Vintage M/T Review: 1965 Dodge Monaco – “As Rugged As It Is Rich”

 

From the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, the Dodge Monaco was the senior trim series of the full-size Dodge line, but the original 1965 Monaco was a hardtop-only personal luxury model, Dodge’s short-lived attempt to take on the Pontiac Grand Prix. Here’s what Motor Trend had to say about the car Dodge marketed as being “as rugged as it is rich.”

After the chaos of the 1962 downsizing, order returned to Dodge Division in 1965: Instead of an an uneasy mixture of downsized “full-size” Dodge models and a big Chrysler Newport with a Dodge front clip, there were now clearly delineated, orthodox intermediate (B-body) and full-size (C-body models, with crisp new styling largely free of the eccentricities of the late Virgil Exner era. The C-body lines returned the existing Polara and Custom 880 model names, but there was also a new senior series, called Monaco, offered only as a well-trimmed two-door hardtop.

 

The 1965 C-body Dodge line was designed in early 1963, and the Monaco was strongly influenced by the 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix. Many of the Dodge designers’ ideas for distinguishing the Monaco stylistically were shot down for budget reasons, but the Monaco did have a clean look, with mostly de-chromed flanks and a new rear treatment with the model name on a die-cast horizontal bar floating on a red plastic background, intended to suggest full-width taillights. It also had a well-appointed buckets-and-console interior.

Motor Trend tested a 1965 Monaco in April 1965:

Editor John Ethridge suggested that the Monaco was “the first time Dodge has had a car to compete directly with the Grand Prix, Riviera, and Thunderbird.” While the Monaco was definitely aimed at the Grand Prix, it was really just a better-trimmed Polara/Custom 880 hardtop, so comparing it to luxury specialty cars like the Riviera and T-Bird (which were significantly more expensive) was a reach. Dodge dealer literature suggested other, more likely rivals, including not only the $148 more expensive Grand Prix, but also the Oldsmobile Jetstar I, Buick Wildcat, and Chrysler 300.

 

The latter raises an interesting point about the positioning of the Monaco. With a base price of $3,355, it was $196 cheaper than the Chrysler 300, but a rather hefty $285 more than a Chrysler Newport two-door hardtop, and $395 more than a Plymouth Sport Fury hardtop.

Some of this road test’s more useful driving impressions are in the photo captions. The caption of the top left image says, “Whether on country lanes or expressways, the Monaco had a quiet responsiveness that made it a pleasant companion. Ride was soft, but car had no tendency to pitch or roll.” The second caption reads, “This is an example of the controllability of the Monaco’s brakes. We have just entered the pylons, and yet all four tires, though still rotating, are emitting smoke.”

 

Like other 1965 C-body Dodge models, the Monaco rode a 121-inch wheelbase; it was 212.3 inches long, 79 inches wide, and 55.7 inches high. Motor Trend listed the curb weight as 4,280 lb, which sounds right for their test car: It didn’t have have air conditioning, but it had the 413 engine, TorqueFlite, power windows, a power seat, Auto Pilot (cruise control), and a radio.

The U.S. Monaco came standard with the four-barrel 383, with 315 gross horsepower; that’s also the engine in the tan car in the color photos. Motor Trend‘s test car had the first optional engine, the four-barrel 413. This wasn’t one of the hot “Max Wedge” engines, just a regular RB block with a single Carter AFB, rated at 340 gross horsepower. The bigger 426 wedge engine was optional, with 365 gross horsepower, but the 426 Hemi wasn’t offered on the Monaco this year. Canadian Monacos were also available with the 225 Slant Six (although very few were ordered) or the 318. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the 383 (or the smaller engines on Canadian cars), with a four-speed manual optional on the 383 and theoretically standard with the 426 (though curiously not the 413), but I assume nearly every Monaco built for 1965 had TorqueFlite; according to Automotive Industries, just 0.6 percent of 1965 C-body Dodge models had four-speeds.

 

Motor Trend reported stopping distances of 32.7 feet from 30 mph and 161.6 feet from 60 mph, which they allowed were “quite short for a car of this weight.” I think that was overly generous, but they did find that brake balance was “near perfect,” so if you couldn’t stop very quickly, you could nonetheless stop in a straight line.

 

A 4,280 lb car with a 413 cu. in. engine was not anyone’s idea of an economy car even in 1965, and MT managed no better than 11.9 mpg even in freeway driving, dipping to just 9.7 mpg around town.

The caption of the photo at the top of the above page notes that the test car had a Sure Grip limited-slip differential, which “allowed fast starts with minimal wheelspin,” while the 8.55-14 tires “got good bite on most surfaces.” Incidentally, while Ethridge said the test Monaco’s 3.23 axle was the only one available, the specifications say otherwise, indicating that a 2.76 axle was standard with the 413 and optional with the 383.

 

In the main text, Ethridge asserted that the Monaco’s acceleration times were “very near what you might expect of a performance car.” Their figures make for an interesting comparison with the 1965 Pontiac Bonneville four-door hardtop Car Life tested a few months later: The 413 Monaco was significantly quicker than the 389 Bonneville at legal speeds (0 to 60 mph in 8.4 seconds, compared to 8.8 seconds for the Pontiac), probably due in part to its shorter 3.23 axle ratio. However, at higher speeds, the Pontiac was decisively quicker, running the quarter mile in 16.6 seconds at 82 mph, where the Monaco managed only 17.9 seconds at 78 mph. Since the Bonneville was almost 100 lb heavier than the Dodge, it seems the mild 413 engine wasn’t as powerful in this application.

 

Ethridge spent some time running down the Monaco’s equipment and appointments. While Dodge had been reluctant to spend money distinguishing the exterior of the Monaco, the division had put a decent amount of money into the well-appointed interior, which had bucket seats, a center console, and a choice of “saddle-grain” vinyl or “Dawson pattern” cloth upholstery.

 

The front end of the console had space for a tachometer, but this was an extra-cost option. Without it, you got a placeholder gewgaw:

 

Motor Trend suggested that the Monaco could carry five passengers “for medium distances,” but the full-length console (which included a rear ashtray and lighter) and divided rear seat, with a noticeable gap between the cushions, didn’t make the back very habitable for a center passenger. Seat belts were standard, however.

 

The Canadian Monaco lacked most of these appointments, using Plymouth Fury dashboards and interior trim that made them less special than the U.S. cars.

The caption of the upper left photo reads, “There’s a fair amount of roll under really hard cornering, but suspension travel isn’t used up; control’s maintained.” Chrysler Corporation standard suspensions kept getting softer throughout the ’60s. The 1965 full-size Dodge was no stiffer than a full-size Ford Galaxie or Chevrolet Impala except with the 426 engines (which included firmer suspensions), although the Monaco was reasonably well-damped.

 

Rattan wicker trim on the doors and rear quarter panels was part of the Monaco trim package, but only cars with vinyl upholstery had wicker trim on the front seat backs.

 

Motor Trend thought this “brings to mind custom bodies that were once built of the same material,” but while it’s an interesting look, it strikes me as rather impractical for an automotive interior, especially for owners with small children. Motor Trend also noted that the perforated vinyl headliner was easily scratched.

The caption of the top photo reads, “Adequate ground clearance plus well designed suspension and shock system keep Monaco from bottoming on high-speed dips.”

 

Although the data panel lists an observed top speed of only 103 mph (at 4,000 rpm), the text on the second page explained that this was just their top test speed, remarking, “We ran out of room on the Fontana Drag Strip when we reached 103 mph. But the rate at which the speedometer was still climbing left no doubt that this car, given enough room, would easily top 120 mph.”

Ethridge concluded:

[A] personal/prestige car should have a stylish, pleasing appearance that sets it apart from ordinary cars. We realize any comment we make can only reflect our personal taste, but we like the looks of the Monaco. It’s somewhat more subdued than some of its competitors, but it stands up well under close examination.

When you add everything together, there can be little doubt that the Monaco’s made the grade, and the Dodge people have done what they set out to do. They have their contender in the personal-car class.

The styling of the Monaco was pleasing, if you liked mid-’60s Chrysler products, but there wasn’t really that much to set it apart from ordinary cars, even in the full-size Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler lines. You could order the bucket seats and console on a Polara hardtop for much cheaper, and buyers who could afford a Monaco could probably also afford a Chrysler 300.

Consequently, the Monaco didn’t make much impression in the personal luxury class. Dodge sold only 13,096 Monacos in the U.S. (and an additional 2,068 in Canada). This partly reflected the weak market position of the full-size Dodge line, which sold only 134,771 units for 1965, about one-quarter of Dodge Division’s total passenger car volume.

 

Dodge management seemed to immediately lose confidence in the idea of the Monaco as a personal luxury model. Soon after this issue of Motor Trend hit newsstands, Dodge decided to apply the Monaco name to a full line for 1966, essentially replacing the Custom 880 series. The buckets-and-console Monaco remained in the lineup for 1966 as the Monaco 500, still offered only as a two-door hardtop, but there was even less to distinguish it from its cheaper brethren. (Dodge chief designer Bill Brownlie had rejected the idea of adopting the roofline from the Chrysler 300 hardtop, which would have given the Monaco 500 a more distinctive look.) Monaco 500 sales slipped to 7,332 units for 1966. The 1967 restyling didn’t help: Production slid further to 5,327 for 1967 and 4,568 for 1968, after which the 500 was demoted to option status.

All this strikes me as self-defeating. Chrysler seemed to flub almost every opportunity to get in on profitable market trends, with a frustrating tendency to be perpetually two steps (and at least two years) behind the beat, often compounded by senseless internecine competition.

 

As with other sporty full-size models of this era, the 1965 Monaco probably has more appeal now than it did when it was new: It has the features modern collectors like (bucket seats, big engines), its commonality with other contemporary Chrysler products means the mechanical stuff is easy to source, and the styling has aged well. It’s not a Grand Prix, but as runners up go, it’s not half bad.

Related Reading

Curbside Classic: 1966 Dodge Monaco 500 – A First Love Song In C Major (by Paul N)
Curbside Classic: 1965 Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible – If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em (by Mike Butts)
Cohort Classic: 1967 Dodge Polara – Substance Over Style (by Perry Shoar)
CCOTY Nomination: 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix (by Kevin Martin)