From the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, the Dodge Monaco was the senior trim series of the full-size Dodge line, but the original 1965 Monaco was a hardtop-only personal luxury model, Dodge’s short-lived attempt to take on the Pontiac Grand Prix. Here’s what Motor Trend had to say about the car Dodge marketed as being “as rugged as it is rich.”
After the chaos of the 1962 downsizing, order returned to Dodge Division in 1965: Instead of an an uneasy mixture of downsized “full-size” Dodge models and a big Chrysler Newport with a Dodge front clip, there were now clearly delineated, orthodox intermediate (B-body) and full-size (C-body models, with crisp new styling largely free of the eccentricities of the late Virgil Exner era. The C-body lines returned the existing Polara and Custom 880 model names, but there was also a new senior series, called Monaco, offered only as a well-trimmed two-door hardtop.
The 1965 C-body Dodge line was designed in early 1963, and the Monaco was strongly influenced by the 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix. Many of the Dodge designers’ ideas for distinguishing the Monaco stylistically were shot down for budget reasons, but the Monaco did have a clean look, with mostly de-chromed flanks and a new rear treatment with the model name on a die-cast horizontal bar floating on a red plastic background, intended to suggest full-width taillights. It also had a well-appointed buckets-and-console interior.
Motor Trend tested a 1965 Monaco in April 1965:
Editor John Ethridge suggested that the Monaco was “the first time Dodge has had a car to compete directly with the Grand Prix, Riviera, and Thunderbird.” While the Monaco was definitely aimed at the Grand Prix, it was really just a better-trimmed Polara/Custom 880 hardtop, so comparing it to luxury specialty cars like the Riviera and T-Bird (which were significantly more expensive) was a reach. Dodge dealer literature suggested other, more likely rivals, including not only the $148 more expensive Grand Prix, but also the Oldsmobile Jetstar I, Buick Wildcat, and Chrysler 300.
The latter raises an interesting point about the positioning of the Monaco. With a base price of $3,355, it was $196 cheaper than the Chrysler 300, but a rather hefty $285 more than a Chrysler Newport two-door hardtop, and $395 more than a Plymouth Sport Fury hardtop.
Some of this road test’s more useful driving impressions are in the photo captions. The caption of the top left image says, “Whether on country lanes or expressways, the Monaco had a quiet responsiveness that made it a pleasant companion. Ride was soft, but car had no tendency to pitch or roll.” The second caption reads, “This is an example of the controllability of the Monaco’s brakes. We have just entered the pylons, and yet all four tires, though still rotating, are emitting smoke.”
Like other 1965 C-body Dodge models, the Monaco rode a 121-inch wheelbase; it was 212.3 inches long, 79 inches wide, and 55.7 inches high. Motor Trend listed the curb weight as 4,280 lb, which sounds right for their test car: It didn’t have have air conditioning, but it had the 413 engine, TorqueFlite, power windows, a power seat, Auto Pilot (cruise control), and a radio.
The U.S. Monaco came standard with the four-barrel 383, with 315 gross horsepower; that’s also the engine in the tan car in the color photos. Motor Trend‘s test car had the first optional engine, the four-barrel 413. This wasn’t one of the hot “Max Wedge” engines, just a regular RB block with a single Carter AFB, rated at 340 gross horsepower. The bigger 426 wedge engine was optional, with 365 gross horsepower, but the 426 Hemi wasn’t offered on the Monaco this year. Canadian Monacos were also available with the 225 Slant Six (although very few were ordered) or the 318. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the 383 (or the smaller engines on Canadian cars), with a four-speed manual optional on the 383 and theoretically standard with the 426 (though curiously not the 413), but I assume nearly every Monaco built for 1965 had TorqueFlite; according to Automotive Industries, just 0.6 percent of 1965 C-body Dodge models had four-speeds.
Motor Trend reported stopping distances of 32.7 feet from 30 mph and 161.6 feet from 60 mph, which they allowed were “quite short for a car of this weight.” I think that was overly generous, but they did find that brake balance was “near perfect,” so if you couldn’t stop very quickly, you could nonetheless stop in a straight line.
A 4,280 lb car with a 413 cu. in. engine was not anyone’s idea of an economy car even in 1965, and MT managed no better than 11.9 mpg even in freeway driving, dipping to just 9.7 mpg around town.
The caption of the photo at the top of the above page notes that the test car had a Sure Grip limited-slip differential, which “allowed fast starts with minimal wheelspin,” while the 8.55-14 tires “got good bite on most surfaces.” Incidentally, while Ethridge said the test Monaco’s 3.23 axle was the only one available, the specifications say otherwise, indicating that a 2.76 axle was standard with the 413 and optional with the 383.
In the main text, Ethridge asserted that the Monaco’s acceleration times were “very near what you might expect of a performance car.” Their figures make for an interesting comparison with the 1965 Pontiac Bonneville four-door hardtop Car Life tested a few months later: The 413 Monaco was significantly quicker than the 389 Bonneville at legal speeds (0 to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds, compared to 8.8 seconds for the Pontiac), probably due in part to its shorter 3.23 axle ratio. However, at higher speeds, the Pontiac was decisively quicker, running the quarter mile in 16.6 seconds at 82 mph, where the Monaco managed only 17.9 seconds at 78 mph. Since the Bonneville was almost 100 lb heavier than the Dodge, it seems the mild 413 engine wasn’t as powerful in this application.
Ethridge spent some time running down the Monaco’s equipment and appointments. While Dodge had been reluctant to spend money distinguishing the exterior of the Monaco, the division had put a decent amount of money into the well-appointed interior, which had bucket seats, a center console, and a choice of “saddle-grain” vinyl or “Dawson pattern” cloth upholstery.
The front end of the console had space for a tachometer, but this was an extra-cost option. Without it, you got a placeholder gewgaw:
Motor Trend suggested that the Monaco could carry five passengers “for medium distances,” but the full-length console (which included a rear ashtray and lighter) and divided rear seat, with a noticeable gap between the cushions, didn’t make the back very habitable for a center passenger. Seat belts were standard, however.
The Canadian Monaco lacked most of these appointments, using Plymouth Fury dashboards and interior trim that made them less special than the U.S. cars.
The caption of the upper left photo reads, “There’s a fair amount of roll under really hard cornering, but suspension travel isn’t used up; control’s maintained.” Chrysler Corporation standard suspensions kept getting softer throughout the ’60s. The 1965 full-size Dodge was no stiffer than a full-size Ford Galaxie or Chevrolet Impala except with the 426 engines (which included firmer suspensions), although the Monaco was reasonably well-damped.
Rattan wicker trim on the doors and rear quarter panels was part of the Monaco trim package, but only cars with vinyl upholstery had wicker trim on the front seat backs.
Motor Trend thought this “brings to mind custom bodies that were once built of the same material,” but while it’s an interesting look, it strikes me as rather impractical for an automotive interior, especially for owners with small children. Motor Trend also noted that the perforated vinyl headliner was easily scratched.
The caption of the top photo reads, “Adequate ground clearance plus well designed suspension and shock system keep Monaco from bottoming on high-speed dips.”
Although the data panel lists an observed top speed of only 103 mph (at 4,000 rpm), the text on the second page explained that this was just their top test speed, remarking, “We ran out of room on the Fontana Drag Strip when we reached 103 mph. But the rate at which the speedometer was still climbing left no doubt that this car, given enough room, would easily top 120 mph.”
Ethridge concluded:
[A] personal/prestige car should have a stylish, pleasing appearance that sets it apart from ordinary cars. We realize any comment we make can only reflect our personal taste, but we like the looks of the Monaco. It’s somewhat more subdued than some of its competitors, but it stands up well under close examination.
When you add everything together, there can be little doubt that the Monaco’s made the grade, and the Dodge people have done what they set out to do. They have their contender in the personal-car class.
The styling of the Monaco was pleasing, if you liked mid-’60s Chrysler products, but there wasn’t really that much to set it apart from ordinary cars, even in the full-size Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler lines. You could order the bucket seats and console on a Polara hardtop for much cheaper, and buyers who could afford a Monaco could probably also afford a Chrysler 300.
Consequently, the Monaco didn’t make much impression in the personal luxury class. Dodge sold only 13,096 Monacos in the U.S. (and an additional 2,068 in Canada). This partly reflected the weak market position of the full-size Dodge line, which sold only 134,771 units for 1965, about one-quarter of Dodge Division’s total passenger car volume.
Dodge management seemed to immediately lose confidence in the idea of the Monaco as a personal luxury model. Soon after this issue of Motor Trend hit newsstands, Dodge decided to apply the Monaco name to a full line for 1966, essentially replacing the Custom 880 series. The buckets-and-console Monaco remained in the lineup for 1966 as the Monaco 500, still offered only as a two-door hardtop, but there was even less to distinguish it from its cheaper brethren. (Dodge chief designer Bill Brownlie had rejected the idea of adopting the roofline from the Chrysler 300 hardtop, which would have given the Monaco 500 a more distinctive look.) Monaco 500 sales slipped to 7,332 units for 1966. The 1967 restyling didn’t help: Production slid further to 5,327 for 1967 and 4,568 for 1968, after which the 500 was demoted to option status.
All this strikes me as self-defeating. Chrysler seemed to flub almost every opportunity to get in on profitable market trends, with a frustrating tendency to be perpetually two steps (and at least two years) behind the beat, often compounded by senseless internecine competition.
As with other sporty full-size models of this era, the 1965 Monaco probably has more appeal now than it did when it was new: It has the features modern collectors like (bucket seats, big engines), its commonality with other contemporary Chrysler products means the mechanical stuff is easy to source, and the styling has aged well. It’s not a Grand Prix, but as runners up go, it’s not half bad.
Related Reading
Curbside Classic: 1966 Dodge Monaco 500 – A First Love Song In C Major (by Paul N)
Curbside Classic: 1965 Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible – If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em (by Mike Butts)
Cohort Classic: 1967 Dodge Polara – Substance Over Style (by Perry Shoar)
CCOTY Nomination: 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix (by Kevin Martin)
I think I discovered one more bit unique to the 1965 Monaco – that interior color. I have never seen that deep burgundy interior on any Mopar of the era, and went searching online resources. It appears that it was a Monaco-only selection called “Cordovan”.
I like this a lot, but have to agree that to most casual observers, it was a 1965 Dodge hardtop.
I think the Cordovan vinyl upholstery is quite attractive: not as gaudy as red, but more interesting to look at than brown or black.
According to the Motor Trend text here were a couple of exclusive Monaco exterior colors as well: pale gold, pale silver, and pink gold. The MT tester was pale silver, but the car in the color pictures is not any of the exclusive shades; it’s light tan.
“Cordovan”..
We had a ’66 Polara when I was growing up; it had a red interior that, while not a bright red, was much lighter than this “cordovan”. The interior was also much plainer, without the rattan-style trim amongst other things.
The use of those “butterfly” taillights on the 1966 cars became a footnote in legal history in the trial of the boxers Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (1937–2014) & John Artis (1946-2021) for a triple murder committed at the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey. The point in question was the difference between the taillights on the Monaco which extended almost to the car’s center-line and the truncated units on the Polara.
The Chrysler product that caught my eye in ’65 was the Plymouth Satellite.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ptkKiY43SZM/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLD9f4euckTCwM8PIfy6P1Num3WQcg
The Monaco name seemed to make this Dodge’s butt look big.
I would have expected about 15 MPG average and more like 17-18 on the highway for this high compression engine vehicle. Glad I didn’t buy one.
Buyers said “why a GP look alike, why not a GP with its true body/frame luxury feel?”
In Canada, the Monaco was also availble as a convertible and it was a “Plodge” by having Plymouth dash and interior and also available with the 318 V8 and even the Slant Six. https://oldcarbrochures.org/Canada/Chrysler-Canada/Dodge/1965-Dodge-Full-Size-Brochure/slides/1965_Dodge_Full_Size_Cdn-04-05.html
Still, I wonder if the Charger had stolen a bit some Monaco potential customers?
Well, maybe insofar as Dodge may have decided the Charger could take over the Monaco’s personal luxury duties for 1966–1967. However, the fastback Charger didn’t sell especially well either, so I don’t know that it made much difference.
The Canadian Dodge was aimed lower in the market than the US Dodge with the 330, Polara 440, Polara 880 and Monaco utilizing the interiors from the Plymouth Savoy, Fury II, Fury III and Sport Fury respectively and priced only slightly higher. Canadian Dodge dealers also sold Chryslers so they didn’t need the higher priced Custom 880s and Monacos. Canadian sales for the C-Bodies were 29,654 Plymouths, 31,764 Dodges and 17,641Chryslers.
That would explain the 1965 Dodge in Paul’s recent post about 4 door hardtops. It clearly has the Plymouth instrument binnacle instead of the twin circular instrument pods shown here. It must be a Canadian Dodge.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/all-those-glamorous-four-door-hardtops-part-2-1965-1969-in-sizes-s-m-l-xl/
Love the burgundy colour with the light coloured car. I think this is a very handsome car, and it outshone the Chrysler of that same year. I’ve read (on here I think), that the grille was referred to as a “barbell” style.
It’s news to me that the style of these was influenced by the 1963 Pontiac, but if I close my eyes, I can see a faint resemblance to the 1962 Pontiac taillight treatment, just for a moment.
Your writing and inclusion of high quality photographs brings these cars back to life! Bravo!
I always enjoy seeing these cars since the main character in one of my books has one.
(Night Swept by Marvin Reem). In his case, it was a black four-speed car.
I had a ’65 Polara sedan with a 383 TF. Trim wise, it didn’t measure up to the Monoco. However I echo the review’s opinion of the dashboard. This car had one of the most intuitive gauge arrangements of any car I ever owned.
I recall the 383 fuel mileage as being much better than that observed by the magazine test for the larger engine. Time has faded my memory of the exact figures, but I seem to recall the Dodge running around 17-18 mpg on the highway – which was the only time I really checked mileage. I’m sure it was worse around town, but I didn’t do much town driving when I had the car.
It’s rather curious just how poorly the big Dodges sold even compared to the Plymouth Fury, which had to compete against the Chrysler Newport. In 1965, the Fury outsold the Dodges 329k to 135k; in 1966 it was 318k to 168k, in ’67 it was 317l to 113k. And so on.
it’s ironic, given that Dodge was so desperate for a big car after the downsizing in ’62, and got the cobbled up 880. But those were only sold in very small numbers in ’62-’64. I can’t really explain why this was the case.
That weakness with big cars certainly did this Monaco no favors, but then it was a pretty predictable outcome. And the fact that Dodge continued to offer both the Polara and Monaco added to the muddled image of them.
Having said that, I do like the interior, especially that dashboard.
As to the 413’s modest performance, I rather suspect these non hi-po versions used the same heads as the 383, which would have limited breathing. The longer stroke certainly added torque down low, but it was clearly not a runner. These 413s were beloved in big trucks and RVs.
And it didn’t help since the introduction of the full-size Dart in 1960, Dodge was slowly viewed as an alternative to Plymouth instead of a step-up from Plymouth. And in 1963-64, the “full-size” Polara was an alternative to the Belvedere/Fury while Dart replaced the Lancer in the compact line-up as a counterpart of the Valiant and when Dodge fully returned into the full-size field with the new Polara/Monaco/Custom 880 for 1965, the former “full-size” Polara became an intermediate/mid-size and they dusted off the Coronet monicker last used in 1959 who outsold the big Dodge C-body.
This was largely at the insistence of Dodge dealers. As with Chrysler (and Mercury, at Ford), however much sense it seemed to make from a Sloan ladder org chart standpoint to separate the brands and move them upscale, the dealer body frequently found that antagonistic because it threatened to either take away their bigger-volume models or push them out of existing customers’ reach. Plymouth had previously been paired with Dodge and De Soto as well as Chrysler, and throughout the ’60s, Dodge dealers continued to demand Plymouth-like products, even when they weren’t loudly insisting on direct parity with everything Plymouth got.
Dressed up full sizers were in each manufacturer’s blood by 1965. They aped the personal luxury cars; the Riv, TBird, GranPrix, and GranTurismo. Chrysler was no different, but they tried to handle this after disasterous sales years. The Monaco is a dressed up full sizer and an attempt to create a personal luxury car simultaneously. Kudos for the attempt, but it didn’t deliver the sales of the competition. It’s really just a nice full sizer, not a PLC. Better than nothing to offer, I guess.
Sorry, I never found the big Dodge of the era to be attractive. Look at Pontiac or even Mercury for comparison. They made great cars painted black and white for the CHP.
They thought this was going to compete against the Pontiac Grand Prix? They should’ve ask Oldsmobile about how well the Jetstar 1 competed against the same car. The numbers spoke for themselves and we see how that worked out. These are some good looking cars but not enough to take down that Pontiac.
I drove one of these throughout the 1990s; the exact same color scheme as the one pictured, but no vinyl roof… every option available including air conditioning, the 383… upgraded to a larger carburetor, got rid of the points, electronic Mallory and Accel ignition system, had a custom exhaust built with dual cherry bombs… the car had sat in a garage for 20 plus years, apparently the original owners just parked it in the garage when they got a new car in the early seventies, I got it from one of their neighbors after the couple had passed away… driving down the road one day the Monaco was in their driveway with a “For Sale” sign, the next day it was in my driveway. I believe it had 83,000 Miles when I got it and it was immaculate… I probably put another 20,000 miles on it, daily driver, before I foolishly sold it to a kid in the neighborhood after driving it
for several years… my wife and I had too many cars and the kid really wanted it. Space Age dashboard, those four bucket seats, a rip roaring 383 through dual cherry bombs… brakes were weak, gas mileage atrocious ( but since I paid cash for the Monaco I didn’t have a car payment, so that justified that constant stream of premium fuel )… quite possibly the only car I’ve ever sold that I’ve regretted selling… ripping and roaring in this car made me so happy! Loved it right down to the little rocket shaped chrome directional indicators at the end of the hood! Ended up buying a 67 Plymouth Fury Sport coupe a few years later, one owner, with even less miles… still own the Fury, and it still has my kids baby seat in the back… even though she’s now 22 and in the Navy °○°. I read curbside classic everyday but this one really really brought it home to me… my wife used to joke about the Monaco dashboard being designed by Mamie Van Doren… look at that pair of gauge pods with the little Chrome thing in the middle and you might get what she was getting at there. Didn’t mean to go on about this but yeah what an obscure and wonderful car that was…thanks for the post.
Quite a good looking, ride.”65″ was a good year for “Monaco”. Seems after that , “Monaco’s” were over chromed, a bit a stretched, “Polara’s”.
Around, “69”, as I recall, the two models were some,less, different.
Always thought these looked sharp – you can tell the Elwood Engel influence with the “fill out the box” shape and stainless steel trim along the fender tops.
Obviously the 65 Impala is my favorite for that year in terms of style, but this Monaco would come in second ahead of the Galaxie and BOP trio.
I’ve never really looked deeply at these but that dash is sharp! Those gauge pods remind me of the Alfa Spyder or Lamborghini Miura, which is an interesting pairing with such a boxy conservative exterior.
These are handsome cars, and, to my eyes, look better than the 1965 Plymouth Fury. The Fury always struck me as a very watered-down 1963 Pontiac.
It’s interesting that these big Dodges never gained any real traction in the market. Both Dodge and Mercury stumbled with their full-size cars throughout most of the 1960s. These marques had been repositioned by the parent corporation in the preceding years, which may have left buyers confused as to where these cars stood in the corporate pecking order. Given that, by 1965, buyers of full-size cars tended to be older and more conservative, that fuzzy brand identity may have undermined both Dodge and Mercury in this segment.
At least Dodge had strong sales of the Dart and Coronet to maintain its strength.
Indeed, Mercury was more lucky than Dodge in the full-size field when they go with the slogans “Built in the Lincoln Continental tradition” and later with the arrival of the Marquis (and to a latter extent, the “pony personnal luxury car” the Cougar) “At the sign of the cat”.
Pretty nice .
-Nate