Some things in life appeal to a person much more than what the rational parts of our brains would ever allow. Please see Exhibit 1, in green. Everything about this car is utterly awesome. I would drive this thing to Los Angeles, Anchorage, Boston, Miami, or any other long distance. Imagining being swept along by the torquey 440 V8 is not hard to do. Seriously, what is the downside? It’s not like anything could ever go wrong with a 50 year old Dodge.
So said my social media post. Finding this Dodge two hours prior brought about the same excited, screaming-with-delight outburst generally attributed to three year-old girls on Christmas morning.
It seems there is a predisposition among a subset of the general population in which viewing a Chrysler C-body elicits strong and instantaneous emotional displays in what are otherwise even-keeled persons.
Fast forward 21 hours and I find myself revisiting this most awesome of Dodges. While the emotional element quickly wore off, the simple grandeur of this Dodge Monaco still shines like a Maine lighthouse on the darkest of nights. Some bright things are simply inextinguishable.
This Dodge has prompted me to daydream about driving it to various far-flung locales. Living in the middle of the United States (and about two hours from the population center of the country, according to the US Census), everything is (mostly) within driving distance for me. Driving all over in this manifestly awesome Dodge would be most amazing.
I’ve toyed with the (perhaps masochistic) thought of acquiring an old car for deeper exploration of this country. Cars from the 1970s would be a great well from which to pull for such an endeavor; disc brakes, widely available air-conditioning, highway friendly gearing, and unapologetic comfort would make for a great automotive companion.
Better, since this Dodge is one of only 6,649 Monaco Custom (which was the mid-range trim) two-doors made for 1974, I could cruise around the Badlands, the Empire State, or Area 51 and likely never see another example. Combine the C-body cars Chrysler introduced for 1974 flopping in the market harder than a 20 pound catfish on the floor of a John-boat along with a half-century of attrition and this prediction isn’t that far-fetched.
I can easily imagine occupying these green brocade seats for hours on end, exploring the Natchez Trace or Blue Ridge Parkways. There are eleven parkways within the National Park Service system, ranging in length from 2.9 miles to 469 miles. This Monaco is well suited to discover each of them.
Sure, these seats could use a good shampooing, but most seats do after 50 years.
Comfort is supreme, especially for long trips. This Monaco does not dodge such features. Sitting here, brainstorming the possibilities, I yearn for the opportunity to sit on this fabulous seat, with the a/c blowing and the cruise control set somewhere north of the posted speed limit, blasting west from Oklahoma City toward the Grand Canyon.
Or, in the fall of the year, looking at leaves in New England, such as along the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire. Really, there’s too many such drives to quickly contemplate; each state has an abundance of scenic byways to complement the national parkways. There is a lot to discover with this Monaco as a traveling companion.
While there is no doubt about the Monaco’s ability to perform in the coddling department, there is another important area to consider. One needs the appropriate drivetrain. Chrysler certainly had that covered, offering remarkably evenly spaced engine displacements for the Monaco. While the base 360 (5.9 liter) V8 was good, and the 400 (6.6 liter) V8 was better, there is no doubt the 440 (7.2 liter) V8 was the best. For my intentions, anyway.
One experience I would love to repeat, and for which a 440 would be well suited, is traversing the Eisenhower Tunnel along I-70 in Colorado. The eastbound approach lanes are at a 7% grade for miles, with the westbound approach being just a smidgeon less, taking one to the highest point (elevation of 11,158 feet) and the longest mountain tunnel on the interstate highway system. Climbing to this tunnel in a 440 powered Dodge sounds like unmitigated nirvana sprinkled with a healthy dose of utopia.
I must not forget to adjust the carburetor for altitude.
Just for giggles, I would then want to point this Monaco toward Los Angeles for more hill climbing; I still need to visit the Petersen Automotive Museum and the Queen Mary in Long Beach. There are three streets in the Los Angeles area having a grade of 32% to 33%, each of which is among the steepest public roads in the country. While much shorter in length it would be amazing fun to give these a go in our green Monaco.
Do we really know what is powering our most alluring Dodge? No, but one can still wish.
All this talk about travel could easily come to a screeching halt upon seeing this dealership sticker. This Monaco was found in Jefferson City and it was purchased, presumably new, in Jefferson City. So has it really traveled very much?
Doing so would have been rather easy. Despite Jefferson City being one of only four state capitals not serviced by an interstate, several prominent highways meander through Jefferson City. Making use of them could take a person to their termini in Texas, Wisconsin, Louisiana, California, and Maryland. There are opportunities to go places quite easily from here.
So let’s just assume our featured Dodge has been places.
This Monaco was anything but traveling when found at an auto repair shop which seems to specialize in iron having life experience. Given the overall appearance of our featured Monaco and its current antique vehicle license plates, I would wager this Dodge is being reintroduced to the highways and byways of the world. This is what prompted this ongoing mental daydream. Even if this mighty green Dodge does but a fraction of what has been imagined, it’s a lucky car with a very fortunate owner.
Found July 2024, Jefferson City, Missouri
Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?
Dodge paraphrased one of my favorite early 70s cars, which isn’t saying that much, but it was better looking than the fuselage.
No doubt Buick served as an influence here. That almost made it into the piece. However, I look at what Chrysler did here and think of it in terms of the 3M company’s tagline – we make good things better. Which is what Chrysler did in the appearance department.
Not only Dodge, but also Plymouth as well. There wasn’t lot of body differences between the C-body Dodge and Plymouth in the 1974 model year compared to the previous year..
While Iacocca usually gets the blame for Plymouth’s serious lack of differentation from Dodge that ultimately resulted in the brand’s demise, it seems like the new, 1974 C-body is where it began. There just isn’t a lot of difference between the two Chrysler division’s big cars, is there?
Nice car,worthy of a cosmetic restoration it will more likely than not, never receive.
I wouldn’t say that especially if you knew the C Body crowd dedicated to saving every C Body. This one is an easy restoration project and if that were for sale it would have made it up in their forum within 48 hours seen by someone. At a decent price it would get picked up by one of the true believers and heck even by me.
I remember when these were new, the car reviews talking about it’s Buick styling.
The “74” Plymouths/Dodges made out “73” Fury look more ungainly.
The fact that all four of those wheel covers (well known for their freedom-seeking ways) remain firmly in place suggest to me that this one has not seen a lot of exercise. I suspect that this one was like all green Dodges of the 1970’s – owned by an old man (with a fedora) who drove it to church, the barbershop and the VFW hall.
Though a lover of large 2 door cars, I will confess that this particular example of the breed left me a little cool. From the time I first saw these, it was clear that all of the styling effort went into the 4 doors and that this 2-door version was not started until about 2 pm on the day the designs were to receive final approval. A 4 door hardtop would be my preference – but then again, it would have been turned into a Blues Brothers cop car by now, so never mind.
I say do it! And if you make it to central Indiana, be sure to stop in because I really want a ride in it.
I suspect you are indeed right about this being old man owned and lightly driven. Its overall presentation, which didn’t convey in pictures, reflected modest usage. Something tells me the grandson or other family member two generations down is the current owner.
Maybe the light usage is what prompted me to think about driving the snot out of it.
While it parked such that a variety of angles were hard to capture, and the lens of my cell phone not being of the highest photographic quality, but the trunk of this car looks to be 35% of its overall length. But I suppose one doesn’t see the trunk when driving…
Old man green, hah. My grandfather had a similar vintage green with green interior and green vinyl top 2 door Dodge, though his was a Dart Swinger. Slant six and not a 440, obviously. I will forever associate that color combo with him. He was born in 1900 and that was his last car.
Our “Swinger” was close in color as well. Some neighbors had a “72” Gran Fury; was this color combo.
Had the “high back” seats though.
What a terrific find, Jason. And what you’ve written has me daydreaming about taking a(nother) road trip.
As I look at the low production number of this particular configuration of ’74 Monaco, I had to keep looking at these pictures to ask myself what, if anything, made this car “less” than a comparable, middle-market Pontiac or Mercury, for example. I know about the oil crisis thing that started in late ’73, but this was a new design. Chrysler’s quality woes of the ’70s hadn’t yet gained the steam that would arrive shortly thereafter with the F-body Volare / Aspen twins (and later with the poor R-body we learned about with Eric703’s excellent post from earlier this week).
While the torquey 440 would make effortlessly pulling up grades and things fun on such a trip, the constant gas station stops and resultantly increased travel times would kill it a litle bit for me. And I can’t imagine what would happen if I happened to run out of fuel in a tunnel like the Eisenhower tunnel on I-70 in Colorado.
Anyway, terrific find, pictures, and writings as always!
Oh, now, Joe, don’t let trivial things like fuel usage ruin a good daydream! Although you are correct and fuel mileage in this thing will be crummy regardless of engine. My 318 powered Dodge slurps gas like an active dog slurps water on a hot day. Nothing about these says fuel economy…
Perhaps the sound of that 440 at full chat will overcome any concern about fuel usage?
Thank you for the compliment. I stumbled upon this thing at that golden time of day, which certainly helped in the picture department.
What?
You mean, you wouldn’t have a bland box of an iPad on wheels? A soul-less economical little 4 cylinder runabout? One that’s as quiet as a whisper, with a little busy background hum, so that your Spotify playlist doesn’t get disturbed?
4 doors, obviously, like literally every other compact SUV out there… Something with that bland swoopy styling, straight out of Korea…
Or, how about that amazing Chinese tech, in a completely silent Chinese electric SUVs? One who’s name is…a number, not a name. The ‘5’, the…’001′, or even the ‘007’?
Yes, what you need is just another boring grey or silver box to ferry you & your junk in silence from A to B.
😉
A long road trip in a car like this – that’s a dream of mine. I’m too practical to actually fulfill that dream, but still… it’s hard not to conjure up the possibilities.
May I suggest one other route? One of the prominent highways that meanders through Jefferson City is US-50, which stretches clear across the continent from Maryland to California. This car’s original dealership happened to be adjacent to US-50 as well. I think a great trip idea would be to drive this classically American car on a non-Interstate clear across the country. Hey, I’ll join you for the ride.
In the meantime, in case you have any questions about whether the Monaco is right for you, the Dodge Boys at Jefferson City Dodge can help you find the answers:
That address is now a Staples. But, Dodge was long a staple of the American automotive industry, so I suppose that fits.
Like you, I would like to make a coast to coast trip using only secondary routes. One would see much, much more.
I’m reading a book right now about a man who (just a few years ago) rode the entire Pony Express route on horseback. I’m thinking that a cross-country trip in this Dodge would be a similar way to see the country, but just with a slightly less archaic mode of transportation.
I highly recommend US 50 for a cross-country road trip. My wife and I did it in December 2005 when our younger son pulled up stakes in Los Angeles. We drove from there up US 395 and US 6 to catch 50 in Ely, Nevada. Then we took 50 east with some strategic detours to our home in central Virginia. (US 250 was the final leg that heads to Charlottesville.)
Here’s a desolate view in western Utah of Sevier Lake next to combined US 6 and 50. There was no water left in the lake, only a salt flat.
Well, now you have me thinking…I’d like to go all of those places! And if I sold my house, I’d have enough money to pay for the gas it would take to do that in this Dodge. That would only leave the problem of figuring out what to do with all of my stuff; but back in the day when I had a Buick that looked a lot like this Dodge, most of my stuff fit into the car. Maybe it’s worth trying that again.
But assuming that you wind up buying the Monaco before I make it to Missouri, let me know when you’re ready to drive the Kancamagus (hurry…it’ll close for the winter a couple of months from now). I’ll follow along behind and give you a lift when the Dodge inevitably breaks down half way through. There’s not much for cell service there at the midpoint (ask me how I know…).
Fun article, Jason! It really does make me want to get out for a roadtrip.
Truly one of my favorites of the 1970s, partly because of the rarity but also because of the styling. Dodge was one of the last makes to offer a true full-size 2-door hardtop (up to 1977). I would love to own a 1975-1977 2-door hardtop Royal Monaco with the hidden headlights and the non-Brougham vinyl roof!
We’ve done loads of road trips in a car like this, to be exact a Midnight Blue ’77 Gran Fury Brougham with 360/727TF we bought used with 60k on it. Surprisingly it got very decent fuel mileage, 14-15 mpg when not pulling a 19′ Starcraft Islander or a 2 horse trailer during our daughter’s equine phase (we were always the only ones not using a p/u or big suv at horse shows). We used it as a daily driver from 1986 to 1995, putting nearly 200k on it.
Prior to the downsized GM B’s in ’77 the Mopar C nobody was considered by many to be the best full-size US car. It was comfortable, handled well for a big car, and very reliable and dependable for all those years we had it. We were sad when it got too rusty and used up to keep. They had some significant refinements over the several Fuselage Cs we’d had before.
We had a ’76 GF with 400 for 1 year right before it, and around 2000 a ’77 Newport with 400, neither of which we kept very long due to clunky Lean Burn, which the ’77 GF didn’t have, and much poorer gas mileage, 10-12 vs 14-15 in everyday use. We also found that the weight difference between the LA and R-B engines was quite noticeable when cornering, the lighter engine making it feel much better in anything but a straight line.
In sum imo these were excellent full-size cars, the last of a dying breed. The R’s were also very nice cars for those who understood their relatively minor foibles, but didn’t have the gravitas, literally, of the C-Body “Formals” as we Mopar people like to call them. I’ll always be a fan of the “Brougham” era Mopars.
There is no gas station at the top of I-70, making any attempt on scaling it a delicate balancing act of using enough throttle to conquer it while in full-throated 440 glory, and the stigma of being that guy in the right lane not able to use all of his Michigan beans while anxiously watching the fuel gauge needle bounce around within an ill-defined 1cm range and concerned that the needle will break the left peg due to the force of repeated impact thereof…And if you do make it over the top, there’s the roller coaster feeling of gaining momentum without much in the way of slowing things down while the likely Montgomery Ward rubber’s 90-aspect sidewalls squirm and make like soggy noodles around the various turns on the way toward the potential unintended loop-de-loop prior to the saving grace of the runaway tuck ramp…
But everything that was going to go wrong with a 50-year old Dodge doubtlessly already has, and thus has been fixed, so you could be assured of a trouble-free trip otherwise. It’s just at the shop to top off the windshield washer tank, one needs the pro version extra-long wand to reach it over the expanse of, uh, crumple-free zone. Or the owner, a young’un, is looking for an explanation for the fuel “economy” – surely it can’t be *that* bad, something must be wrong with it.
Nice imagery for a cool August morning. My Scoutmaster had the 4 door version back in 1974. Same color/vr roof combo. Blew the engine and replaced it with a new Volare. Silver with the vr extensions on the doors. Great memories
Well there is an exact blast from my past, right down to the color. Except ours was the dreaded 1976. As I wrote in the COAL even the 727 went south at a very low mileage. Three redeeming features I remember. Highway cruising was quiet, surprisingly competent in snow and handled fine for what it was.
Would make a dandy road trip car though with a 440. I’d rock it now. Probably would have to put cameras on it for parking. There was a lot of hood and deck to contend with.
Great idea Jason, double parking that thing in front of the Peterson Museum, then driving to the end of the Santa Monica pier would be the icing on the cake.
Perhaps you should drive around the country, carrying various CC’ers for different legs of the journey. I need to get out west at some point to pick up the Focus, I’ll accompany you from Jefferson City to Denver.
I’m bitten with wanderlust too, and I’m going to take my ’66 F100 on a bit of a road trip. Maybe just one long day traversing the Willamette Valley, as that’s sort of our version of the Midwest.
Nice spin on the story. When I was a kid I dreamed of fixing up an old car and hitting the highway, as soon as I was old enough to get a license! I ended up doing most of my back road tripping during my motorcycling days. Good times, I was young and everything was a new discovery and experience.
Certainly it would be an adventure to hit the road in a car like this. A lot of times it was an adventure that people had no choice in embarking upon, as they needed to be somewhere, and a tired car of this vintage was the only available alternative.
Is it more fun taking a trip in a “special” vehicle?
I spent the majority of my family raising years driving minivans on family vacation road trips. It was fun being with the kids and going to new places, even if I wasn’t driving that ’56 Cadillac that I’d dreamed about. I’ve been lucky, I still love to drive, but I need to find some new destinations, I’ve driven most of the back roads in my state. At my age, I am sticking with more modern vehicles.
Looks pretty solid. I’d drive it – 440s sound great, but even 360s are fine.
These vehicles were a dream of a rise for comfort. As for the power, one can look at the VIN through the windshield onto the dash. One of those numbers is for the engine. Unfortunately, I am short of time and cannot research this for you. I used to know it be heart. Great find!
Great article Jason. when I read the articles of other people, it clearly helps my writing, but it also takes me to places in my mind where I would like to be. We are currently restoring a 1978 Thunderbird, diamond jubilee and it is our plan next year to take a long trip in it. And no, I’m not even concerned about the 400-2 ( or 4 barrel as I haven’t made up my mind) getting great mileage.
Fact is we’d love to drive it in the Hot Rod Pro Tour – maybe right behind you and your new found Monaco!
This color is Frost Green Poly, available on all C-bodies & Imperial in ‘74, color code #2629. Over at Plymouth, it was Frost Lime Metallic. I had a ‘74 Plymouth Scamp in this color, white vinyl top, same green interior in all vinyl. 225 slant six, auto, factory A/C. Ran forever, 1974 new to 1992. No rust, no paint fade. Neighborhood tradesman helped his teenage son buy it for school. Last saw it running 2001. Bullet-proof.
It’s probably got the 360 with a Carter 2bbl; I had a ’73 Plymouth Fury III with that setup. A great running car that got decent mileage. Mine was also a 2-door; one of the ones I wish I had kept. That’s a nice one.
I like it!
As I get older, I’ve really learned to appreciate the non-police package 1974-up C-Bodies. The 2-door hardtop Monaco/Fury really does look good in an un-cluttered way. This one definitely follows the rule: ‘All survivors are green”.
I like the road trip idea. Keep the appearance as close to original as reasonably possible.
If I were setting this up (cue the ‘Dave’s Fantasy Road-Trip-Mobile’ music). I’d definitely be sticking a slightly warmed-over 440 under the hood (complete with the plethora of coolers that was part of the A38 police package). Exhaust? Hi-po RB exhaust manifolds of the late 60’s/early 70’s 440 hooked up to a pair of Flowmaster 50-series mufflers (the best-sounding exhaust for a cruiser big block Mopar, IMHO…)
Some steering and suspension upgrades from FFI , along with more modern tires mounted on some 15 x 7 police wheels (with the stock hubcaps attached) would make it a bit more roadworthy.
I’d leave the interior stock (although I have a Grant replica Tuff Wheel that I bought when they first came out in the 2000’s that could be adapted to the steering column with the proper Tuff Wheel steering column cannister)
his would be a blast!
An uncle was a Dodge man all his life, buying a new full-size Dodge every five years or so from 1948 through his death in 2004. I once asked him which one was his favorite, and he surprisingly said his 1974 Monaco Custom, just like the one pictured. He said it was his last “real” Dodge, far better than the St. Regis, Diplomat and Intrepid that came after it. A 2 door hardtop with the 400 V-8, it was a big, effortless cruiser.
Yep ;
For putting on the hard miles without worry about comfort/speed, this is hard to beat .
The AC in these IIRC is pretty easy to put right too, the usual brakes, good quality D or E rated truck tires and a full set of Bilstein gas shocks, probably a good idea by now to refresh every bushing in it with polyurethane, I remember blasting about in these (all four doors) as five year old $150 ~ $400 cars on any low end used car lot .
Skip the borning tunnel, take the old road (? U.S. 50 ?) over, that’s a *much* better drive and well worthy of this beast .
-Nate
I’d rather have a four door one, you could easily make a Bluesmobile replica, just need the push bar and giant speaker
This one is perfectly suited for buying it right away! No questions asked, maybe some price negotiating but finally trailered home if I was closer than 3k miles off the location!