler made. It may not be fast compared to the cars sold several years earlier, but it looks about as bad-ass as anything with opera windows can.
This car has the Gran Touring package, which had fender flares and 15×7 slotted wheels with trim rings and white letter tires, t-tops optional. The Magnum was only sold for 1978 and ’79, the first year along side the Charger (which it outsold 55k to 2.8k) Even in malaise-era 1978, it was available with five choices of V8. This one had a 4-barrel 360 good for 170hp. Not bad for the times, and you could get a 190hp 4-barrel 400.
This car wasn’t quite as nice as it looks in the photos. It was definitely rough around the edges, particularly the interior. I don’t know if it sold or for how much.
Lastly, at Barrett-Jackson we have a 1990 Chrysler TC by Maserati, the ultimate K-car. Based on the common 1980’s/early ’90’s corporate chassis with body work by Maserati, it was assembled in Italy and sold from 1989-’91. The 1989 engine was a Chrysler 2.2L turbo 4, while ’90 and ’91 models got a Mitsubishi 3.0L V6. Engines were the same ones used in many other Chrysler products.
Chrysler sold 3,762 in 1989, but sales dropped to 1,900 for 1990. It was a well-equipped, luxurious convertible cruiser with a well-trimmed leather interior, proven mechanicals and the latest safety features of airbag and anti-lock brakes. It had a soft top and removable hardtop. Who wouldn’t want one? Well, anybody who would prefer paying almost exactly half the price for a LeBaron convertible, which was visually and mechanically the same basic car with a backseat.
I appreciate that they put tiny rear quarter windows in it. Functionally, they don’t really serve a purpose, but not having them would be really cheap looking.
Say what you will about the car, but Chrysler put some of the most sumptuous looking seats ever in the TC. Chrome door jambs are a nice touch. The broughamy seats and hardtop porthole had to be a result of Iacocca influence. This example is a low-mileage, very clean looking specimen that sold for $5720. B-J has only sold these seven times in the last 15 years, one of them being this same one at Scottdale last year. That time, it only brought $2720, so it looks like the seller made out pretty well. You could pay me $3000 to drive a TC for a year, no problem!
Other articles in my Scottsdale 2018 series:
Cadillacs-part 1 restored cars
Cadillacs-part 2 unrestored cars
Great Pics!
I always have a soft spot for the Mopar line, and really spent a lot of time with a number of them over the years. I finally found some photos from back then (late ’80’s), this one was my ’67 Dart 273 4 speed. I really liked the clean lines of the early cars, and only think they got fussier as the bumpers got big. Fun, toss-able car. I had an Addco rear sway bar in this one, and really liked the handling from then on.
thanks for the mopars!!! don’t understand why the airflow did’nt sell better. it was obviously way ahead of it’s time and really a sleek car for it’s day. it’s a sleek car by todays standards. built like a tank!!
While we are on Mopars, here is a pic of the ’68 Barracuda Formula S ( 340, also four speed ) I had at about the same time in the mid to late ’80’s. Way more fun than the Dart, also had a rear bar on it, but with the 340 it REALLY went.
If I ever try and remember where the money and time went during my youth, I only look at my pix and remember when!
Great stuff:
As nice as it is, I can’t imagine that 1950 Chrysler had a good ROI for the seller.
I’m a big fan of 62 Plymouths, but the convertible just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe the top is just too normal and doesn’t fit the rest of the wonderfully weird styling.
The Hemi worship is not my faith, but I would partake of the 383 4 speed Road Runner.
I’m a big fuselage fan so its nice to see the Chrysler 300 above.
As a kid, my best friend’s Mom had a ’69 Chrysler Newport 4 door sedan. You could fit an entire youth baseball team in the back seat with room to spare!!
As the B-52’s song goes:
“Hop in my Chrysler, it’s as big as a whale, And it’s about to set sail…”
Agreed! Huge car, loop bumpers, so cool! I like all the big 69-78 Chryslers, but the early ones had the most character. And the most power.
Fuselage Chryslers have really grown on me. When I was younger (much younger!) I thought the Fusey Chryslers were mostly ugly cars. Now I find myself liking their looks. Some older cars I still find un-attractive to my jaundiced eyeballs — but not these Chryslers! 😀
+1 on the early fuselage Chryslers, especially the grille on the ‘69 & ‘70 models. The ‘70 Plymouth Fury grilles and taillights were really “meh.” A Sport Fury with hidden headlights was a little more attractive, but still not as appealing as Chrysler.
The Challenger with the pseudo loop bumper treatment was factory, the option code was M28, available on all trims but only for 1971.
Nice, that’s some detailed knowledge! I couldn’t find any reference to it in my Standard Catalog, several books and magazines or online brochures. I edited it in the article.
Do you know was there a stripe delete option?
Yes but the still confusing thing is I’m fairly certain the R/T stripe delete (V68) came with R/T emblems under the Challenger script as a substitution for them, since the call outs were integral with the side stripes, like the attached one.
Hard to say what’s up with it, but I feel like if all else is original, it originally had stripes and were simply never replaced after the repaint. Aztec gold was a legit R/T color though, very 70s
Here is the exact car in a previous listing; yes the fender tags were lost according to the listing. Originally painted in Butterscotch, apparently:
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/dodge/challenger/2072491.html#&gid=1&pid=43
Without evedicence to the contrary I’m still convinced it had stripes, not R/T emblems. Reason being the V68 delete moved the Challenger script ABOVE the body line from where it is on striped R/Ts below, which is actually where the R/T emblem with V68 is placed. The Challenger script is placed below because the stripe takes up the upper area. These emblems used locating posts, so during a repaint it’s just a matter of removing them and placing them back, and it seems far more plausible that reproduction stripes were omitted than the R/T emblems getting “lost” and the various holes plugged and redrilled improperly.
It probably looked like this
That sounds plausible to me, considering the optional Hi-Impact Butterscotch would have been the original shade, and a lot more fitting on an R/T. White stripes would have worked very well with that interior color, crome loop front, and wheel choice as well (that would be my guess), so you are likely on to something there. I’d love to see the build sheet.
So according to the Hemmings ad, its a legit JS23 Challenger R/T but there has been some debate in the Mopar restoration world about the ’71 R/T fender emblems. Some say if the stripe was deleted, then there was either 1 big R/T emblem or a Challenger script with a small R/T emblem and others say there was just a Challenger script. The thing is with Chrysler in the ’70s, there was no 1 single rule, it all depended on what factory the car came from and how hung over the UAW workers were that day.
This is exactly right about Chrysler in those years. They had so many variations that “the rules” were not always followed. Custom orders, haphazard systems and ordinary screwups on the line were not uncommon.
My recollection of a particular facet of that debate was that the 340 engine was it’s own package on the Challenger, and not part of or available as the R/T, yet got all the basic equipment and dress up features of one, so they’d only have the Challenger script, stripe or no stripe. So there seemed to be rules for such things, just convoluted, and I’m sure consequently caused confusion on the lines now and then. If not for the repaint I’d be more accept that as the case with this one. I agree, I’d like to see the build sheet.
I’m assuming you pulled that photo off the Barrett-Jackson website. That car was also there, in the indoor tent with the highest dollar cars. The battery had died on my camera, so I didn’t take a photo. I’d forgotten that it was a ’71 and didn’t have stripes. It was claimed to be original and unrestored, and in person you could see a lot of imperfections even from behind the rope line. So that is probably how the emblems are supposed to look.
Unfortunately, you guys make a good case for the car originally having stripes and a more “muscle” color. Still odd to have hubcaps, though.
The “fender tag lost” I think is referring to the tag under the hood with option codes on it, not the fender emblems.
I think the wheel covers are perfectly legit, from what I know anecdotaly is that some buyers would buy cars like these cars and get the base wheels with the immediate intention of throwing on a set of aftermarket mags. Although I think these were deluxe covers, you’d think it would have the small poverty spec dog dishes that are much more common on E bodies without Rallyes or Magnum 500s, but anything’s possible, and it seems like it would be more trouble to procure a set of these covers after the fact than the dog dishes(which are reproduced). I did find a 70 R/T with them: http://www.ccpauctions.com/feature-lots.php?EventID=62&RefNum=r037.
I’m most baffled as to why it was repainted Gold instead of the Butterscotch, with the deluxe wheel covers and whiteline tires it almost seems purposely dressed down – sleeper perhaps? – either way, if the covers are original I’d love to see it restored to it’s original striped(presumably) butterscotch combination. With the combination with of that, the M28 trim, the wheel covers and the interior color this may be a 1 of 1 combination.
Wow, that ’70 R/T is crazy! 440 six pack with 14 inch wheels and hubcaps. The seller says the color combination is super rare, but throw in the hubcaps and I’m sure it’s the only one like it. Strange stuff. Who would order that? Like you said, if the original buyer just wanted to put new wheels on it, why spring for the full hubcaps?
Oh yeah.
I always wondered why Chrysler put so little effort into its 8 cylinder engine after the 30s. Sixes were the norm and the old eight was seldom seen. Also as to the styling, Chrysler was the last company that did not have a modern styling department after the war. Styling was part of the body engineering department. It turned out the kind of cars you would expect from that arrangement.
The 66-67 B body was a huge favorite of mine, perhaps because my sister’s mother had a gold 66 Sport Satellite convertible. I remain simply sick that I didn’t take advantage of the depressed prices of these cars when nobody wanted them around 1980 or so.
On that 63 Chrysler convertible, I wonder if it was one of the Pacesetter convertibles? They were all painted a similar shade of turquoise.
It certainly looks possible. I haven’t been able to find anything definitive about how to identify those. Was the color only available on those? I did find that they made 1,800 convertible pacesetters, so it’s not a real rare car.
Mopar deep immersion.
I forgot about the 440 Dart; it was an homologation special actually put together by Hurst, and only some 640 were built. Not exactly in the brochures.
Great writeup! I always found the Mopar lineup to be both the most quirky, forward thinking, and innovative of the US producers They took risks here and there, but they created some memorable machines. My favorites are the ‘62 psycho-looking Plymouth, and the ‘66 Satellite my buddy had in the day..crisp and clean lines.
Love the pics! I couldn’t help but notice a 57 Chev in one of the photos, and what looks like a 73 Chev Malibu 2 door beside the Magnum. Ah the ubiquitous generals always there to best Chrysler! No matter, Mopars always compared very well, notwithstanding the styling of the 63-64 Chrysler and the 62 Plymouth.
I loved the Challenger photo introducing this piece, but as you said, it’s tough to say if it is a 225 slant six model or a mid level upgrade. I always preferred the 74 Challenger and I wish they had based the current iteration on it, not the 1970.
I thought all 1970-74 Challengers had the same sheet metal, differences in grilles & taillamps notwithstanding.
Yes it is the taillights and the grille that differed year to year.
The 15-current is 71 based, with it’s split grille and taillights, the 08-14 was 1970 like. You might eventually get your wish if FCA continues to milk this platform, 1972(same as 74) is right around the corner!
Challenger for me.
Great pics, well annotated, of a thoughtful selection of cars. I would argue against bestowing that “ultimate K-car” title on the Chrysler’s TC by Maserati; even if we stretch the definition of a K-car to include all derivatives there are other models that award fits better.
Past tense, past tense. The Chrysler Corporation ended in 1998. Since then there has been a sequence of companies with “Chrysler” in their name, but none of them has a thing to do with any of the cars pictured here.
While Chrysler Corp existed, they were always № 3 after GM and Ford. And yes, if we were to plot their fortunes over time, it would probably resemble a sine wave with high peaks and low valleys. There are many causes; the peaks were boosted higher and the valleys depressed lower by design hits and misses, and by thoughtful and negligent financial behaviour, but if we zoom way out it seems like every time they took their eye off the ball—every time they turned away from their main strength of particularly good engineering—things went badly.
“While Chrysler Corp existed, they were always № 3 after GM and Ford.”
Not always, although you have to go back a long way to find a time when they weren’t. Between the early 1930s and early 1950s, Chrysler’s usual place was second, behind GM but ahead of Ford.
No single Chrysler brand ever broke the Chevrolet/Ford stranglehold on the top two in the rankings of individual brands, although there were a few periods (once around 1933, then again around 1939) where it looked like Plymouth was getting close.
I was thinking along your same lines after I posted the comment (the board threw a 503 error, which means the comment got posted but without the customary 15-minute editing window).
Chrysler was actually No 2 of the “Big 3” during much of the flathead era, from the mid 30s into the early 50s. Walter Chrysler built a juggernaut but no leader after him was able to match his wide variety of talents.
You’re right, of course, that Chrysler has never been the same since it stopped being an independent company. Personally, I was not very enthusiastic about their cars after they switched to front wheel drive. However, many of their vehicles post-acquisition have been worthy and interesting.
It would be great if they were still independent, but I am glad they are still around in any form.
Loved the pics. Mopar had some attractive products over the years… along with some really… ummm… interesting offerings. One of my German cousins bought a new ’67 GTX coupe when he was over here for training. Hemi, Automatic, Power Steering. The color combo is the same as the pic below- Dk. Green with White interior. He still has the car, though it obviously isn’t a daily driver. Probably more of a retirement plan.
Correct me if I’m wrong; I’m not that up on all things Mopar.
Didn’t Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge put big-blocks into Darts and other assorted Chrysler products that did NOT come with that option from the factory?
IIRC, Mr. Norm put a 440 in a 1968 Dart GTS and called it a GSS.
Reminded me of something I picked up a few years ago. It says on the side of the box: “They said it couldn’t be done, but that never stopped Mr. Norm and his Grand Spaulding Dodge team from creating some of the fastest cars of the ’60’s and ’70’s. Even Chrysler engineering couldn’t fit a 440 engine into Dodge’s compact Dart, but even if it meant putting the battery in the trunk, Mr. Norm was determined to make it work.”
Grand Spaulding put the 440 in ’68 Darts, then Dodge decided to make it an official option for 1969. GS was involved with the engineering but the installations were done by Hurst, as Paul mentioned.
Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge (biggest dealer in the country then of Dodge) did give Chry. Co. the expertise for the 1968 383 Dart GTS and the 1969 440 Dart GTS. Chrysler thought it couldn’t be done, but Mr. Norm had his mechanic shop see fit it could be done, and Chrysler reacted appropriately. He also created 340-6 pack Darts and Supercharged 340 Demons in later years that Chrysler ignored. That said, it became a sad ending for 3300 W. Grand Ave in Chicago, a neighborhood just north of Garfield Park. When I lived in Chicago, I had to check it out. Bad area. Very bad. I diddnt take photos, but it looked like this pretty much circa 2014:
Different angle, but the same main showroom from better times, as seen above:
Another around 1970?
There was a larger building directly across on the south side of Grand too. I drove by in 2014ish too(didn’t feel sticking around too long was a good idea) though lost the pictures I took when my computer crashed, I hadn’t realized the south building was Grand Spaulding Dodge until I heard the news it caught fire last summer and saw the pictured building wasn’t the mr Norm’s building (thankfully). Looking at google street view it is now demolished.
1974
The Mr. Norm story about the big-block Dart, while a fun read, is almost certainly fiction, and the reason can be answered in two words: Barracuda and Charger.
Chrysler did, indeed, already know how to put a big-block into the A-body chassis; it was done from the beginning in the new 1967 A-body Barracuda which shared its engine bay with both the Valiant and Dart.
So, why didn’t they offer the 383 in the 1967 Dart from the beginning of the model year? The answer is it was a pure marketing decision; they didn’t want any kind of cannibalization of Charger sales. Plymouth, unlike Dodge, had no intermediate sporty car (the Plymouth Belvedere GTX came standard with the 440), so the 1967 Barracuda got the 383 from the start.
And, frankly, the big-block Barracuda wouldn’t have happened, at all, except Chrysler got word that the Mustang was getting the 390 for 1967, as well as the Camaro having the 396 as an option and the 400 in the Firebird. They were just trying to keep up.
When Mr. Norm started putting 383s in early ’67 Darts, well, Chrysler ‘did’ relent, but production of the big-block Dart was still quite tepid: only 458 built in 1967. It didn’t help that power steering, power brakes, and A/C were all unavailable in a big-block A-body, whether a Barracuda or Dart.
And that 440 in the 1969 A-body? On top of no PS, PB, or A/C, there was no 4-speed, either (only the Torqueflite). I don’t know if Mr. Norm’s ’68 440 Dart had a 4-speed, but Chrysler didn’t feel the Dart’s rear axle could handle the 440’s torque. As evidence, it’s worth noting that the high-performance 383 in the A-body did get some significant detuning (smaller carb, less cam, smaller valve heads, etc.).
This all led directly to the 1970 E-body having to move to the larger, intermediate B-body chassis to be able to accommodate a big-block with all those accessories, as well as being able to fit the Hemi’s monster Dana 60 rear axle.
To be blunt, you are simply wrong. There was nothing larger than a 273 in either the Dart or Barracuda for 1967 from Chrysler themself. Hence all the development work not only within Chrysler for the upcoming 340, but for the Grand Spaulding Mr. Norm cars also. Funny how Norm beat Chrysler to their own punch then, huh?
From the Wikipedia entry on the 2nd generation Barracuda:
In 1967, while the 225 cu in (3.7 L) slant-6 was still the base engine, the V8 options ranged from the two- and four-barrel versions of the 273 cu in (4.5 L) to a seldom-ordered 383 cu in (6.3 L) “B” big-block, rated at 280 bhp (210 kW), the latter available only with the Formula S package.
There are tons of references as to the OEM availability of the 383 in the Barracuda throughout MY1967 (including multiple road tests), available widely across the internet.
cj: sorry, but you got this one wrong. I was around at the time the ’67 Barracuda came out, and the optional 383 was a big deal. Except of course that the reviewers all admitted that it ruined its handling.
Full details in the brochure image attached.
Wow. Ignore me everyone. I certainly messed that one up. I apologize sincerely. That’s what I get for not checking my references.
It was an honest mistake. The myth seems to have been perpetuated (if not outright started) by Norm Kraus himself, simply in an effort for some free publicity to sell more cars. It’s unlikely that anyone at Chrysler cared enough to dispute it (particularly since Grand Spaulding sold so many performance Dodges) other than, say, the engineers who did the actual work to get a 383 into a production, A-body ’67 Barracuda.
After all, Mr. Norm ‘was’ the first to put the 440 into the Dart in 1968, a year before Chrysler (well, Hurst) did it, so it’s perfectly believable that he was the first to put a 383 in an A-body in ’67 with the 383.
Wow sad photo! I noticed that it is on Spalding street, which I gather is where the name came from: the intersection. Never heard of that before, but good marketing. People automatically know where your dealership is.
I’ve spent a lifetime trying to find a Chrysler Airflow in the metal. I’ve never seen one. Not in a show, or museum, or farmers field, or barn, or in a hoarders stash. Thanks for sharing your find.
You’d have loved the LeMay show in Tacoma several years ago when the Airflow Club showed up in force. I think there were a couple of dozen Chrysler and DeSoto Airflows there.
Another shot.
Sweet jesus, I hope that Magnum ends/ended up with a loving, caring owner…a criminally underated car forgotten due to a problem that can be solved with hard work and dedication underneath the hood…
Wow,,,And I haven’t even read it yet, I know what I will being tomorrow.
Love this post. I just about hear all of those Hamtramck Hummingbird starters now.
I always liked Mopars because they were the underdogs.
Are prices down this year? $61K for a Hemi Super Bee?
I think I would go for the stripper ’68 Road Runner and then bolt some Cragars on it just like if it was new, but it would be hard to turn down the big n sexy Hurst 300 or the T-Top Magnum.
… and a quick rundown on the 440 Darts…
Grand Spaulding Dodge (AKA Mr Norms) started building and selling 383 Darts in 1967 proving to Chrysler engineers that a big block could fit in an A-Body with relatively little modifications. Dodge bought into it and started selling factory 383 Darts in the second half of 1967 through 1969. In 1968, Mr Norm started building and selling 440 Darts like the model kit above and Chrysler followed suit in 1969 by making the 440 a factory option in Darts and Barracudas.
Hurst built the 1968 Hemi Darts and Barracudas for Chrysler in 1968 as factory race cars; Mr Norm had nothing to do with those
correct. Hurst only built Hemi Darts and Barracudas. Chrysler built the 440 A body.
As I pointed out earlier, Chrysler already knew how to put a 383 in a 1967 A-body before Mr. Norm was doing it with the Dart; Chrysler had offered the 383 in the A-body Barracuda Formula S as an RPO from the start of 1967 production.
In fact, I would imagine it was actually the reverse, that Chrysler had shown Mr. Norm how to do it and he was using big-block Formula S parts to put the 383 into a ’67 Dart. Chrysler didn’t do it from the beginning because they didn’t want to take a chance on someone buying a cheaper 383 Dart instead of a higher-profit ’67 Charger 383.
For me I prefer the RoadRunner to the SuperBee, but I had(and still have) an ertl diecast of a 69 as long as I can remember(same color even!), and I could possibly credit it as one of the major factors for my car fanaticism, so there’s some personal attachment, yes. However, I do appreciate the more subdued presence of the Plymouth in design general, it looks like a true stripper hot rod, and the warner brothers tie in, down to the silly horn, is just more fun, and that’s the point. The Superbee has some cool traits, I always loved the 68 taillight panel, but it’s more serious in execution, it’s totally derivative of the Plymouth(a lethal habit of Dodge) and the name is typical license dodging (no pun intended) marketing knock off. Yes yes it’s cute that it’s a Super “Bee” and that it’s a “B” body, but that’s only relevant to diehard mopar fans. Not that I wouldn’t lust over either though.
I agree with the Magnum being my favorite of this body, I just do not like the neoclassical Monte Carlo like nose of the Córdoba and Charger, and while the Magnum was no match aesthetically with a 68-70 or 71-74 B, it was a much more fitting design for a name name like Charger…… which it wasn’t called. Oh well, it’s still a good example of a mid cycle facelift done right.
I like the Road Runner, too, but only the original 1968 coupe, and then without the ‘Decor Group’ that adds the chrome B-pillar molding and trim piece across the trunk lid.
For 1969, I go with the Super Bee. Besides the better looking grille and taillights, you got the more complete set of instrument gauges from the Charger. On top of that, you could get the ultimate street racer 440 Six-Pack with its lift-off fiberglass hood and black, no-hubcap steelies with chrome lugnuts. It was all business and there was no mistaking what that ‘business’ was.
The 1962 Plymouth Sport Fury has hang on air conditioning. The integrated factory AC was really good and controlled entirely by vacuum servos. A bit demerit for that particular car. And the steering wheel is the normal Fury one, not the white and red Sport Fury mode. Maybe the better one was an option. My 1963 Sport Fury, with a slightly revised interior, had a different two tone steering wheel.
That Fury also had a non-original air cleaner, so it definitely wasn’t a concours quality car.
Were flat spots a normal thing on bias-ply tires? My only recollection of that phenomenon was from a late-1970s trip in a rented Winnebago where I was awakened each morning by the thumping of flat-spotted tires for the first few minutes of driving. But I don’t remember flat spots on regular cars with bias-ply tires.
I think flat-spotting was only common on cars that sat for fairly long periods of time between drives.
I have no idea if it was common. That’s the only time I’ve experienced that, but it’s also probably the only time I’ve driven in a bias ply car when the temp was around freezing. It is likely, as well, that the car hadn’t been driven in a while. My friend’s grandmother also had a Fifth Avenue for normal driving, so the 300 spent most of its time in the garage.
Flat spots were a characteristic of nylon cord tires. It was a big selling point of rayon cord tires that they were smooth riding all the time. Nylon was considered safer for high speeds, which is why the letter Chrysler 300s came with Goodyear Blue Streak nylon tires (according to the 1958 Road & Track test).
Nice!
He’s a video of a few Chryslers in motion on the road in Australia.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3oMc9T7Qrb8