So we’ve spent all week showing you Chryslers of all kinds, to drool over as well as to hate on. Obviously, there’s a lot that was left behind, but unless we’re going to turn the site into Chrysler Classics, that’s the reality. So now it’s time to profess your true Mopar Love; which will grace your driveway tomorrow? And to keep it interesting, let’s try not to avoid the obvious 1955-1957 300, which everyone would gladly have.
I have multiple personality disorder, so I’m going to go for three (you can too, if you’ve been medically certified). For my refined, elegant and rectiti-dude self, I’ll take a ’65 New Yorker coupe.
For my speed-loving, reckless-maniac self, I’ll have a 1968 Barracuda Formula S 340. It was the best handling pony car, or more like the best handling American car of the times (Corvette and Corvair excepted), and the brand new 340 would hit an honest 6000 rpm and eat all sorts of big-block machinery for breakfast.
And for my hipster self, it has to be this 1960 Plymouth two-door wagon, with at least this much patina, and the slant six under the hood, warmed up a bit of course, and a corresponding exhaust to let folks know what they’re dealing with!
Your turn:
My List would be far too long. I already started and have over 30. I’m a Mopar man.
That big green New Yorker from the 1977 brochure which appears in Carmine’s and Tom Klockau’s articles on the last New Yorkers…dark green (same color as my Buick), white top, green interior. What a beautiful old boat.
Just one will suit me. I love that ’65 Dodge Monaco hardtop in blue that was featured earlier. Gorgeous car.
I would like to have the ’68 Barracuda hardtop that my father had, w/minor modifcations such as Cragar S/S wheels, suspension mods & updated audio.
I also wish I had that ’70 Roadrunner coupe w/Cragars in yellow that a family friend had for sale in his gas station circa 1972.
I’m surprised that nobody chose either the ’69 Daytona or ’70 Superbird.
Pure sentimental value, but I miss the wagons in my extended family.
My folks had a ’68 Custom Suburban, turquoise, took it to LA from Chicago in summer ’72. A pure ‘Old US 66’ trip. Was in family from 1969 to 1975. Had some starting issues, but would start if we let it sit after it ‘flooded’.
My uncle/aunt had a 1970 Custom Suburban, nice willow green shade, not the common ‘puke green’ often ridiculed. It looked like a space ship compared to our ’68. One of the first 70’s sold to them in Sept 1969. Lasted until 1976, and rusted away too soon, since they didn’t have a garage!
1967 Monaco 500 with white interior please and all the options. Hardtop or convertible. This would be my ultimate dream Mopar.
This is going to piss of JPC, but go with what you know-I’ll take a 1964 Dodge Coronet Taxi, just like we used to set them up in Brooklyn and San Juan. Slant six, Torqflite, heavy duty suspension and big brakes. A surprisingly delightful drive.
1969 New Yorker four-door hardtop.
1968 300 convertible.
1967 Barracuda 318 fastback.
All fully optioned, of course; perhaps a modern drivetrain with 5- or 6-speed in the Barracuda.
I guess I’m pretty late to the game… but my vote is for a ’67 Imperial hard top sedan. I love the slab look, the high-quality interior, and the non-strangled 440!
I’ll take a 67 LeBaron sedan in black vinyl over forest green. I’d also love any kind of Airflow!!
I’d have a few on the list
– circa 1930 Chrysler of the type they raced
– 1955 300 Even if it is less practical with 6v and 2sp, it is not a regular driver at this point so may as well go for the first year
– 1962 Chrysler Valiant R-series 1000 made only & chance to get one with the with the floor shift manual
– 1968 Barracuda S fastback 340
– 1969 Roadrunner 440 (or other B-body muscle car)
– 1971 Valiant Charger R/T E49 – 302hp from the factory 265ci triple Weber Hemi 6
– Challenger or Cuda TransAm racer
I’d like to see if a Hemi-powered 4-door sedan is faster than the Ford Falcon GT-HO, I understand there were a few built.
The closest I’ve actually been to buying a Mopar is giving a bit of thought to a 1977-78 Valiant panelvan with 318 & torqueflite (striped-up Drifter version pictured below), but at $650 I assumed that it would be too rusty & didn’t go to look at it. In a way I still wouldn’t mind one of those either, for the rarity factor – only 2000 made.
Very late as usual, but I wanted to get my two cents in here… consider this my response to all of Mopar Week – because I had some computer/connection problems and missed most of it as it was happening, but I’m mostly caught up now.
First of all, I enjoyed (and am still enjoying) the shit out of all these articles. I like this format a lot and hope to see more themed weeks in the future… maybe even branch out to things like “French Car Week” or “Alternative Propulsion Week” to completely alienate all of CC’s most prolific commentators (j/k).
As a kid and still to this day, I’ve always been most interested in GM cars (as far as Detroit is concerned, anyway), but ever since I started reading this site regularly I’ve been more and more intrigued by all things Mopar. I don’t think I’ll ever entirely convert, but around the time that the Walter P. Chrysler Museum article ran, I had an epiphany: throughout their history, when Chrysler has been on the money, they’ve built the best cars that an American manufacturer has ever built. Even the duds, missteps and tragically flawed machinery has failed in interesting ways.
Those cars that missed the mark are actually some of my favorites. I’d have a very hard time picking only one Ultimate Mopar, but the Airflow cars are up there. I like the proto-Beetle ’34 DeSoto Coupe the best of them, with several different Imperials close behind, but any of them would do.
Although the ’56 Chrysler 300B is disallowed, I’d take nearly any lesser ’55-’56 Mopar. Those cars were the great, unsung heroes of that decade. They may have been flashy when new, but with everything that came out of Detroit in the ensuing years, they now look remarkably restrained and sophisticated. Paul’s Plymouth wagon appeals to the part of my brain that loves old sci-fi movies and drugs, and if I lived in California 40 years ago, I’d probably own some kind of nightmarish early 60s Exner creation with similar patina, cruising along the coast listening to a lo-fi tape of “Pipeline” on repeat. Even more than those, I love the weirdo early A-bodies and Slant/6s, especially when Hyper-Pak equipped. If I was allowed to get really creative, I’d take a time machine back to 1958 and store one of the Bendix EFI cars away in a barn before it could get recalled and retrieve it when I got back to the present day.
All of that said, for me at least, I think the one Mopar that marries all of these disparate ideals together in the most complete and perfect package was the extraordinarily rare and expensive 1960 Chrysler 300F Special GT – 400HP crossram 413 wedge, 4-speed manual transmission from the Facel-Vega cars, stunningly beautiful interior with the AstroDome instrument panel, kindof an ugly-ass menacing face and batfins… and the only one I’ve ever seen pictures of was black which is perfect. I know that’s an obscene and ridiculous choice, but if I could choose anything, it’s my ultimate Mopar. I’ll take that and buy a Neon ACR for running errands with my own money!
Okay l am late to the party, but if I really could only choose just one Mopar it would have to be a 1955 New Yorker…..a very tough decision from a person that is a lover of all things Imperial.
A 58 Dodge Royal 2 door HT, two tone white and red, (or mint green), or a 69 Imperial 2 dr or 4 dr HT, in the metallic avocado green popular at the time.
Either one, I’d be happy.
64-67 Imperial Crown Convertible
1968 300 Convertible
1968-68 ‘Cuda Convertible
1963-66 Signet Convertible (I think they were made thru 66)
1970 Coronet 500 Convertible
1977-78 New Yorker Brougham coupe or sedan.
Forgot about these winged beauties…
1969 Chrysler Newport 4 door. Spent most of my childhood in the back seat of one of these . Belonged to my best friend’s mom. We could fit six kids in the back seat with room to spare!!!