So we’ve spent all week showing you Chryslers of all kinds, to drool over as well as to hate on. Obviously, there’s a lot that was left behind, but unless we’re going to turn the site into Chrysler Classics, that’s the reality. So now it’s time to profess your true Mopar Love; which will grace your driveway tomorrow? And to keep it interesting, let’s try not to avoid the obvious 1955-1957 300, which everyone would gladly have.
I have multiple personality disorder, so I’m going to go for three (you can too, if you’ve been medically certified). For my refined, elegant and rectiti-dude self, I’ll take a ’65 New Yorker coupe.
For my speed-loving, reckless-maniac self, I’ll have a 1968 Barracuda Formula S 340. It was the best handling pony car, or more like the best handling American car of the times (Corvette and Corvair excepted), and the brand new 340 would hit an honest 6000 rpm and eat all sorts of big-block machinery for breakfast.
And for my hipster self, it has to be this 1960 Plymouth two-door wagon, with at least this much patina, and the slant six under the hood, warmed up a bit of course, and a corresponding exhaust to let folks know what they’re dealing with!
Your turn:
Ok, now you have done it – as a lover of all things 1965 and 1966 Chryslers, the 65 New Yorker two door has me drooling. I will be no more good for the rest of the day.
Mr. Bill
I’ll take a Dodge Aspen wagon with slant 6!
70 Superbee in Moulin Rouge with a 383 and pistol grip shifter.Barbie’s muscle car.
I’ll take a 57 crown imerial any way I could get it as a fine day cruizer. As a fun muscley car I really like how that barracuda looks(are those wheels stock size?) but I want it in a darker shade. And as a daily Im looking at a 12/13 300 c. I want it loaded with all the goodies and with the 6 and eight speed auto. The exterior color that tripple black and red leather seats. Unfortunatly locally there is not one 300 anything avaliable anywhere, and Im not interested in travelling four hours just too see the two 300c’s that dealer has as only one has the red leather.
sounds like a nice one. I happen to like the new generation 300. Looks almost like an older Audi A8.
I had never really considered a 300 before I had seen that one, to me they just kinda blended in and while they may still blend in I like how they look but what really wtuck out was the red leather seats. I think If I do end up with a 300s it will have them and I think I will add some red leather accents to the dash and door panels. Or maybe chrysler will add to it for the next mobel year.
Look for one on ebay with red leather, if its a dealer, they usually have tons of pictures of the interior.
I get what you’re saying, I just want to point out a pet peeve of mine.
“Triple black” is not a way to say “black paint” as people seem to use it, or even, black with black interior. Only a convertible (or vinyl top coupe I suppose) can be “triple black” or “triple white”, I.e. black paint, black interior, black roof is actually triple black.
But I agree, the black 300 with red leather is quite a looker.
That fellow was nice enough to show me his 300, unfoutunatly it was 38°C and probably 90% humidity and I was soaked in sweat so I didnt get any good shots of the interior.
There is an odd appeal in a Mod Top Barracuda to me:
The wagon’s a good choice.
But, had I my druthers, I’d go off the menu:
+1
This one specifically:
My first choice would have been a ’65 Chrysler 2-door, but that’s taken right off the bat. Sooooo…..’68 Charger, black over black, 383 4bbl. Back in high school days, a friend’s older brother had one in green, and what a sweet ride it was.
While an early 340 car is tempting, for the realities of today’s driving I’d resurrect a Mopar from my past. I had a Canadian spec ’66 Valiant Signet hardtop with a 273 automatic. Exact same car as a US spec Dart GT. It was a light turquoise with white vinyl roof and white bucket seat interior. I paid $300 for it and used it as a winter beater but it was in pretty decent shape. I didn’t give it much respect then, but it was a pleasant car to drive and saw me through some tough times. I’d love to have another like it today.
I too had a ’66 Signet hardtop, red with black interior. Slant six and three speed. Paid $200 for it and then restored it to near new condition.
In 1983 I drove it from Vermont to the Guatemala border and back without a hitch. The length, the breadth, and the length again of the dusty roads of Mexico and upon return it still looked good.
Not bad for a 17 year old (at the time) car.
Today I’d like to have a ’64 convert so I could add to my stories about those amazing 63-66 Valiant/Dart mobiles.
call me crazy but I kinda like the TC…
You’re not alone.
Too bad that luscious Italian skin had to drape the guts of a cheap econobox.
Actually, I didn’t know they had 4-cylinder engines I thought a six was in there. My mistake. I do like the exterior a lot especially in that soft yellow.
They had both, there was the basic Chrysler turbo 4, there was a Chrysler turbo 4 with a Maserati head and then the V6 for the last model year, from what I recall.
That 65 New Yorker Coupe is beautiful. Reminds me of my best friend back in November of 65, Dad got a 66 New Yorker 4 door Hardtop in white with the black inserts in the sail panel and black leather interior with buckets and a console. The only 4 door with buckets and a console I have ever seen. We were moving and my friend and I, at 10 years old, got in that car and played with the power stuff until we killed the battery. It was definitely a beautiful car in my 10 year old eyes. When we went back to visit a year later his dad had traded the 66 on a 67 New Yorker. I guess he ended up not liking the bucket seats. The 67 did not quite have the allure as that 66.
As to my favorite Mopar that one would rank near the top, but I guess a 62 Imperial Convertible would be my top choice. There is something about the gunsight taillights and the free standing headlights that no other design has ever done for me. I can still remember the Dark Green Imperial 4 door a friend of my Dads got way back in 1962; I thought it was the grandest looking car ever and still do.
Mopars that are in the more attainable category for me would be a 74-78 nyb or Imperial depending on year, an 80-83 like Craig’s Imperial would also be high on the list. A 2011-13 300 C in maroon is very high on my next new car list.
Thank you all for the great week I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Work well done one and all.
It’s some 1960s lust for me:
• 1962 Imperial Convertible
• 1966 Chrysler 300 Convertible
• 1969 Dodge Charger (NOT the General Lee, more like Bullitt, but I like the ’69 taillights better)
Spotted last night, 1963 Imperial Crown Convertible.
Rear
Interior
If only it was a 62 with the gunsight tailights. I would give up whateverfor it.
Sweet dreams tonite.
I really like the ’63 Imperial, it seems like the most toned-down of the ’57-’63 models, but much as I like it, I’d have to say I have 2 models that I like even better: – (dreaming) a ’60 300F…if not, a ’60 New Yorker 2 door Coupe and a ’64 Dodge 880 (2 door sedan, but even a wagon would do). I know the 880 was a stopgap, but I think it turned out really well (and maybe could be thought of as DeSoto, even though it was derrived from a Chrysler. Push-button Torqueflite on each of them.
The 65 New Yorker Coupe is beautiful. It could only be made better by original wheel covers.
The Barracuda has long been one of my favorites. Probably like it as well as the contemporary Nova. Think I would go with 273/318 or slant six. They will still get out of their own way and give some mileage with it. Friend of mine had a yellow dart with slant six and I always thought he lied about his mileage till I rode from El paso to Tucson with him.
That 68 Barracuda is a real looker.I hardly ever see the 60s models at shows or in magazines.Big brother had a 69 340 fastback til he lost his storage space and had to let it go.
Yes, a 68 or 69 Barracuda Fastback with the screaming 340, the best (classic) Mopar mix of looks, performance and handling, isn’t it ? Did it have the Formula S (or later in 69 the ‘Cuda) package ?
Even better !
Your brother should have kept it….or give it to you. (and I know what I’m talking about)
It was a 340 fastback auto 4 barrel basic Barracuda nothing fancy.I already had a 64 Mercury Comet and a 75 Sunbeam Rapier,I had no time,space or money left for another car.The Barracuda was no oil painting,it was in need of welding on the sills and rear wheel arches
Let me make sure I understand. Any Mopar vehicle from 1924 on, in any body style or color I want? And I get to pick just one? This must be what either Heaven or Hell is like, I am not sure which. Can I get back to you in a week or two?
Like Paul, I can’t pick just one. There just has to be a 65-68 C body in there. And something with Fluid Drive. And an Exner-styled car? Wait – maybe an Imperial. Or a fuselage Town & Country? AAAAAAGGGGHHHHH – I can’t do this! Can I pick a Hemi Challenger convertible to sell and pay for a dozen other less popular ones?
I’m right with you. Just one?????!
I don’t know if it’s my favorite Mopar, but I sure like the ’81-83 Imperial..
Rising from the deep funk of the awful 1974-80 period, was a look that could only be described as retro-awkward. Sharply creased lines had become sheik on early eighties lux cars. the look first appeared on the 1980 Seville, with its bustle-back trunk. The not-so-Big Two played follow the leader and came out with their own bustle-backs in succession. The 1981 Imperial had the reverse wedge style similar to the Seville. It was far more balanced than the Caddy, though, and head and shoulders above the lumpy ‘’82 Continental.
Lee Iacocca had come over from Ford a few years earlier to lead the Chrysler Corporation though its latest troubles. He brought with him his friendship with Frank Sinatra, who lent his name to a special edition Imperial that was painted the color of the famous crooner’s baby blues.
Only 11,000 Imperials were sold in its three-year run. It might not be surprising if the sinisterly stylish coupe were one day a budget collector car, especially one of the 148 “Sinatra” editions.
+1 on the Imperial,there’s a contributor on here with one that has had the injection problems sorted
That would be me, we are in the middle of a 10 days 2,000 mile circular trek from North Carolina to VA to DC to PA to OH and back to NC. In the Imperial with fully operational fuel injection. Car was 3,978 lbs. unloaded, then add 450 lbs. for 2 adults plus luggage. We averaged 23.3 MPG on the highway.
I do like the car, however if I had my choices, my preferences would be a 56 Coupe or a 64-66 Coupe or Convertible.
Craig, That’s one fine Mo-chine! Thanks for sharing it with us.
For sentimental reasons, I’d go with a ’46 thru ’48 DeSoto, or a ’64 Chrysler 300 coupe w. the 383… Mopars my old man had.
I’m not normally the whitewalls type but that is just about the nicest Imp of that gen I’ve ever seen. The wires are a lovely touch. Congratulations on making a good-looking car look even gooder.
Out of curiosity, had your injection been changed over to a carb, do you think your 23.3 MPG on the straightaway would be better or worse?
Worse, the MPG between the Imperial EFI and properly tuned Fifth Avenues with 2bbl is not much different around town. I probably get about 15 give or take in dense stop and go traffic if I don’t haul it. The biggest change is on the highway when the lowly 2.20 rear end and the leanly programmed computer kicks in and show’s it’s efficiency. The Chrysler EFI is fully digital with closed loop cycling so properly running it runs very well. On flat terrain with nothing but me in it it creeps up to 25 at 60-65. The car is relatively slow off the line (but not terribly C/D recorded 12.2 0-60) which makes it slightly slower than an 81 Eldorado but slightly faster than an 82-85 Eldorado about on par with a 302 Lincoln of those years. Chrysler never had an OD automatic for any of it’s RWD vehicles until the A-500 started to be offered in limited quantities during the 1989 model year. If I was crafty I could install one in my Imperial (since it would bolt up but have to alter the transmission mount and driveshaft) and change the rear end to maybe a 3.23 SureGrip and it would improve off the line performance markedly with minimal sacrifice (if any) on MPG.
Thanks, Love your car and would love one like it. Just do not have the skill to keep it going.
I agree, I just never liked their K-car steering wheels.
Their is an 81 imperial for sale on kijiji sorta local. 18k km and $4500. It looks really clean inside and out for a Nova Scotia car.
I have to admit that I like these in a perverse sort of way, what other car ever offered a freaking Frank Sinatra Edition? The FS Imperials came with a special selection of ol’ Blue Eyes tapes in a special console at the base of the dash, 8-track or cassette, depending of course, on which sound system you selected, Frank even appeared in ads for the Imperial and I think he drove the first one off the line.
Since I can only name one, I asked the wife and child for their opinions…
Mrs. Jason would like a fuselage wagon similar to JPC’s pick; she likes Di-Noc, so as long as it has paneling and a rear facing third seat, she’s a happy camper. She has a heavy foot at times, so a 383 or better would be required.
Spawn of Jason would really like a 440 powered ’69 or ’70 Charger; however, since Spawn is eleven, something tamer would be in order. So a slant six Dart or Valiant from ’67 to ’76 would fit the bill.
For me? I want something sophisticated and painted black, so I’ll take a rear-drive New Yorker or an Imperial of any year from 1955 to 1978. These are like wine, they just get better with age; the newer ones are like milk as they become rancid quite rapidly.
Can’t argue with that. 🙂
99-04 300M. Just when you thought the LH proportions were getting tired Chrysler comes out with this gem. Just the right size, a handsome shape, tail up high, nose not too short (unlike the malproportioned New Yorker). It had the same aesthetic as the cloud cars, obviously from the same styling team.
They were fun to drive and felt light. The interior was attractive and very original.
Also love the 05-10 300C but that was to be expected what with the switch to RWD, Hemi V8, Mercedes components. The 300M was a sweet surprise outta nowhere.
I second that!
I’d love to have my mom’s old ’70 Sport Suburban, but if I’m choosing a favorite it would have to be a ’68 Chrysler 300 four-door hardtop.
No 68 300 Fast Back?
Front
How about a 67 valiant two door post with a 340?
…reminds me of the 318 4-speed 69 Signet coupe I had!
I know I’m in the minority here, but I prefer the “fuselage” cars over their boxy predecessors. If I had to pick one, totally impractical as a daily driver with today’s gas, it would be a 1969 CHP Polara. Ive always had a soft spot for Mopar squads, and that was the ultimate.
Or perhaps one of the cleanest low mileage 1969 Chrysler Newport coupes going…
Rear
A co-worker and Mopar fan at work had an Imperial of that vintage in the same dark green. I love that color on cars of that era. I painted my 1971 C10 pickup in a similar shade instead of the original avocado.
Or a 1970-71 Plymouth Sport Fury with the GT or S-23 package, I like the hidden headlights or going away with a 1970½ Gran Coupe. Fury I 2-door sedan with the hidden headlights of the Sport Fury. http://www.flickr.com/photos/splattergraphics/4735710136/
Does a Mopar engined Euro/American count?Bristol 410 please
Add the Facel-Vega FV/FV1, FVS and HK500, with earlier Hemi engine or the B-block for the latter years.
Let’s add some Mopars from the Southern Hemisphere like the Aussie Charger with its Hemi 6-pack and the Dodge GTX (yes, I said Dodge GTX) from Argentina. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hartog/7616956742/in/photostream/
And for more fantasy, let’s add some Mopars we wished then they should had been built. One guy imagined what if DeSoto was still around for the 1965 model year when Elmwood Engel leaded the redesign of the C-body? Like this “Phantom” DeSoto Conquest http://www.lewisdesoto.net/DESOTODESIGNHOME/THE_CARS/Pages/DeSoto_Conquest.html
And let’s go a step further, should we include the adopted “AMC family tree” like the Nash Rambler, Rambler Rebel, Hudson Hornet, AMC Javelin/AMX, the Rebel Machine, Kaiser Manhattan, Willys Aero? 😉
How about the DeSoto that Jimmy Stewart drove in the movie Vertigo? It looked like a ’55 Firedome to me. While I’m at it, I’ll take the Jag sedan that Kim Novak drove, too.
IMCDb’s panel of experts says it’s a 1956 DeSoto Firedome Sportsman Hardtop Coupe. The perfect car for Scottie, a sweet choice for anyone.
Mesmerizing.
did that have the fluid drive transmission?
PowerFlite. It was sort of a 2 speed version of the later TorqueFlite. PowerFlite showed up in Imperials at the end of the 1953 models, and was down to Plymouths by late 1954. TorqueFlite went into late 1956 Imperials and across the whole line in ’57. PowerFlite remained available as a low-cost automatic through 1961.
66 Chrysler 300 Coupe
Interior
Maybe not in red, but THAT is what I want!
It’s funny the ’66 front end looks like a Buick the ’68 like a Ford. This ’66 is really sweet.
yes, the face of that ’66, while stunning, is a knock off of the ’64 Wildcat
hello from Germany,
on which show did you see this 66 300? I bought the car one year ago from Pennsylvania. now it is in Germany. Very nice condition and runs good…
Like that 65 New Yorker..The colour looks sharp as well..Can I have it in 4 doors??
A new Yorker saloon.
Like the new 300’s also And the new charger and the new Dodge Dart.
Also like the Mopar Police cars.
The Grand Fury with the stacked lights from T.J. Hooker and best of all The Dodge Monacos from the Hill Street blues opening sequence!!
I’ll take them without the police decals and lights, if necessary.
Don’t forget the Bluesmobile as Elwood said to Jake: “It’s got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It’s got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas.” 😉
Since Mr N posted 3-4…
My great grandpa had one of these, pretty much sure it was a slant 6
[img]http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/CC-39-013-800.jpg[/img]
Dad had something like this, sans scoop
[img]http://www.foundationpc.com/cars/73sport7.jpg[/img]
I’ve always liked Neons, mine would be a 2nd gen, possibly SRT4 or ACR.
And then, down here, I discovered this:
[img]http://www.aussiecoupes.com/images/vj_charger.jpg[/img]
1966 Dodge Monaco Coupe
Rear
Interior
I never saw the connection between the instrument panel of the Dodge Monaco and the ’60 Imperial before this week. I didn’t know that those early 50s Plymouths were named after hotels. Lots of great info, thanks all.
’65 Chrysler New Yorker four door in deep green with a deep green interior. A close friend of the family, Msgr. Francis Dubosh, got one upon his retirement from the priesthood. I always felt that was the best looking car Chrysler ever made.
Have been reading all Mopar week entries and would like to say well done. Enjoyed the 1960 Valiant, parents had 1961 in same colour combo. I have my dream Mopars- 1966 Plymouth Satellite & daily driver 2006 Dodge Magnum SXT. Thanks again for all the Mopars. Please do it again sometime
Since we’re discussing our favorite Mopar, have you guys seen the early-90s documentary called, uh, Favorite Mopar?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg3PDQcxY58
As for my own favorite Mopar, well, as others have said, it’s hard to choose from among such an embarrassment of riches. I’m assuming the Chrysler Turbine Car (which I actually saw at the NY World’s Fair in ’64) is out of the running, so I’ll say a Challenger with a 340 and a pistol-grip. As I’ve mentioned on here before, an acquaintance had one of these circa 1980 that I got to drive a few times: I found the experience crude but extremely amusing. A 383 or 440 might be more droolworthy, but for me anything bigger than 340 would throw off the weight distribution enough that it would be only a matter of time before I was jumping a curb and/or landing in a ditch and/or losing my license.
I’m replying to my own post because I have belatedly remembered a Mopar from my past. It may not be All-Time Fave material, but it deserves at least an Honorable Mention.
I learned to drive and passed my test (at 16) on my mother’s 1967 Dart two-door h/t, with a six (not sure which displacement) and column-shift auto. A lovely coppery-gold color with black roof and seats, it was the prettiest car she ever owned. She liked it too, except for one thing: the effort required by its manual steering. A couple of years after buying it, she took it back to the used-car dealer it came from, and asked about having Power Steering installed. They told her some prohibitive (and possibly inflated) price… and then talked her into trading “up” to a ’68 Olds Delmont 88 (virtually identical to the ’67 in which Ted Kennedy committed Underwater Manslaughter) they just happened to have sitting around on the lot. This Olds, the dealer persuaded her, would solve the problems a 5’1″ 98-lb. middle-aged widow was having wrenching her steering wheel back and forth — despite the fact that the 88 was pointlessly huge for her needs (our “family” consisted of only She ‘n Me), and she could barely see over the dash.
Our blue/blue Delmont was a decent enough bulgemobile, I suppose — don’t recall any major repairs or problems — but in retrospect, she should’ve sprung for some retroactive PS on the Dart, and just kept it… forever. It suited her better, and I preferred it too.
Alas, no family photos of our old Dart remain (or maybe were never snapped in the first place), so the closest pic I could find is this GT, which is a bit more tarted-up than our pleasingly pillarless near-strippo.
I cant believe no one mentioned a 68-69 Charger, a top-drawer classic up there with with 65 Mustangs and Tri-Five Chevys.
Anyway, too many great Mopars to just pick one so…
– 69 Charger R/T white with a black top and a 440/4 speed
– 71 Road Runner triple black, white strobe stripe, 440+6/4 speed
– new Challenger R/T, Green With Envy, 5.7/6 speed
– 70 Fury 440 police car
– last one would be a toss up between a 71 Duster 340 and an 440 Six Pack 69 Super Bee
Probably not the most original choice, but I’d go with a ’71 ‘Cuda with a 383, shaker hood and the billboard stripe, preferably in Rallye Red or In Violet. In the meantime I will “make do” with my ’09 Challenger V6, which after 3+ years still puts a smile on my face every day (and has yet to need a repair of any kind).
Seconded! Right down to those colors. Though make mine a 440, 4 or 6 barrel without the shaker(I prefer the look of the scooped hood) and make the billboards white on the In-Violet one. White interior in both.
Who cares about the choice being original? I loved E bodies well before I realised everyone else did too!
You have good taste in classic Mopars, Matt. 🙂 I would definitely have to go for the white interior as well. Wish they offered that as an option on the new Challenger, but I think the Furious Fuchsia ones were the only time it was offered.
I definitely wouldn’t object to a 440 – never having been much of a street racer I’ve always liked the 383 because I figured it would be more than enough for me, but you can never go wrong with more power. I always joke that the 3.5 in my Challenger is just fast enough to get out of it’s own way, but it’s one hell of a highway cruiser which suits me well.
Well I figure between 8 mpg with a 440 and 10 mpg with a 383 I’m hurting my wallet anyway, may as well splurge lol I certainly wouldn’t turn down a 383 car though, nor a 340 or even a 318 Barracuda though.
I wouldn’t mind a newer V6 Challenger in the right color. They pretty much drive and feel like my MN12 V8 Cougar, aside from the much smaller greenhouse and lack of burbly V8 sound. I didn’t realize white seats were limited to Furious Fuchsia though (or that it was called that actually). The first New Challenger I sat in was one of those at the Chicago auto show a few years ago, and I thought to myself “cool! They’re offering white seats again!”. Now I’m disappointing to find out it was limited edition only 🙁
I saw a white-on-white Challenger a month or so ago. Also, I know you can now get red leather on the ’13 model, just like the Charger and 300.
I’d probably have to go with a 62 Imperial Crown Convertible in red with the Alabaster White leather interior. What can I say I’m a sucker for those free standing head and tail lights.
If I have to go with one of the lesser more common brands they it would have to be E-body all the way. 71 or 72 ‘Cuda or maybe a 71 Challenger T/A, it is really hard to choose between those three though, if I really had to, probably one of the rare the 71 ‘Cuda Convertible with a Hemi, since we are dreaming I’ll dream about having millions of dollars to spend on cars and not being afraid to actually drive it.
Well as I mentioned above an In-Violet 440 E body(preferably of the 71 ‘Cuda variety) would be my first choice. But that’s a winner by a thin margin. I’d take virtually any 68-72 B body as an equal substitute as well, particularly(in no particular order)…
71 Charger or GTX in sublime/limelight, with a 440-6
68 Charger R/T in white or black with red stripes. Any engine will do.
68 or 69 Cornet R/T or SuperBee
I’d also pick a Dart GTS or Swinger 340 for my A body selection. C bodies don’t really do anything for me, sorry. I’d probaly pick a fuselage one If I had to.
Well, I’ve always been a New Yorker/Imperial guy. I’ve never owned a Chrysler product, but have always had an affinity for the high-end Chryslers.
1. 1965 Imperial
2. 1975 Imperial
3. 1981 Imperial Frank Sinatra Edition
4. 1993 Imperial
I’m not much of a MOPAR guy but for me, a 1967 Plymouth GTX is hard to beat.
I’m in loooove with these things…
But that’s the teenager in me…
It’s not only you. I love them too. And they seem to be concocting a supercharged one.
As American as it gets. $150K a pop down here :'(
It is fun to watch everyone drool over cool stuff like Baracudas, and rightly so since they were in many ways ahead of the their competition. However, I nominate the Valiant four door sedan, with 225 Slant Six and Torqueflight.
Car guru Phil Edmonston raved about how good the Valiant was and that is because the cars were practically unkillable. The also didn’t rust to dust as fast as their competition. The drive train was loved by all who drove the cars and how has ever heard of a Slant Six or a Torqueflight blowing up any reasonable mileage?
Without bazillions of Valiants going out the showroom door, the cool stuff with 440’s or Hemis wouldn’t have been possible. It’s family wagons that pay the freight at car companies, which is why that’s all we really have available.
Hail, the Humble Valiant! Without your greatness, Chrysler wouldn’t have made it through the 1960’s.
I think I’ve told the story here before but in honor of Mopar week I’ll repeat it. When I was working at a shop while in college a lady called up to schedule a “tune up” on her 70ish Dart, in about 2 weeks, after the first of the month, when she got her check. The first of the month rolled around and we all heard her drive in with the engine knocking like crazy. She waddled up to the counter and said she was here for her tune up as the car was having a hard time making it up Alabama hill. (Alabama is the name of the street that goes up the steepest hill in town). The boss asked her what about that noise. She replied that “oh yeah it’s been making that noise for a couple of weeks and a red light on the dash has been on since then too. The boss then asked her if that light said oil which she replied I think so. We pulled the dip stick and of course it didn’t show any oil on it at all. Since the boss had a Slant 6 sitting in the back room from another car that he got in hot water for putting an engine in a car that should have went to the scrap yard he made her a deal to put it in this car that should go to the scrap yard. When we pulled it in the shop the boss tried his hardest to make it blow leaving his foot on the floor for what seemed like 10 minutes. He finally gave up and when I pulled the drain plug all that came out was maybe 2 cups of oil. So yeah it is pretty hard to kill a slant 6. Now the front suspension on those cars is another story all together as I’ve replaced the ball joints on quite a few and sent a bunch of others to the wrecking yard when the upper control arm mounts tore loose and that is in WA where we do not put salt on the roads.
I killed a Slant Six in a ’75 Valiant with about a billion miles on it. I used to top it up with used 20/50 from my 500 Interceptor. One evening, on the way back from the fishing hole, I forgot to add oil. We made it to my parent’s garage and by that time, the motor was red hot. I turned it off and it never turned over again.
I had paid $200 for the car six months before that.
1991 Chrysler Imperial.
3.8L OHV V6, FWD, formal roof, transitional history. Right up my alley.
Not a big Mopar fan due to dealing with a few turd K cars over my driving life BUT if I had to choose one, I would choose a 1989 Chrysler Fifth Ave. The 1989 was built like a tank and had an airbag for the driver. It is really a shame that Chrysler could not be bothered offering fuel injection(whether true multi port injection or the step up TBI) and yet they started converting BS cars like the Omni to FI by the mid 1980’s
They knew the M body was toast and it was never intended to be around as long as it was anyway. When you know you are going to chop a model, there is no point spending anything on it. The M’s lasted as long as there were enough sales to justify their existence. It says a lot they lasted as long as they did, like ten years.
Who knows what this is? An original order sheet with these intact is Holy Grail status for select few:
1969 Barracuda ‘Cuda 383 with Kelsey-Hayes “Recall” wheels ?
If I had to chose one, it would be a 69 Charger R/T, the 383 would be enough, but a 440, just the 4 barrel motor, would be great. Make mine yellow with black interior, as a first choice.
A second best would be any 383 and up 2 door mopar B-Body, Coronet, Roadrunner, Charger, Superbee, etc. I’m still pissed at my cousin for forgetting I had first dibs on his ’70 Roadrunner, all black, and in 1973, still in showroom condition. Instead I had to see it driven by a guy I went to high school with all of 1973 and 1974.
And of course, any R/T level E-Body. A yellow Challenger Rallye like a friend had, with a 340 would be great. I was so angry that he trashed that car very quickly. He tore headliners up for some odd reason. I never figured out why.
I’d like a ’56 300B with TorqueFlite, a ’67/’68/’69 Plymouth GTX (ideally with front discs), or a ’68 or ’69 Barracuda hardtop with the 340 and TorqueFlite. I get the feeling sometimes that I’m the only one who thinks the second-generation Barracuda looks better in hardtop form than as a fastback or a convertible…
+1 on the ’56 and Barracuda. As I commented on Paul’s ’65 Corvair post, I think the hardtop second-gen is the bee’s knees. Edges out the ’65 Dart as my favorite A-body.
Well, I’d take anything built by Plymouth from 1969 to 1989 with 4 doors, an automatic transmission and a 318 V8 (or a slant-six for the smallest ones).
My favorites would be :
– 1970 to 1973 Plymouth Valiant
– M-Body Granfury
– Volare
This one. Au market Chrysler Valiant coupe from the early 1970s
Nice cars and very rare now.
This is tough, very tough. No quick and easy answer. Sometimes have trouble making decisions, so I think I’ve got a half dozen or so. Have wanted a 1981-83 Imperial since they first came out. Same with the Chrysler TC by Maserati, which would have to have the tan interior, the turbo and a 5-speed. A 1960 Desoto Adventurer. A 1960-62 Valiant V-200. A 1936 Dodge Coupe. 1966 Dodge Monaco 500 coupe. A first generation minivan with the turbo and 5-speed. A 1969 Dodge Charger with a tan interior. And, how could I forget the first car I really, really wanted when they first came out: a 1969 1/2 Dodge Charger Daytona in either Hemi Orange with a black wing and “Bumblebee Stripe” or a red one with a white wing and rear stripe; I was however not quite 16 y.o. and lacking money for any car. Also, a 1970 Dodge Challenger in either B5 blue or Plum Crazy purple. And, another one that I’ve wanted since they first came out, a 1987 Shelby Dodge Lancer with the 5-speed. Now, doing this in haste, I know I’ve overlooked a few others. Oh, am adding that gorgeous 1965 New Yorker coupe
1963 Chrysler New Yorker Salon or a 1961 Chrysler 300 G. I also miss my 1988 Eagle Premier (which I call and Adopt-opar)
OK, everyone, I have decided to commit. When you are as big of a Mopar fiend as I am, I think I should get one of each Divison.
Plymouth – 1967 Sport Fury convertible – Turbine Bronze with white interior
Dodge – 1969 Charger R/T
DeSoto – 1959 Adventurer convertible
Chrysler – 1963 New Yorker Town & Country
Imperial – 1951 hardtop
At least for today.
JPC, I think you may be the only one in all these comments to mention the ’59 DeSoto Adventurer, to which I add my unabashed enthusiasm. Never been much of a Mopar fan, but DeSotos seemed to capture my interest, all because of my grandmother’s ’56 Firedome Seville in two-tone gray and coral pink. I loved the Forward Look in the DeSotos, but only through ’59, and this Adventurer tops the list for me. Richard Carpenter has a coupe in his collection (along with a number of other Mopars), which is a stunning automobile. Gets my vote!
One of the maintenance guys at Ithaca College back in the late ’70’s had a red and white ’69 Road Runner convertible with IIRC a 383. Unfortunately by then the rust goblins had eaten their way through what would have been a sweet ride.
But my ultimate was Joe Mannix’ ’67 Dodge Dart GTS as tweaked by George Barris. God that car made cool look cool.
I love lots of Mopars. Would like to add a Forward Look finned Mopar or a 66-67 Charger to my fleet someday, but the obvious choice for me would be 1966 Chryslers.
I have a lead on a beautiful 66 NYer 2-door hardtop that’s a near-twin of the 65 pictured above, but currently all my free time and money is going into restoring my 66 Windsor, which was my first Chrysler I bought 13 years ago.
Yesterday we drove to a car show in the Newport convertible. It was 120 mile round trip and the car ran great. This is the car of which I submitted an article for Mopar week.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-cinema/curbside-cinema-the-grand-theft-parsons-1966-chrysler-newport/
My List would be far too long. I already started and have over 30. I’m a Mopar man.
That big green New Yorker from the 1977 brochure which appears in Carmine’s and Tom Klockau’s articles on the last New Yorkers…dark green (same color as my Buick), white top, green interior. What a beautiful old boat.
Just one will suit me. I love that ’65 Dodge Monaco hardtop in blue that was featured earlier. Gorgeous car.
I would like to have the ’68 Barracuda hardtop that my father had, w/minor modifcations such as Cragar S/S wheels, suspension mods & updated audio.
I also wish I had that ’70 Roadrunner coupe w/Cragars in yellow that a family friend had for sale in his gas station circa 1972.
I’m surprised that nobody chose either the ’69 Daytona or ’70 Superbird.
Pure sentimental value, but I miss the wagons in my extended family.
My folks had a ’68 Custom Suburban, turquoise, took it to LA from Chicago in summer ’72. A pure ‘Old US 66’ trip. Was in family from 1969 to 1975. Had some starting issues, but would start if we let it sit after it ‘flooded’.
My uncle/aunt had a 1970 Custom Suburban, nice willow green shade, not the common ‘puke green’ often ridiculed. It looked like a space ship compared to our ’68. One of the first 70’s sold to them in Sept 1969. Lasted until 1976, and rusted away too soon, since they didn’t have a garage!
1967 Monaco 500 with white interior please and all the options. Hardtop or convertible. This would be my ultimate dream Mopar.
This is going to piss of JPC, but go with what you know-I’ll take a 1964 Dodge Coronet Taxi, just like we used to set them up in Brooklyn and San Juan. Slant six, Torqflite, heavy duty suspension and big brakes. A surprisingly delightful drive.
1969 New Yorker four-door hardtop.
1968 300 convertible.
1967 Barracuda 318 fastback.
All fully optioned, of course; perhaps a modern drivetrain with 5- or 6-speed in the Barracuda.
I guess I’m pretty late to the game… but my vote is for a ’67 Imperial hard top sedan. I love the slab look, the high-quality interior, and the non-strangled 440!
I’ll take a 67 LeBaron sedan in black vinyl over forest green. I’d also love any kind of Airflow!!
I’d have a few on the list
– circa 1930 Chrysler of the type they raced
– 1955 300 Even if it is less practical with 6v and 2sp, it is not a regular driver at this point so may as well go for the first year
– 1962 Chrysler Valiant R-series 1000 made only & chance to get one with the with the floor shift manual
– 1968 Barracuda S fastback 340
– 1969 Roadrunner 440 (or other B-body muscle car)
– 1971 Valiant Charger R/T E49 – 302hp from the factory 265ci triple Weber Hemi 6
– Challenger or Cuda TransAm racer
I’d like to see if a Hemi-powered 4-door sedan is faster than the Ford Falcon GT-HO, I understand there were a few built.
The closest I’ve actually been to buying a Mopar is giving a bit of thought to a 1977-78 Valiant panelvan with 318 & torqueflite (striped-up Drifter version pictured below), but at $650 I assumed that it would be too rusty & didn’t go to look at it. In a way I still wouldn’t mind one of those either, for the rarity factor – only 2000 made.
Very late as usual, but I wanted to get my two cents in here… consider this my response to all of Mopar Week – because I had some computer/connection problems and missed most of it as it was happening, but I’m mostly caught up now.
First of all, I enjoyed (and am still enjoying) the shit out of all these articles. I like this format a lot and hope to see more themed weeks in the future… maybe even branch out to things like “French Car Week” or “Alternative Propulsion Week” to completely alienate all of CC’s most prolific commentators (j/k).
As a kid and still to this day, I’ve always been most interested in GM cars (as far as Detroit is concerned, anyway), but ever since I started reading this site regularly I’ve been more and more intrigued by all things Mopar. I don’t think I’ll ever entirely convert, but around the time that the Walter P. Chrysler Museum article ran, I had an epiphany: throughout their history, when Chrysler has been on the money, they’ve built the best cars that an American manufacturer has ever built. Even the duds, missteps and tragically flawed machinery has failed in interesting ways.
Those cars that missed the mark are actually some of my favorites. I’d have a very hard time picking only one Ultimate Mopar, but the Airflow cars are up there. I like the proto-Beetle ’34 DeSoto Coupe the best of them, with several different Imperials close behind, but any of them would do.
Although the ’56 Chrysler 300B is disallowed, I’d take nearly any lesser ’55-’56 Mopar. Those cars were the great, unsung heroes of that decade. They may have been flashy when new, but with everything that came out of Detroit in the ensuing years, they now look remarkably restrained and sophisticated. Paul’s Plymouth wagon appeals to the part of my brain that loves old sci-fi movies and drugs, and if I lived in California 40 years ago, I’d probably own some kind of nightmarish early 60s Exner creation with similar patina, cruising along the coast listening to a lo-fi tape of “Pipeline” on repeat. Even more than those, I love the weirdo early A-bodies and Slant/6s, especially when Hyper-Pak equipped. If I was allowed to get really creative, I’d take a time machine back to 1958 and store one of the Bendix EFI cars away in a barn before it could get recalled and retrieve it when I got back to the present day.
All of that said, for me at least, I think the one Mopar that marries all of these disparate ideals together in the most complete and perfect package was the extraordinarily rare and expensive 1960 Chrysler 300F Special GT – 400HP crossram 413 wedge, 4-speed manual transmission from the Facel-Vega cars, stunningly beautiful interior with the AstroDome instrument panel, kindof an ugly-ass menacing face and batfins… and the only one I’ve ever seen pictures of was black which is perfect. I know that’s an obscene and ridiculous choice, but if I could choose anything, it’s my ultimate Mopar. I’ll take that and buy a Neon ACR for running errands with my own money!
Okay l am late to the party, but if I really could only choose just one Mopar it would have to be a 1955 New Yorker…..a very tough decision from a person that is a lover of all things Imperial.
A 58 Dodge Royal 2 door HT, two tone white and red, (or mint green), or a 69 Imperial 2 dr or 4 dr HT, in the metallic avocado green popular at the time.
Either one, I’d be happy.
64-67 Imperial Crown Convertible
1968 300 Convertible
1968-68 ‘Cuda Convertible
1963-66 Signet Convertible (I think they were made thru 66)
1970 Coronet 500 Convertible
1977-78 New Yorker Brougham coupe or sedan.
Forgot about these winged beauties…
1969 Chrysler Newport 4 door. Spent most of my childhood in the back seat of one of these . Belonged to my best friend’s mom. We could fit six kids in the back seat with room to spare!!!