The Newport was Chrysler’s volume car in the 1960s and 1970s, with creature comforts on par with the Buick LaSabre or Mercury Monterrey.  The 1970 Newport convertible was the last drop-top for the model and one of the last for the company, until a revival of the body style in the 1980s. The seller is the second owner of this Chrysler in the past 14 years and has done a few things cosmetically and mechanically to keep it in top shape. Located in Denver, Colorado, this lanky cruiser is available here on craigslist for $13,500. A tip of the fedora to Mark_K for sending this tip our way!

From 1969 through 1973, the senior Chryslers received new styling which provided a “fuselage” look to the automobiles. Newport’s would share the long 124-inch wheelbase of Chrysler’s premium car, the New Yorker. Just 2,231 Newport convertibles were built in 1970, split between the standard Newport model and the slightly dressier Newport Custom. With these smaller numbers, drop-top survivors are surely scarce today and the seller’s example may be one of the nicest left.

Before the seller acquired this Newport a year ago, the car had been seldom driven, so it required some attention. We’re told he/she installed a new gas tank and sending unit, complete brakes including the power brake booster, a new 2-barrel carburetor, and a heater core. Given these changes, the 383 cubic inch Magnum V8 and the rest of the machine perform quite nicely now at 87,000 miles.

The rear quarter panels were sprayed primer when the seller got the car, suggesting some body work was done in the lower extremities. Not wanting to repaint the whole car but wanting things to match as much as possible, the entire lower half of the car was resprayed. The seller says that gives it a sort of 2-tone look, but it’s subtle at best. The rest of the paint is a bit faded, but presentable, nonetheless. The power top works fine, although the canvas material could stand to be replaced,

Non-working items on the big car including the factory air conditioning and radio, so you’ll need to do some more work if you’re trying to have a perfect cruiser. Simply for aesthetic reasons, the seller swapped the rear bumper assembly with one from a 1971 Chrysler 300 that does look better. But since it was a bolt-on operation, going back to the original would be an easy switch. A fair amount of documentation will go with the Chrysler, including its build sheet. Who’s ready for a Saturday night excursion to the drive-in movies (if you can still find one)?