This vintage driveway image seems to tell two stories of woodgrain apliqué; the popular and the obscure one. The popular being the ’72 LTD wagon, carrying the woodgrain finish that became synonymous with wagons. Not all had them, but you almost expected them to do so.
Then, upfront, an obscure offering. A ’68 Newport Convertible, with the “Sportsgrain” option –Chrysler’s term for woodgrain on the model. The white droptop in the image is just one of 175 sold as such.
It’s all part of a mostly forgotten chapter of woodgrain appliqués on coupes and convertibles in the late ’60s. I won’t blame Chrysler (or Mercury) for trying, as trim options had done wonders through that decade; and on wagons, woodgrain was a hot thing. Could it do the same magic elsewhere?
In the case of Chrysler, the option became available for their ’68 Newport Hardtops and Convertibles. Total production of “Sportsgrain” Newports was 1,140; with 975 being hardtops and 175 droptops. While low numbers, the feature was still offered in ’69 before being dropped for good. It’s a story told at CC before.
The Town & Country, in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Even if short-lived, Chrysler would curiously revisit the woody convertible idea during the droptop revival of the 1980s. The ’83-’86 LeBaron Town & Country didn’t sell that great either, but at least found its way into -dubious- pop culture stardom.
But lest not forget, that before that 1980s Town & Country, there was the “Sporstgrain”. Here one more time with the top down, a last view of this unusual offering.
Related CC reading:
The Most Obscure Special Editions And Forgotten Limited-Run Models: Mopar Edition, Part II
I’m surprised they only sold 175 woody converts.
I’m sure the price of the Sportsgrain option had something to do with it. $126 seems like a pittance today, but back in 1968, it was quite a chunk of change for a styling affectation of dubious value.
If memory serves me (and at my age its getting hazy) I believe Mercury had a wood grained Park Lane convertible in `68. A unicorn to be sure, but a nice one.
It appears that the Mercury Park Lane convertible was, indeed, available with ‘Yacht-Deck’ paneling in 1967-68. So, yeah, the 1968-69 Newport’s ‘Sportsgrain’ convertible definitely seems like Chrysler’s response. But it looks like the earlier Mercury didn’t sell any better than the Chrysler version, and neither lasted very long.
I guess I can sort of understand the effort since the Ford Country Squire and Mercury Colony Park station wagons with Dy-Noc wood paneling did sell okay for quite a few years.
Love that ‘69 LTD photobombing the last shot.