The last American convertible was the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado until the 1982 Chrysler LeBaron brought the wind-in-the-hair back. But what was Chrysler Corporation’s last convertible? For Dodge, it was the 1971 Challenger, but its final full-size convertible was the 1970 Polara. Our Pick of the Day is an elegant example of this C-body. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Hilton, New York. (Click the link to view the listing)
Affectionately known as “Sea-bodies” due to their boat-like size, the 1969 “Fuselage” Chrysler products sought to redefine the great American sedan. Featuring greater curvature in its side window glass and body side panels, Chrysler Corporation designers sought to create a more organic design unit. Insides were roomier too despite the physical size being quite similar to the outgoing 1968.
The lineup was the same as before, with the Polara maintaining the bread-and-butter side of production. Four-door sedan and hardtop, two-door hardtop and convertible, and station wagons played the role. The Polara 500 added sportiness in the form of special trim and bucket seats, while the Monaco added a touch of fancy to the four-door sedan and hardtop, two-door hardtop, and station wagons. Add buckets to the Monaco and it became the Monaco 500. There also was a luxurious Monaco Brougham package.
For 1970, styling resembled the ’69 but was noticeably different, with the hood lengthened by three inches and the deck shortened by four. The same could be said for the taillights, which moved to the bumper. Dodge added the Polara Custom line as a complete mid-line series featuring all the base Polara body styles save the convertible and wagons, while the Polara 500 disappeared. As usual, the Monaco featured its own grille and taillights, with the back-up lights being unique in that they were slotted in the sheet metal bumpering both sides of the trunk lid. As before, all full-size Dodges came with V8 power.
A lot was going on in 1970, including a mild recession, but even more notable was the decline of the sporty car market. Convertibles in particular had been making a downward shift, and Dodge convertibles had never been particularly strong in sales anyway. When the dust settled, only 842 were built for 1970 when Dodge called it a day.
This Dark Green metallic 1970 Dodge Polara convertible is a rare open-air chariot that is powered by the optional 383 two-barrel. Nothing initially fancy inside, as the Polara has the standard vinyl bench seat in green and white convertible top, but the option list has some good stuff including the Light Package (which included fender-mounted indicators), tinted glass, air conditioning, belt moldings, front and rear bumper guards, AM radio, bodyside molding, power steering, and automatic transmission.
With this 1970 Polara convertible, you will have rarity and style on your side. Did we mention it’s affordable too? For $19,995, can you see yourself capturing the rays in this thing?
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
