All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 2: 1965-1969 – Now Available In Sizes S, M, L & XL

The second half of the sixties is often called the golden age for American cars, and that certainly applies to four-door hardtops. Not only did full-size versions continue to expand their market share, but hardtop GM pioneer upped the ante in two size classes that otherwise never got them: the compact Corvair in 1965 and the mid-size A-Body cars in 1966. They didn’t last very long, with the Corvair 4-door hardtop dropped after 1967, and the mid-size cars after 1972. That was something of a foreshadowing of the end for the whole genre.

But we’ll leave that to Part 4; for now we can celebrate the Golden Age of the 4-door hardtop.

1965:

1965 was a banner year for American cars all-round. All three of the Big 3 had new full-size cars and US car sales hit a new record. As noted above, the Corvair pioneered the 4-door hardtop style in the compact class. Let’s start with it and then the rest of the GM line-up.

 

 

The restyled ’65 Corvair was a breath of fresh air, and the hardtop coupe was a stunner. That the 4-door came only as a hardtop was an unexpected surprise. There were plenty of unprecedented aspects to the Corvair from its get-go in 1960, but a 4-door hardtop was just not expected, especially since the coupe was outselling the sedan by a huge margin, like 4:1 in the Monza series.

The pragmatic thing would have been for Chevy to just kill the 4-door in the gen2 series. By 1965, the Corvair had long moved on from being an economy compact; it was really nothing but a sporty car, and there was just no need for a 4-door. But here it was, and most folks rave about it. As an avowed Corvair lover (and gen1 owner) this 4-door hardtop just didn’t ever quite click for me; it looked too much like shrunken Impala. The gen1 sedan was so unique and distinct with its flying roof and unique proportions, but these look a bit derivative. But that’s just me. It’s certainly worth our appreciation for what has to be the only four-door hardtop rear engine car in the world ever.

 

Yes, there’s lots of similarities to the new ’65 big Chevy 4-door hardtop, which worked very well in a size L. This is the Caprice version which arrived in January of 1965 in response to the Ford LTD. I happen to think that the proportions of the Chevy’s new B-Body look best in its un-stretched form as here on the Chevy. Pulling on its rear and front ends like a Silly Putty car on the Pontiac Bonneville/Star Chief as well as the Olds and Buicks just made them all look a bit off in the purity of the original proportions.

 

The Pontiac Catalina shared the Chevy’s un-stretched B body to very good effect, given the dramatic new styling elements on the Pontiacs that year, especially the front end. Although its 120″ wheelbase was nominally 1″ more than the Chevy, that small difference was easily fudged within the same body shell. Canadian “Cheviacs” had the Chevy 119″ wheelbase, and the difference was not noticeable.

 

These two factory PR shots clearly show how the Bonneville (and Star Chief/Executive) had their rear wheels set back three inches, creating a gap between the bottom of the rear door and the rear wheel opening, which was visually minimized by the fender skirts. The Bonneville’s tail section was lengthened further behind the rear wheels, making it some 6-7″ longer overall. Looks a bit excessive to my eyes.

 

Here’s that dramatic new front end; this was an eye-opener in 1965. The problem for Pontiac was how to top it in subsequent years; they couldn’t.

 

The B-Body Olds and Buicks had rear doors that were longer in their lower sections and thus eliminated that gap between the lower rear end of the door and the wheel opening that the Bonneville had. But that does not change the fact that the rear overhang feels excessive. This is a Dynamic 88.

 

The Olds 98 had a 3″ longer wheelbase (at the rear) and different rear doors, which was the key difference in the C-Body. But the 4-door hardtop had a roof structure that appears to be quite similar as on the B-Bodies. The 98 formal roof 4-door sedan outsold the hardtop version by a significant margin.

 

The LeSabre was of course Buick’s lowest-cost full size line, and the 4-door hardtop version looked decidedly spiffier than the sedan. But that goes for all of these, except perhaps the C-Bodies, which seemed to work better with their more formal upright sedan roofs.

 

The Wildcat was the next step up. It’s B-Body was the same from the cowl back as the LeSabre’s but it shared the longer front end with the Electra.

 

In the case of the Electra 225 four doors, the 4-door sedan and hardtop sold in roughly equal numbers.

 

On the other hand, the Cadillac 4-door hardtop version of the Sedan DeVille outsold the formal-roof 4-door sedan by a 3:1 margin. Perhaps that’s because the 60 Special only came in a formal roof sedan version.

 

Moving to Ford, 1965 was a very big year there too, with truly all-new full-size cars that were significantly lighter and a bit narrower on the outside. Of course their front ends with the vertical stacked headlights aped the 1963 Pontiac, but it all worked well enough for a few years until that fad petered out.

The big news was the new LTD package available on the Galaxie 500; it brought a whole new level of luxury look and interior features to the low price segment. The LTD was a big success, and soon enough the LTD became a line of its own, with sub-variants even.

 

I’m not sure this really belongs here, as I strongly suspect the middle window doesn’t roll down, but this Lehmann-Peterson limo conversion was based on the LTD hardtop; only 13 were ever made.

 

The 1965 Mercury was of course also new, and it added wheelbase length at the rear just like the Pontiac Star Chief and Bonneville, with that same unfortunate gap between the trailing edge of the rear door and rear wheel opening.

These were not common sights, and this is just about the only one of its kind I could find on the web, so here’s its front end too as a bonus, since there was no Lincoln Continental 4-door hardtop. It’s easy to see why the LTD sold so well; it actually looks more upscale than the Mercury.

 

Pictures of existent 1965 Plymouth Fury 4-door hardtops are not easy to come by too; this is the only one I found. And of course Plymouth also aped the Pontiac’s front end. This was all the rage at the time.

 

If Fury 4-door hardtops are rare, try finding a Dodge Polara or Custom 880. But then these big new Dodges just didn’t sell well at the time. This is a Polara.

 

Chryslers are easier to come by, and why not: these were quite stunning even if their styling was something of a throwback to more rectilinear times. But the execution was superb. This is a 300.

 

And this is a New Yorker I shot some years back. Elegant.

 

The Imperial foreshadowed the new rectilinear look at Chrysler already in 1964, so it wasn’t very different in 1965.

 

1966:

After all-new full size cars by the Big Three in 1965, the ’66s were of course mild facelifts. But the big news was the arrival of 4-door hardtops in the restyled mid-size A-Body cars.

 

We’ll start with Chevrolet, and work our way up the rather rotted and collapsing Sloan ladder. Here’s that new Chevelle Malibu 4-door hardtop. This was the only fairly presentable one I could find; I can’t find ready stats at hand, but my memory tells me that the 4-door hardtop on the Chevelle was not a big seller; the stylish hardtop coupe was, as with all the new A-Bodies.

 

Four door buyers of Chevelles tended to be budget conscious. And who cared about preserving four door Chevelles?  The thick C pillar actually looks more like the shape of the formal roof C-Body sedans.

 

I’ll show the Corvair again, for 1966. It’s sweet, but as I said before, it’s looking too much like a shrunken Chevelle or Impala. Make mine the coupe.

 

Nice looking car, but who wanted a little four door when the coupe looked so stunning? Not very many, obviously, and the 4-door went away the following year due to very slow sales.

 

The ’66 Caprice (and Impala) got new front and rear end styling but otherwise stayed pat.

The Pontiac LeMans wore the new 4-door hardtop style well.

 

The big Pontiacs were also mildly retouched, making their bold front ends a bit less…bold. This is the Catalina.

 

Here’s a Bonneville, from two angles. An impressive car, for sure.

 

The Cutlass Supreme in the new 4-door hardtop body style.

 

The ’66 Olds got new front ends that reflected the dramatic new Toronado’s, with longer bladed front fenders. This is a Delta 88.

 

Here’s that new front end, on a Ninety Eight Holiday sedan.

 

And the view from the rear. Is the trunk big enough?

 

The ’66 Skylark 4-door hardtop.

 

A ’66 Buick LeSabre on the go.

 

And a Wildcat, also on the go.

 

I couldn’t find a good current shot of a ’66 Electra 4-door hardtop, so here’s this period piece, automotively and architecturally. Which has held up better?

 

And the Cadillac Sedan deVille 4-door hardtop, also available in the lower-cost Calais line.

 

A ’66 LTD in front of the Capitol.

 

There was of course also the Galaxie 500 version.

 

Here’s a ’66 Mercury in a dramatic PR shot.

 

It took a bit of doing but I finally found a ’66 Plymouth VIP 4-door hardtop still in existence.

 

No such luck with the big Dodge; here’s the Monaco.

 

Once again, there’s plenty of Chryslers to choose from. This is a Newport.

 

And this is a 300.

 

A New Yorker to round out the family.

 

1966 was the last year for the Imperial’s own unique body before it started sharing Chrysler’s.

 

So let’s give it a parting view. An ambitious undertaking comes to an end.

 

1967:

 

After two years, it was time for a bit more deeper refresh on the large cars at GM. The B-Bodies all got a steeper roof line and more dramatic sculpting to take the 1965 lines to a more dramatic level, but this would soon change. This is a Caprice.

 

The A-Bodies only got facelifts for 1967. This is a Malibu, and a rare survivor too.

 

The LeMans for 1967.

 

I’ve said it before, but finding pictures of some 4-door hardtops is not easy. This was the only ’67 Catalina I could find, a snip from the movie Tony Roma. Duck!

 

As usual, there’s more images to be found of the Bonneville. With fender skirts, those rear hips are…voluptuous.

 

I shot this ’67 Olds Cutlass years ago in my neighborhood. It’s long gone.

 

The front fender blades on the big ’67 Oldsmobiles were carried even further forward. This is an 88.

 

Here’s the 98 version.

 

The ’67 Skylark got rear fender skirts to accentuate its length.

 

A period shot of the ’67 LeSabre.

 

The Wildcat in a dramatic shot.

 

And the big Electra 225 in another fine setting. The hardtop roof on these almost looks like it’s been chopped a couple of inches given the massing of the lower body.

 

The ’67 Sedan DeVille hardtop.

 

And a frontal view. Its styling for ’67 had more edges and creases, as the ’65-’66 was considered a bit too blobby by some.

 

Fords for ’67 got another refresh. It would be the last year for the stacked headlights. And no, Ford and Chrysler did not make the investment in midsize 4-door hardtops. The low volumes wouldn’t have been justified.

 

The ’67 Mercury also got curves for ’67.

 

The 1967 Plymouth, in VIP trim.

 

The very rare ’67 Dodge Monaco in a period shot.

 

The ’67 New Yorker also got a substantial refresh.

 

The 1967 Imperial now shared the Chrysler body shell, although its exterior had obviously different sheet metal.

 

1968:

 

The 1968 GM A-Bodies were substantially redone, although the coupes got more attention than the less popular sedans. This is the only shot I could find of a ’68 Malibu 4-door hardtop. And there’s seemingly millions of the coupe.

 

Here’s the ’68 Caprice wearing aftermarket wheels.

 

A low resolution shot of the only ’68 LeMans I could find.

 

A ’68 Catalina proudly wearing its new beak.

 

And the Bonneville version.

 

The ’68 Olds Cutlass. And laundry.

 

The 1968 Olds 88 in the desert.

 

A classy 1968 Olds 98 in a somewhat less than classy setting.

 

The Buick A Bodies got the most dramatic treatment to somewhat questionable effect. This is the Skylark.

 

A ’68 LeSabre at the curb.

 

And the restless Wildcat, again on the go.

 

The Electra 225 Limited, with more luxurious interior and such.

 

The ’68 Cadillac got a mild facelift and a new 472 cubic inch V8 under the hood.

 

I’m not a fan of the new ’68 Ford front end but others may well be.

 

The ’68 Mercury got a new front too, clearly designed to make it look more Lincoln-esque.

 

The only ’68 Fury III 4-door hardtop left in the world?

 

Here’s a genuine Curbside Classic ’68 Dodge Monaco.

 

A beautiful ’68 New Yorker. Say goodbye to the rectilinear look.

 

The ’68 Imperial showing off its ample booty.

 

1969:

 

 

We’re in the final year of the decade. This ’69 Malibu is a rare survivor of the war on 4-door cars.

 

The ’69 B-C Body GM cars got another do-over, with toned down styling and in the case of the Chevrolet, wheel blisters. This Caprice has the optional hidden headlights and packs a 427 which undoubtedly added to its survival.

 

The ’69 LeMans got a very mild refresh.

 

The big Pontiacs got an Endura plastic tipped beak. This is the Catalina.

 

And this is the Bonneville. Big Pontiacs were quickly losing the mojo that once powered the brand to the #3 sales spot.

 

The ’69 Cutlass also got a front end refresh.

 

Another Curbside Classic, in the form of a ’69 Olds 88.

 

And the Ninety Eight.

 

Couldn’t find a picture of an existing; 69 Skylark, so here’s this PR shot. Love Story?

 

The ’69 LeSabre got distinctive side creases over its wheel openings.

 

And the Wildcat sports the ever-popular Buick styled steel wheels.

 

One more outing for the Electra 225.

 

Cadillac ditched the stacked headlights in 1969, later than anyone else.

 

Another angle.

 

I had to resort to a vintage PR shot for the new 1969 Ford LTD. This was a successful restyle, in my opinion.

 

Couldn’t find a ’69 Mercury either, but this patriotic period PR shot shows off its new styling well.

 

Aha, this ’69 Fury is a familiar car, one of my earlier finds, and the basis of one of my many tales, although not a tall one.

 

Here’s a rare shot of the ’69 Dodge Monaco, which had an extra dose of chrome on the front end of its new fuselage body.

 

I couldn’t find a good shot of the dramatic new ’59 Chrysler, so here’s another period PR shot.

 

And we close out this part 3 of our survey of 4-door hardtops with the very large ’69 Imperial.

 

These 1969 – 1973 Imperials were the longest standard production cars built (other than the Cadillac 75 limo), with a whopping 229.7″.  By 1973, that crept up to 235.3″.  Size XXXL, actually.

 

Related CC reading:

All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 1: The 1950s  by PN

All Those Glamorous Four-Door Hardtops, Part 2: 1960–1964  by PN