Photos from the Cohort by robadr.
Let’s pay a brief visit to Canadian Mopars with this find from the Cohort by robadr. A 1962 Chrysler Saratoga, a model that has appeared at CC before thanks to another robadr find. Rather than trying to reword what Paul wrote for that entry, I’ll repeat that the Saratoga was Canada’s mid-line Chrysler, carrying a nameplate that had disappeared from the US marketplace in 1960:
With the arrival of the entry-level Newport in 1961, the Windsor was pushed up a notch, bumping off the Saratoga. And in 1962, the 300 line was expanded, and in turn the Windsor was eliminated. But in Canada, the old model structure continued. And even in subsequent years, the Saratoga name soldiered on. In 1964, it was called the 300 Saratoga.
Yes, they did things a bit different up there.
If you want to check the ’62 Saratoga’s specs, those can be found in Paul’s previous post. In any case, a 1962 Chrysler is always a rather extraordinary find and worth a look. Both for their rarity nowadays and for the cars themselves. It’s well known the 1962 designs were hastily put together after rather questionable management decisions. And while the 1962 Plymouths and Dodges got their mutant looks as a result, ’62 Chryslers were a mix of ’61 Chrysler fronts and ’61 Dodge Polara redesigned rears. So, technically speaking, the ’62 Chryslers rehashed some ’61 themes.
It’s well known that the ’57-’63 (or so) period at Chrysler was quite the rollercoaster. From the trendsetting ’57s to a period of curious styling experimentation from ’60 to ’62. And considering that today’s find basically carries ’61 styling ideas, it seems to showcase concepts simmering around Detroit’s styling studios in those heady late 1950s. The unorthodox ’58 Lincolns, the out-of-this-world ’61 Plymouths, and the mutant ’61 Dodges serve as examples. Proposals that seemed to question the basic assumptions of what a car should look like (as many of GM’s 1959 mock-ups also showed). All while borrowing freely from various schools of design. How postmodern.
These ’62 Chryslers are not necessarily the best examples of that tendency, but they carry a good deal of it. The canted double headlights, the prominent center grille with the off-center badging, and the angry-looking turn signals ending in blacked-out branding around the fenders. All in a blunt nose with a rather plain bumper. And while the rest of Detroit had moved away from these tendencies by the early ’60s, they seemed to have remained around Chrysler studios longer than they should have.
Instead of cars, the front end of the ’62 Chrysler reminds me of 1950s electronics. And this radio with its non-symmetric modernist design is a good example. Not that such a thing is necessarily bad, since cars are ultimately products. Some cross-pollinating is inevitable in the world of product design, be it cars, trucks, or radios.
Elsewhere, the postmodern aspect of the car comes further to the fore; mostly unintendedly. The finless rear end of the ’61 Polara got redesigned with curious concave sculpting, and the body was still topped by the 1950s greenhouse from the Eisenhower era. All with slab sides that aim to the classy ’60s.
And to finish the whole amalgam, lots of the 1950s Googie interior remained (sans steering wheel in today’s find):
Walking around this ’62 Chrysler must feel like revisiting 7 to 8 years of Detroit’s mid-century styling. Quite the time-travel trip… in just one car; from the mid-50s to the eccentric late 50s, to the future 1960s.
Now, considering the Chrysler ’62 lineup was put together by corporate rule and that Chrysler’s VP of design Virgil Exner was recovering from a heart attack while the ’61s were conceived, it’s hard to pinpoint who truly deserves credit -or blame- for these 1962 Chryslers. And I’m not even sure if the postmodern label truly applies to these cars, but their looks certainly come from a mix of tendencies. All rather postmodern (that word again) in approach, whether intended or not.
Related CC reading:
Cohort Classic Capsule: 1962 Chrysler Saratoga – Canada’s Mid-Line Chrysler
Vintage MT review: 1962 Chrysler Newport – Big Car Power And Luxury
I like it, it has flair .
-Nate
Full-size ’61 Dodges were not finless.
An early experiment in autonomous cars?
I find the Chryslers the best looking of the lot from 1961, and find the 1962 restyle one of the more successful ones of that era. I always really liked the rears on these. I will admit that the front end is an acquired taste.
I had never really thought about this car in relationship to the 61 Dodge Polara, but I can see it now, especially in the rear bumpers.
4 door hardtops were always relatively unpopular among Mopar buyers of the period, and I would be this was even more true with Canadians, who tended to be thriftier and more conservative in their tastes in cars. Bravo to robadr on finding this one!
1960 61 and 62 Chryslers were lovely American automotive design excesses that were out of date by the mid-sixties but are now “collectors’ treasures “. Our family had one. I settled for an earlier “forward look from Chrysler” that is more affordable but help set new trends.
That Little Tree is very nicely color-coordinated with the interior.
Although finding the proper place to attach it in an early 60s Chrysler product would certainly be a challenge.
Our parents ordered a 1960 Chrysler. Beautiful car. Was the envy of the neighborhood and the Country Club! Our primary car until 1966 when a new Chrysler became primary and the ’60 became the “2nd” car! The author failed to even mention the iconic panel eselaent( sp) dash lighting that revolutionized the dash lighting for decades, not to mention the iconic Astrodome dash design! ( 1960- 1962)!
Odd that Canada would lose the Windsor model, presumably named after the Canadian city near Detroit, and keep the Saratoga, the site of an important British loss in the Revolution.
When I was a kid, a family living in a duplex close to out house had a very tired , green version of this car.
Would have been ‘1967-8ish”.
I see my darn “typo”! Should be “our house”, not “out house”. Oh lord!
That’s not a ‘transistor” radio. See the AC cord?
Right, but it still has transistors inside, right?
The Zenith brand name was the one to get for a radio or TV back in the day. The art deco styling on that radio is neat! AM-FM no less!
Actually that’s a Vintage Zenith Table Radio, Model G723, AM-FM Bands, with 7 Vacuum Tubes, Circa 1950. But yes, once transistors became common there were both portable battery versions and ac table top radios.
Thanks for noticing. I had a Toshiba pocket radio in there until the last minute and forgot to remove the transistor reference. The post is updated now.
My father had a ’62 Newport two-door hardtop in light grey on red interior. The whole family loved that car. It was a gem AND it handled VERY well!!! A friend of my mother drove it up to the cottage once and commented that she had never driven a car which handled that well – and THEY had much more expensive cars! It also had a SPECTACULAR dashboard (all Chryslers of that year did). It was a very futuristic “dome” and totally unique.
Our neighbour had a ’62 Saratoga – yes, we’re Canadian. It was a light pink – more of a Florida colour than a Canadian colour given the weather differential. I remember one of the differences was that our neighbour’s Saratoga had twin “rails” (running lengthwise) on either side of the roof which our Newport didn’t. To this day, those ’62s had a “modernist” look which means they have actually dated rather well to my eye compared to their peers from GM and Ford. And yes, I liked those ‘canted’ headlights – still do!