Just one image for today for this 1969 Chrysler Newport Custom, courtesy of canadiancatgreen at the Cohort. And while I would like a few more shots, one image is good enough to highlight these fuselage wonders. As one vintage review said it, the Newport was ‘quite a lot of car’ (link further below). And in the case of the Custom 4-door, that ‘lot of car’ amounted to 18,401 units for that year. How many survive to this day?
The sales lot should be familiar to some of you, as it has already appeared a few times. If you wish to see a closer view of that yellow Thunderbird in the distance, the links are here and here.
For more on the 1969 Newport:
Curbside Classic: 1969 Chrysler Newport – A Lens Into Time
Vintage Review: 1969 Chrysler Newport – “Quite A Lot Of Car”
If an owner is going to put custom wheels on a Fuselage, a more open ‘airier’ wheel style works better, IMO. On a visually heavy, slab-sided car, it lends a lighter, cleaner look to the overall design.
A four-door Fuselage without a vinyl roof, often come across as a stripped version.
That is a 1971 model – the lack of vent or wing windows is a tell.
Agree that those custom wheels help neutralize the heavy slab sided Fuselage look.
From the Road Test review:
“Spare really can’t be unfastened without climbing into the trunk. If luggage was being carried, the trunk would have to be unloaded first.“
The horror…the horror…
That’s the Little Lot in Edmonton again. Looks pretty solid, I wonder how much it is.
I was wondering about the wheels too. Are they some sort of Mopar 70’s upgraded wheels minus some pieces?
I’d rather take the spare out of this thing than drag the dirty oil covered spare from under my 2015 Caravan.
Speaking of Edmonton…
Growing up back then it seemed as if almost every Newport around that city was a puke green sedan. The one in the picture exactly what I’m talking about.
One of the weird things about the Fuselage cars is how, despite their being a remarkably radical design, in certain paint/wheel/trim combinations they could be almost bland, like this example here, especially true when viewed from the side. The Fuselage was best when it was being outrageous.
Our “73 Fury III” was just a stretched (a bit), somewhat, uglied up rendition of this car.
It could go rather fast though.
To my eyes the Mopar four door and station wagon fuselage models were always more attractive than the two door and convertible models.
It’s true that the two-door fuselage coupe proportions are off, but I’ll take any convertible version any day of the week.
Our family had a 69 wagon with 318 dark green no power steering it drove and felt like a tank . you were always over steering bad on rough curvey roads I thought it was just me but my sister almost rolled one day . always one arm on the arm rest to help stable it ended up in fish tail often one of the worst cars I ever drove
From this angle, the fuselage shape really emphasizes the length of these giant cars and also make the greenhouse, even on this 4-door sedan, look too small for the car. I agree with the comment above that the fuselage wagons and 4-doors look better than the 2-doors, but here, in this less-than-flattering shot, the proportions just appear all wrong.
There are some specific features that do this particular example no favors: vent windows, sedan B-pillars, and a long, stem-to-stern, thin chrome molding.
Later (1971), upper-trim 4-door hardtops without the vent windows and a lower, wider, shorter side molding look way better.
That blue “50’s ride”, at the other end of the lawn got my attention.
I have long thought that these fuselage Mopars work better than most with aggressive wheel/tire upgrades.
Who ever buys this needs a fedora, a pipe & baggy bus driver pants with the belt cinched halfway between waist & armpits!
I could see a mid ’70s union boss, driving this thing.
Had a 70 Chrysler 300.. 2 door with 440 4bbl. Kind of metallic green that had a yellow tint in the sun. Loved that car. Bought in Illinois.. drove to Long Island, then on to California. Great driver… Wife learned to drive it in Japan. Drove from Nagasaki to Yokohama… sold it in Key West.was great car but you’re all correct about the spare tire.
Even with the faults and flaws that have been pointed out about the design and handling of these cars, I would love to have one but finances don’t allow it. To me the comfort and smooth ride are what these cars were about and they had both in spades.
Back in the early ’80s, I had a friend whose folks had a ’73 Imperial, 440 4v. We went for a drive in it one day. It was like a flying carpet-you couldn’t feel the road at all. But, the thing I remember most was watching the gas gauge needle slowly but surely moving to the left, towards the big E. I think he said it only got 8 to 10 MPG. That wouldn’t work with today’s gas prices.