Full Size Mopar: 1968 Dodge Polara
Mopar muscle cars get all the love these days, while their full-size brethren seem to languish in both interest and value these days. Maybe it’s because they don’t handle so well, and their gas mileage isn’t so great either. Or maybe, it’s just that they were never as popular back when they were new.
In both 1967 and 1968, Polara and Monaco were the top of the line nameplates for Dodge, and they were definitely big cars, aimed at mostly at families and older adults. Dodge muscle cars were all about youth, and seemed to get most of the attention in advertising and in sales.
In 1968, Dodge Polara and Monaco sold 115,000 units, while at the same time the combined small and mid-sized car lines (Dart, Coronet and Charger) moved more than 485,000 cars.
At least my memory tells me that all Chrysler Corporation cars of this year of manufacture were pretty prone to rust. Thanks to reader Jim S., we learned about this somewhat rusty, but possibly restorable 1968 Dodge Polara coupe for sale on eBay located in Westport, Massachusetts.
The auction listing provides very little information – which at least for me makes it very difficult to judge whether this car is going to be salvageable or not. The seller, fairly tersely says: “Has front drivers side has small wrinkle in fender. Needs interior restored. Needs restoration makes a great project car. Has rust. Has solid rockers.”
From the pictures we can tell the car has been sitting for awhile, probably not indoors. And it looks like it’s got an amateur paint job, which also makes it difficult to tell what is going on with this car’s body.
There is no way to know what price the seller is expecting to get from this auction. Bidding is light, at $200 with five days to go in the auction. You won’t see too many of these on the road anymore, so if the body and frame are not a lost cause, it might be a fun car to build, maybe dropping in a more muscular powerplant than its current lowly 318 cid mill. Anyone here interested?
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Comments
Not a bad looking car, don’t see many of them at the local car shows. Sticker on the windshield could be a RI inspection sticker (a stones throw away) shows what appears to be 1990. Love these ads, the photos are all at weird angles in the eBay post and couldn’t spend 15 minutes cleaning out all the trash and a quick vacuum. Being that part of Mass, with winter road salts and chemicals plus being near the ocean, look close underneath.
Kind of this one I just found and bought?Bruce.
We were Chrysler people. My dad had a great story about when the Washington State Patrol changed from Dodge to Ford for there patrol cars. The troopers we knew hated the Fords in comparison. One day dad was driving one of his smaller trucks on highway 195 south of Spokane in the Paloose when one of the Fords blew past him in hot persuit. Dad continued and came over one of the rolling hills, there the Ford was on the side of the road on fire. It had thrown a rod and caught fire……….dad knew all the patrolmen so he pulled over. The then on foot patrolman had nothing good to say about the Ford and wanted his interceptor Dodge 440 back. It was a few short years and they were back to Dodges.
Junk
I really like the early full size hard tops (2 or 4 door) but my wife referred to my 67 Impala SS as an old mans car. Shamed me into a Nova and a Beaumont. News flash – I’m getting close to old man status! You could use these old boats to tow almost anything!
The day is coming where these cars will or are being sought after.
This is a stylish looking car, back when these big boats were new riding in them was like floating on a cloud. If you’ve ever driven one you’d know that that is a lot of hood to look past. Unfortunately this car will need a complete disassembly and a lot of metal work to save it. This will not be a profitable venture and sadly that is what this hobby is all about now, investment cars. It would be nice to know that it was going to be saved but that’s not likely. Finally this is not a coupe it is a two door hard top which by rights should make it more desirable.
I used to live in Westport Mass. Also had a 1968 Dodge Monaco 500. If this car was a Monaco 500 I would be interested even with the rust issues, The 500 models are very rare and I would love to have another one.
All the rust around the rear window bothers me. I would need a good look underneath to see where that water went.
Well . . . I’ve NEVER seen a Chrysler product rust like that one! The Polara was the “entry level” full-size Dodge and the Monaco was the more luxurious model, with the 500 having bucket seats and such.
The interior items are probably about “parr”, but being it’s a Polara with a 318 V-8 (standard engine), with no a/c (all things considered), whomever order the car obviously didn’t get the “Basic Group” option, choosing instead to pick and choose individual options. End result, they didn’t get the factory undercoat and hood insulator option. Would not have helped the rust on the fenders and upper doors, but the floor pan would have been covered.
Now, if the price was “right”, this could be “a blank canvas” to receive lots of Mopar Performance power train upgrades.
I have a ’67 Newport 2-dr Fastop (slantback), of which there were about 20K built. Mine had the optional bucket seats (with center buddyseat) and 383 4bbl. It’s possible that similar Polaras are equally-low in production numbers (not counting the options on mine).
Now, these cars did have special ride qualities which coil-sprung GM cars did not. PLUS they’d handle a corner easily, too! 75-90mph was their natural cruising speed (where they felt like they were having fun). Fuel economy would be high-teens on the highway, if driven sanely. Not any worse than some new SUVs driven similarly.
It’s unfortunate that one is so rusty, at least by TX standards.
I own and enjoy full size 2 door performance classics. Seems like ’68 was a year that produced odd looking full size/sports variants like this one and the ’68 Pontiac Grand Prix. Almost as bad as the Malaise era of the ’80s.
When buying a Mopar, it’s not if it has rust, but where that tin worm is hiding!
When I was a kid, our neighbor had one of these 68’s, Turquoise metallic, black vinyl top, 383 4bbl, Auto, PS, PB and factory air. At the time, the car was only about 4 years old, garage kept, and in pristine condition. “Brappy” orange peeler glass packs. Great body style, with a sleek, yet forward look. Smooth, quiet, and fast.
My first car was a 68 4-door Polara, old man beige with rusted out rear quarters… Chick Magnet!! Bought it for $600 from my neighbors grampa. Had a lot of fun in that car.
I have a 68 2 door hardtop, looks like a fastback, from Montana, the floors still have all of the original paint, nearly mint.