Isn’t it odd how some old cars disappear, then pop up elsewhere later?
I first saw this Polara 4 door sedan at a small used car lot in town last summer. Here’s a photo I shot then:
I was interested enough to send the photo to my Father, with the following email:
Hi Dad,
Are you tired of the overly complex radio controls in your Escape? If so here’s the car for you, for sale in town for less than $10k, an immaculate 1967 Dodge Polara:
The radio is a snap, because it doesn’t have one. Also doesn’t have A/C which is a definite consideration on a day like today.
Have a great one, stay indoors!
Doug
Not surprisingly my father elected to enjoy the air conditioned if somewhat radio challenged comfort of his Ford Escape. The Dodge was at least stored under a tent like shelter but languished on the lot for months. Old unloved cars like this call to me, and I was starting to squirm under the guilt of letting it sit out over the winter when I drove by one day in the fall and it was gone. Great, hopefully it went to a good home.
Almost a year later, here it is again, un-plated and parked beside a detailing/hot rod shop in another part of town. This time I grabbed a better camera and went in for a closer look.
Ah yes, metallic green 4 door sedan with a brown interior.
Someone obviously took very good care of this car for a very long time. There’s evidence of a repaint at some point and curiously a 1968-69 Motorcycle inspection sticker??
Doesn’t that look like about an acre of green? (Hence the term green acres, although I doubt Eva Gabor ever tooled around in one of these). Unfortunately it’s backed pretty hard into the wall so I can’t get a good photo of the rear. These cars have the best angry taillights ever.
Up front things look pretty serious too. I like this better than the 1966 pinched middle grille version. It’s a bit more formal with the vertical bars in the center section. Even though the grille section is linear those arching chrome eyebrows over the headlights and the bumper crease makes it appear flowing.
I backed my Focus hatchback right up to the wall to see if the Polara was longer. Yes it definitely is, a 1967 Polara is 220 inches long and the Focus is 172. That’s four feet (1.2m) of difference!
I was feeling smugly good about myself, having a polarizing filter on my camera but that only took out some of the reflective glare.
Hard to see, but the interior is in very good shape. The owner added a couple of auxilliary gauges in a small panel beside the steering column.
You can really see how the upper section of the car is plunked down on top of the lower section, with this shoulder at the top of the door. This feature disappeared two years later when the fuselage styled Mopars were released.
The 500 was a step up from the base Polara. In the USA the standard engine was the 383 V8 but Canadian cars like this one could get the smaller 8, and even a slant six.
We’ll finish this one up with a Hankook whilewall tire and a Fratzog on the hubcap. Once again we appear to have an old car in good condition, not particularly desirable, seeking a caring long term owner. I hope it can find one this year.
Or maybe it’s just in for a paint buff and detail. Next time I see Green Acres I hope it’s on the road, or in somebody’s driveway.
This brings back great memories. My dad had one, the same interior but the Mopar bronze colour that was popular at the time. I was eleven when he got it so I was at the age where cars were becoming something to think of actually driving rather than “just a car”.
Thanks DougD.
Nice car, but not for $10,000 or anything even close.
I thought 2500. Maybe.
It’s worth more than that because it’s located in the salt belt near Toronto. Very rare to find an unrestored old car here that doesn’t need loads of expensive bodywork. Don’t ask me how I know 🙁
Certainly being a green 4-door doesn’t help with the collector value, but if I was in the market for another old car I would happily pay $8k for this if the mechanicals were good.
The Dodges were my least favorite of the big Mopars, but this one is a survivor, with some unusual deletes. No A/C I can understand, but no radio?
What’s most stunning, to me, are the shape of those seats. They have to be OEM with that pattern and the condition is simply unbelievable, like they just left the factory. I would imagine it’s some sort of estate sale car that was garage kept and rarely driven its entire lifetime.
And the asking price of $10k when it was for sale isn’t all that bad, either, if one considers that’s CDN dollars. This would be a terrific car show entrant and a very nice counterpoint to all the typical, pristine muscle Mustangs, Camaros, Chevelles, etc. that are the usual fare. It’s certainly one that I’d be attracted to.
I believe c bodies of this era didn’t come with a radio as standard so it’s not truly a radio delete. The original buyer just didn’t get the optional radio,
Isn’t $10k in Canada about $6500 south of the border? Okay, that’s a bad attempt at humor as I have no reason to know the exchange rate these days.
The green is doing no favors to an otherwise great car. Where I grew up the county sheriff, Mr Buddy Mitchell, had two ‘67 Polara sedans during the mid to late 1980s, both red.
Doug, isn’t your daughter driving now???
Actual exchange rate is $7423.35 per our dear friend Google.
It really is a shame that more folks don’t understand the simple joy of ownership of such a beast. There will probably be no other one at any cars and coffee and probably more folks will walk up and strike up a conversation over this car than any run-of-the-mill muscle car at the show. And no pampering required!
You’ve nailed it. As one who still owns a ’60s era four-door dinosaur, there is very little stress if something scratches it and people will readily talk to you about the car – likely because anyone who is driving such a car is obviously more down to earth than the owner of an immaculate, restored two-door version of the same car.
In a weird way, this green is rather endearing in its own way. It definitely sets the mood for its time period.
Nice shots, even on an overcast day. What other kind of weather is there?
This car is in great shape. Near Mac I see.
There’s also rain, and not so long ago there was snow too… 🙂
I’m gonna have to disagree. I think the front end of this car looks too fussy. The 66 Polara/Monaco was a much prettier design. I also might be biased, my dad has a 66 Monaco 500 when i was growing up.
The 66 is a very nice design. A friend had one of these. The grille was called a ‘barbell’ design.
I always thought how Chrysler flip-flopped the barbell grille design between Dodge and Plymouth was really goofy. Most times, Plymouth got it, but there were other occasions when it was a Dodge that got ‘the barbell’. Maybe it was a by-product of trying to ape a particular GM design, and that’s when the overlap occurred.
With that said, the ’66 Polara certainly has its appeal, too. The ’67 grille is a little ‘busy’ but it has cooler taillights.
Pre KIA?
I think the colors in and out suit it perfectly. In the early 90s our landlord had one very similar and the same color. It had a real presence and was a rolling snapshot of another era. I wanted to buy it from him but he didn’t want to sell it. I don’t think it was worth real money then though. It don’t know the real market value of the featured car but I’d pay $5000. It would be one of a kind here in Northwest Indiana. Anything other than a first gen Camaro, which I like but are all there is at car meets.
It is a good looking car.
I agree that the front end on this year is very attractive, and the taillights are one of the best. There is a simplicity in the entire design that makes the big car look very purposeful. It was designed at a time when modern fashion was focused on new textiles and colors, not shapes.
It probably gets pretty frightening gas mileage. It is a large heavy car with an engine created before fuel efficiency was considered a higher priority than power. It probably rides like a paddle wheeler and corners like bumper car.
That said, I like it. This was meant to cruise on an autumn day catching the sunset at North Bay.
+1 on having the best angry tailights. Had a 66. Maybe better looking, but not nearly as outrageous front or back. Floodlit instrument panel was new for 67 and looked really cool at night.
I liked the look of these. Trying to figure out the Pennsylvania MOTORCYCLE inspection…
By gum, you’re right. I had assumed it was an Ontario sticker, didn’t notice the bell and keystone until now.
Hmmm… that sticker really puzzles me. It has a Keystone and the Liberty Bell, but it’s not the Pennsylvania coat of arms, which has stallions (not deer) holding up the design, and has a ship & eagle in the center. Maybe it’s from a city or county in PA?
I know this isn’t exactly central to the Green Acres / Polara discussion, but I’m awfully curious about how this came to be.
I grew up with a 68 Polara (Copper-tan metallic). I think the 68’s are a little cleaner looking than the 67’s. Although I prefer the 67 Furies to the 68’s. Nice comfortable car. WIth the 318 ours would run 15.5 to 17 mpg all day at 75 mph. As I remember that was a couple better than anything else in its class. Pretty good considering the aerodynamics of the car (or lack thereof). The big Mopars of the era were very formal looking.
One of my cousins had a 67 Sport Fury he was selling for $600 in 76, I wasn’t old enough to drive yet, but was close. I BEGGED my dad to buy it for me, but it wasn’t gonna happen. NOW that car is worth some serious cash, but if I hit the lottery 🤣 it’ll be one that I’ll but for sure.
Oh my, I’m in love. I spent close to six years in the 80s and 90s with a 66 Fury III and a 68 Newport Custom as my DDs. A 67 Polara 500 would complete the set rather nicely.
I laughed at the odd color combo as it is the opposite of my 68 Chrysler which was hearing-aid beige with green interior. Then I looked it up and saw that green was not one of the interior choices in 67, so the owner apparently wanted something other than black or off-white.
I will join you in preferring the 67 to the 66. One really odd thing about these Dodges is that it was the only one of the C body cars to have a major change in its dash layout from 67 to 68. The 67 setup is much better.
Good old Chrysler, as usual, marching to the beat of a different drummer. I’ve read that one of the most expensive things to change on a car is the dash. And here we have Chrysler doing it for a one-year only change.
It looks to me that the general dash was the same except for the completely redesigned gauge area, which in 1967 used a toned-down echo of the wild 66-67 dual-barrel dash, but changed to a much more generic horizontal speedometer in 1968. The bigger surprise for me is that the Canadian ’67 uses the same dash as the American version – didn’t the 65-66 full-size Dodges use Plymouth dashboards in Canada?
These cars had a great sneak circuit so you could play the radio with a key in the ignition. Put on the flashers, move the turn signal stalk either up or down, and step on the brake. Radio would play, but pulse in rhythm with the flasher.
I meant to say “without” a key in the ignition.
Don’t be so sure; it does appear to have a pernandle.
I used to have a similar car (‘67 Monaco). The taillights were fantastic!
In all her glory…
Ooooh, Turbine Bronze on a 4 door hardtop FTW!
David your car looked great! First time I’ve gotten to see the any tail lights. 👍👍👍
Looks great to me, even in underwhelming green. If I lived in a warm and dry (though not hot) state, this is the sort of car I’d drive, at least at the weekend.
Nice find, hope it finds a home.
As dougD said, here in the great while salted North a sedan in this condition is very rare indeed. I have a cousin who a couple times has bought sedans like this and used them as daily drivers.
His point of view is that $10000 doesn’t even buy a new economy car these days, and and if you keep the body rustproofed and clean it will last just about as long and be a lot more fun. His last one was a 74 Dodge sedan that he got 5 or 6 years out of.
Beautiful, full stop.
This appears to be a Canada-only model, as the references I have list the Polara 500 being available only as a 2-door hardtop or convertible in the U.S.
Polara 500 in the U.S. was only offered as a coupe or convertible in the U.S. and had a sporty bucket seat interior with either a console or cushion and armrest between the seats And the regular Polara series did offer a 4-door sedan with the smaller 318 V8 while all other models had the 383 as base.
These may be my favorite MOPAR taillights ever!
I’ve always had a soft spot for these and have said so many times here.
This is also one of the few cars I prefer as a 4-door.
I like it but these must have looked quite dated when they were new, looking more like the square-cut early-’60s Ford or GM designs than what was current in ’67/’68.
I love it. A year older than me, but way better preserved, as most things are. (And, being an Aussie, the 4-door thing ain’t no thing at all, even at $10,000 CAD, which is currently $10,600 AUD!)
I have to ask: a nice old barge in quite lovely condition, why has someone parked it firmly AGAINST the wall? And, unless it was sheer embarrassment, why have they left it to scrape down again when they get back in and leave?
It is so retro; it’s beyond cool. Wish I had a place to put it. Sooooo long!
Only the 2-door hardtop looks worse. I just cannot warm up to the ’67 Polara style. A buddy in high school had one, ex-CHP with the 440 and repainted by the state in a similar turquoise. Dog dish hubcaps, white steering wheel and spotlights still gave it away as not an old folks car. His dad bought it at auction because he wanted his son in a “big, safe car”.
Hey I happen to have a 67 Polara admittedly not in great shape and since I see your passion for these Oddball cars I was wondering if you or anyone here may be able to help me get my baby back to that level of stunning beauty
Thanks for featuring these unsung old sedans. When I go to car show events I’m always drawn to the well kept originals no matter what it is. Something magical about someone caring for their old car regardless of its lack of broad appeal. I was recently able to purchase a one family owned original 67 Monaco post sedan with the Canadian base slant six engine. The car is an absolute time warp and looks like a 3 year old car inside and out. It will never have a high value but it can be enjoyed and will draw a crowd at the shows. It’s not a go fast type car but the leaning tower of power is sufficient especially on relatively level rural 50 MPH roads here in southern Ontario.