1-of-419: 1961 Dodge Polara Hardtop Station Wagon
Claiming that any classic is rare can be a slippery slope. There will always be enthusiasts willing to question that claim with supporting evidence. If the vehicle has undergone any form of modifications, that further muddies the water. How profound do those changes need to be before the rarity claim is rendered irrelevant? Those are all questions posed by this 1961 Dodge Polara Hardtop Station Wagon. The seller claims it is 1-of-419 produced by the company in that model year, and that figure gels with the information I have. However, a previous owner installed a different engine and transmission, meaning this is not an unmolested survivor. It needs a new home and an owner willing to return it to active duty. If you feel up to the challenge, you will find the Polara located in Auburn, Washington, and listed for sale here on Craigslist. You could take this Polara project home by handing the owner $10,000. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder Kevin for spotting this classic for us.
This Polara would have made a bold visual statement in its original Midnight Black when it was new. It still possesses a genuine presence, although it needs some loving to present at its best once again. The paint is peeling in a few spots, while the panels sport a few bruises. There is rust for potential buyers to consider, but it is the type the buyer could address with patches rather than wholesale panel replacement. You will find it in the lower door corners, lower front fenders, lower rear quarter panels, and tailgate. Surprisingly, this does not represent the tip of some ugly “rustberg.” The seller states that the rockers, floors, and spare wheel well are all rock-solid, suggesting that addressing most of its problems would be within the capabilities of a competent enthusiast in a home workshop. Some exterior trim pieces have been removed, but most are present and in acceptable condition. A few pieces are missing, but searching the usual online resources should produce positive results. The owner indicates that a new windshield needs to go on the shopping list, but the remaining glass is in good order.
I’ve skirted around it for long enough, so we now need to grab the bull by the horns and discuss the changes performed by a previous owner. Dodge produced all Polara Hardtop Wagons in 1961 with a V8 under the hood. I am happy to be corrected if wrong, but I suspect that this engine bay used to house a 360ci motor backed by a three-speed TorqueFlite transmission. That V8 would have produced 265hp, which was enough to launch the Dodge through the ¼ mile in 17.2 seconds. That figure remains respectable for a family wagon tipping the scales at 4,175lbs, but it seems a previous owner wanted more. Therefore, the original motor and transmission have waved bye-bye, and in their place, we find a 440ci V8 and an A-727 automatic. The seller believes that these are of 1960s vintage, but the engine’s specifications are unknown. It would be fair to assume that the output would be considerably higher than 265hp, but how much higher would be pure speculation. The Polara doesn’t run or drive, but the seller believes this configuration saw active duty with the previous owner. There are a few electrical, suspension, and brake issues for the buyer to tackle, but it appears that apart from front shocks, all the necessary parts are boxed up to go with the Wagon.
One aspect of the Wagon needing little is the interior. The speaker grille on the dash is wrong, but the dash itself looks good. Most of the Red upholstery is pretty new, and it remains in good condition. The trim in the cargo area has accumulated some marks, but I agree with the seller’s assessment that it should present well with a deep clean. The carpet looks new, and there are no obvious aftermarket additions. The interior seems to be another aspect of this build that a buyer could tackle in a home workshop, and it should take more time than money to whip it into shape.
It seems that there’s no doubt that the 1961 Polara Hardtop Station Wagon is a rare beast, but that brings me back to square one and the question of whether a previous owner compromised this classic by upgrading the drivetrain. That’s a tough call to make, and it will be fascinating to gauge reader feedback on the subject. It will also be interesting to see whether we have any readers attracted enough to pursue this Wagon further. I won’t be surprised if there is. If that person happens to be you, I think we’d all like to see how this project progresses.
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Comments
Sheesh, okay, you know, some people have no business trying to save a classic like this. It’s a cool find, late 50’s, early 60’s Mopars, with their, um, unique styling, will always garner interest in the future, but this is a mess. 1st, I believe the author means the 361( 360 was a small block years later) or a 383. Hint, the big blocks have the distributor in the front on an angle. Obviously, the troublesome push button on the fritz,( not THAT hard to fix, just a cable) so they cobbled a floor shifter in, that motor, well, the whole project stinks, to me. These sellers, I swear, they better get with the times, at $5/gal. seemingly the norm,, the average person, who could actually use a wagon like this, isn’t going to want some 440, 10mpg motor. It would take ANOTHER $10 grand to make this even remotely usable today. A “Slanty” would be good enough for most in this. Prices for this kind of stuff will sink like a stone, you’ll see.
Howard, this `61 almost had me, until I saw the floor shifter Jerry-rigged in. That alone will call for a patch panel of some sort, and a proper 727 torqueflite tranny to align with the push-buttons. I believe this wagon was likely a 361 V8 originally, so the 265HP figure would make sense. One would have to decipher the data plate to know for sure if it left the factory with the 361 or 383 V8s.However, for the right buyer this is an instant collectible to restore. Hardtop wagons are nearly non-existent today, and done right you’d have an unusual and VERY rare Dodge! IMHO, $10K is too high for what this needs. It’s a unibody, and would need to be taken down to the bare bones if I had it.
Dodge’s early ’60s styling wasn’t too popular when new but today is a different story. The odd styling from Virgil Exner attracts a lot of collectors today and the rarity of this wagon is an added attraction. Considering the prices asked for most cars of the ’60s, I don’t think $10,000 is out of line for a rare Dodge wagon. Sure, it needs some work and some of the missing trim/parts might pose a challenge but there are a lot of folks with enough disposable income who would be willing to throw a lot of their money at this cool wagon. The engine/trans change hurts it’s value to a certain point but a big block has a lot of appeal too. I’d ditch the floor shifter and get the dash buttons working. I really like the red interior and the dash layout and steering wheel are spectacular.
Sure, $4 to $5 gas makes for an expensive outing for those of us whose cars house a V8 and consume a lot of fuel, but I don’t think that will last forever. My ’72 Galaxie isn’t the best on fuel consumption, but I wouldn’t dream of putting a six cylinder under the hood. I’ll drive it and enjoy it as much as I always did. It’s only money and life is short.
Hi FG, oh, when have I heard THAT before? That was a common theme when the 1st gas crunch hit, but eventually, even Red Forman bought a Toyota. I read, while some things may stabilize, gas prices will most likely stay high, and focus will shift from fuel guzzling diesel 4×4 pickups, to Smart cars,,,again, and for the future, cars will simply have to get better than 12 mpg to be appealing. People aren’t going to care if it will smoke the tires or not, 440’s and 429’s too, will be boat anchors and a 6, just motoring down the road in something so unusual, will be what will be wanted, I think.
Respectfully, to FordGuy’s reasonable point: Most owners are likely not going to make this ‘61 Dodge Polara wagon a daily driver, putting 10-15,000 miles a year on it. Like a lot of vintage vehicles, say the owner puts 1000 miles on it in a year. At 12-mpg, that’s (rounding up) about 84 gallons of fuel over those 1000 miles. Compare that to a six-cylinder version that, perhaps, can hit 20-mpg. Over the same 1000 miles, it uses 50 gallons of fuel, for a difference of 34 gallons. Figuring fuel is $2.00 per gallon more than what most of us got used to and comfortable with, that’s an extra $68.00 over the course of the year. Not that $68.00 is nothing, and I don’t say this casually, but to FordGuy’s point, this is the hobby I have chosen and enjoy, I’ll adjust elsewhere, and life is short.
Good points Howard A and NHDave. I believe gas prices will go down when there is a change in this country politically. Up to the end of 2020, we had reasonable fuel prices all due to he whose name I can’t mention. Those days will return at some point. As to NHDave’s point about driving this wagon as a daily driver, I doubt that will be the case. It’s more likely to be a weekend cruiser when it’s been restored and not driven on a daily basis, especially if it’s restored to a high level. I’m sure that folks looking at new cars these days are tending to buy gas sipping vehicles for their daily drivers, that’s always been the case when fuel prices have gone up significantly. Big block classics will still be seen on the roads but their owners will likely limit their windshield time because of high fuel costs.
As for myself, I’m retired and don’t drive as much as I used to when I was working. My ’95 F150 with a 302ci and a 5-speed isn’t the best on gas but for the amount of driving I do these days, I’m OK with it. Premium gas here in Connecticut is $4.45 a gallon but I still put a few gallons in my ’97 z28 Camaro convertible and took the little woman out in it for a drive as it was a beautiful day for top-down cruising. I’ll take my ’72 Galaxie to local car shows and cruise nights and have a good time with other classic car folks and not worry about the extra cost of fuel. A good time is worth a few extra bucks. As to Howard A’s comment about Smart cars; real men don’t drive those, only quiche eaters do.
Hey FordGuy, check your history books – who was president the last time fuel prices spiked like this in 2008? It’s not politics that determine fuel prices.
CCFisher; “It’s not politics that determine fuel prices.” This time it most certainly is.
So much better with original drive train. This was pieced together and with that styling better original than anything else. Reason they didn’t sell, their ugly! Sorry early Mopar fans, GM and Ford were selling wagons.
That top picture is bugging me. The ground looks level but the truck sits above the wagon. Maybe the wagon is covering a small wall or something. Weird optics.
These couple of years for Mopar had to be the all-time ugliest cars ever made. Yet agreed Nowadays they’re still Ah Ah, oh Ok this one is almost Lovable.?
That engine looks to be Corporate blue, which would make it newer than the 60’s, possibly even the 70’s.
I wonder why it has a ford relay under the regulator.
Regarding the relay, I did a similar mod to one of my Pontiacs. Big engine with older wiring, the starter-mounted relay would get hot and not fire. Remote mounting a Ford relay on the fender fixed the issue.
Thank you Adam for properly describing the car as a hardtop wagon. Some writers seem to get a brain seizure when attempting to write about hardtops [pillarless sedans and wagons, post-sedans]
Taken as a whole, a good base. But not $10,000 worth of good.
I suspect in six months there will be a massive drop in prices as people flood the market selling everything just to keep up with rising fixed overhead costs.
Thanks for this. Notice how it appears Nissan ripped off that boomerang fin look on one of its R…. I mean SUV things ?
How much side molding is missing off this wagon? Both sides not match and appear to missing door and maybe rear passenger quarter?
When I was attending Rensselaer in the early ‘70’s there was a black Polara hardtop wagon in the E-dorms parking lot. What made it forever memorable was that it had a nicely installed aftermarket fabric sunroof – you know, like the type on early VW’s! I swear the sunroof was large enough to lower a sheet of plywood through- likely didn’t help that hardtop body’s rigidity much!
If already mentioned I apologize but the 62 Chrysler 300H coupe parts car looks very interesting too….Too bad both cars have been messed with …
I find this Barn Find very interesting ,but what I find more interesting, is the conversation it started about fuel prices ,gas mileage, and the effect on the cars we want. That really hit close to home for me, I just finished a 53 Ford F-100, that was suppose to be my everyday driver. Over the last few years, I have worked on several of these, but I never managed to keep one for myself. This one was suppose to be my keeper and hopefully one of my best. It is one of my best, (emphasis on MY, not all F-100’s). I built it as a driver, rack& pinion, IFS, coil over RS, 4-wheel disk brakes, A/C, Stereo and lots of neat features even paint. However, the drive train is a 390 BB Ford with a C-6. Not the best choice for a driver with gas going for over $5 a gallon. I am retired, on fixed income, love my Truck and Hot Rods in general, and I am 79 years old and don’t want to give up all my vices. The main one being Cars & Hot Rods, but this truck doesn’t hit double figures for MPG. Even if I try to limit my driving , I can spend $50 to almost a $100 a week for fuel. My wife thinks I have a mistress in another city and I am lying about my driving. Which is certainly ridicules, when you think about it. She has also suggested, I get rid of my passion for my cars, that’s when I realized I need to take this seriously ,but I don’t know what to do. It seems that some of you might be having the same problem. We need to find a solution ASAP.
Joe, I hear you. I’ll leave it at that because I just don’t want to unleash all of my fury-concerns on this subject …Another quick example of fuel prices, I have LP heaters in my garage and I was just charged over $6.00/ gallon to fill the tanks….I hear you Joe !.
Joe; I recognize your concern and my reply is simply to settle for the same solution that we gearhads living in colder/winter-ish climate areas have done for decades to avoid exposing our sweet vehicles to salty roads – acquire a decent high-MPG everyday beater that triggers none of your automotive emotions!
Use the el cheapo car for all boring everyday errands and concentrate on driving your F100 on occations you REALLY want to have a good time. Boring perhaps, but you’ll probably appreciate your F100 even more on those occations you treat yourself a ride. Best wishes
As mentioned previously, the President does not control prices on gas OR hamburger. It’s simple to blame those actions on someone you don’t like, isn’t it? You need to go back and take Economics 101 to understand how the laws of supply and demand work in the world, not in someone’s mind.
Now THAT is something you don’t see every day. Love the rear tail lights. Great job Adam! You always bring us something special.
LMK and the Sheriff, appreciate your comments and I think we are somewhat the same page. No doubt the Sheriff has the best solution, but it will not work for every one. I live in Phoenix AZ. great climate for collector cars. I have a three car garage and an H.O.A. If that doesn’t seem like a problem, you don’t a have one. I also have a three car garage, If you don’t understand H.O.A. and the garage size ,you definitely have one. I have 3 cars ,F-100 P/U and 34 Ford Coupe ,I drive both of them anytime I want, WHY? Because I can, I live in AZ and it is my choice. My wife has an older Lincoln SUV and she drives it all the time. WHY? Because she can, its her choice and her car and what she wants to drive. If this doesn’t make sense you are not married.
So whats the problem Simple because of my personal preference for my transportation and my circumstances, money, location, practicability ,I will be forced to give up on ownership of at least one of my cars, just because of circumstances I can’t control. The simple solution for me would be if the cost of gas would go down. I know there are a gazillion reasons they are high, and may never go down much. There are also a gazillion reasons that we will all have electric cars in the future. We are all the victim of our age and circumstances and complaining about it is one thing ,but learning to cope with it, is the solution. I just don’t have that answer for that.
wholesale panel replacement ? I wonder if anyone makes anything for a 61 Dodge.. If all the lower panels are rotted this is going to be a pretty big job for someone to redo .
I think I saw an episode where Ward Cleaver had one of these?
With the Max I was paying $13 a gallon, I think, for 110 octane leaded. Now
I find out that with 13 1/2 compression I should be using 112 at $20 a
gallon. Max gets 5 MPG give or take!
So what I would do is swap out the 727 for a cable shift 727. I happen to have one on the shelf. It even has the parking brake drum on the back because the 1962 and older cars did not have the parking brake on the rear wheels. And if the original driveshaft is with it all the better because that would have the Detroit style U-joint to bolt right up to the brake drum. If it has a slip spline then I also have a ’65 cable shift 727 with the slip spline. Then find a ’62 to ’64 button shifter. Yes, I have the correct shift cable on the shelf. It’s the same one for the Max. I even have a 3.55 SureGrip (Mopar Posi) on the shelf!
My mom had one of these wagons. I learned hw to do killer burnouts with that car.
Son is restoring both a 1960 Polara D500 Ram Induction 9 passenger wagon and a 1960 Polara D500 Ram Induction Convertible.
In the early 80’s, son obtained a 1961 Polara 9 passenger wagon, 361 two barrel. White, red interior, dual air, powe windows.
No room, and the 61 was cut up for parts. Had no rust. Sad.
p s, he has over 30 old Mopars. Yes, he drives them as everyday vehicles.
He does not drive new cars.
Same for me, only old cars. Nothing new interests me at all.
He has so many NOS parts for this 61 Black wagon. He would buy it, but is real busy currently