Interesting Car: 1961 Dodge D-500 - UPDATE!!

[JamesR]

I'm leaving my original post text and link as is in the quote box below, but it seems that this car may not be what it was presented as in the moparts.org site. I'm pretty sure they didn't want to misrepresent the car, but the car is alleged to have had homebuilt origins. (See the thread below.) I don't know what to make of it at this point. The person challenging the moparts story about this car hasn't provided a link, but has provided the text of an article from forwardlook.net. Kind of halfway between hearsay and proof, at this point. Make up your own minds. 

 

As I say in the thread, it isn't my intent to research this car. I just provided a link to an interesting article about an interesting car. Don't want forum members to be mislead, though.

 

 

 

Quote

 

I thought this car and article might be of interest to Mopar fans and many others. I found it while browsing the net for info on a different '61 Dodge in the for-sale "not mine" section.  A fair bit of attention is given to cars made specifically for the Canadian, Australian and South American market, but not much to American cars made for the Mexican market. (Don't know if this car was made in whole or part in Mexico or not.) The front end is notable, of course. I've never been a fan of either the Dodge or Plymouth of this year, but both of them put together like this is kind of appealing to me, for some reason. The article also highlights the D-500 performance option, which I was unaware of  until 58L-Y8 and the 55er mentioned it an the other for-sale thread.

 

 

 

 

1961 DODGE Super D/500

Edited July 7, 2021 by JamesR (see edit history)

[8E45E]

Yes, non-USA variants and deviations are most interesting.  I have seen photos of an Australian 1967 Dodge Phoenix, which is essentially 'our' 1966 full-size Plymouth.   I believe the South African market had some DeSotos assembled and sold there, post-1961.

 

Craig

[Fossil]

I'm not a fan of the 61's but the styling and color combination of this is one makes it very desirable. The roof line in particular. 

[61polara]

Do more research.  This car has been proven to be a modern creation.

[JamesR]

4 hours ago, 61polara said:

Do more research.  This car has been proven to be a modern creation.

 

No...I'm linking to an article that I saw while browsing for info on the D-500, not doing research on this car.

 

If you know something that would shed some light on this car, tell us about it and provide a link. I certainly don't want forum members to be misinformed.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

5 hours ago, 61polara said:

Do more research.  This car has been proven to be a modern creation.

More info please.

[JACK M]

That is one cool car.

[61polara]

From the forwardlook.net

 

"Yes, it is a Garlick special. The Plymouth front end end was put on the car after Garlick purchased it, as well as the Plymouth 'spare tire', all the rear trim, the engine, the interior door panels and the bulk of the options.

Sadly, Garlick tried to pass it off as one of three built in Canada for Mexico, even though the VIN clearly showed the car was built in Detroit. Unfortunately for Mr. Garlick, grand total production of 1961 Dodge Polara models in Canada was ZERO. He also claimed most of the 1961 Dodge Polara models built were destroyed by Chrysler as Dodge dealers refused to accept delivery of them.

Other little tidbits was the claim he and his "experts" had no idea where the front interior door panels came as well as the extra trim around the headlamps. Both were production Plymouth items. To pass off this nonsense as an April Fool's joke is one thing, but to use it as material to sell the car and to get car mags to publish articles on it, was another thing entirely.

It also turned out Garlick had obtained the build record for the car. Again, the build record confirmed the car was built in Detroit, and was shipped to a dealer in Pennsylvania. No mention of Mexico or Canada anywhere on the card.

I was astonished at how many people bought into Garlick's story. A perfect example of why the "Never say never" line is just asking for trouble."
 

[61polara]

More info from the frorwardlook.net

 

"The story of Paul Garlick and this "Dodge" was covered in some detail a couple of years ago on this forum. The story you quote was NOT the one he presented at that time. It has been cleaned up some, but still contains the lie about the car being destined for Mexico, when in fact he has the build record which shows the car destined for somewhere in Pennsylvania. By the way, Chrysler Mexico assembled CKD units from Detroit. The import duties on fully assembled cars were far more than the duties on the parts to assemble cars.

I like the line, "At first glance, the body rear end section resembles the upscale ’61 Dodge Polara. A “Polara” emblem or identification was not used." The rear end IS a Polara, as the car is a Polara with a Plymouth nose. No Polara ID on the rear as the Polara nameplate was put on the FRONT fenders. Also, the stuff about the design being retrieved from a trash can is nonsense. I have seen photos of 1961 Dodge clays, and those rear fenders go back a ways and were even on an early clay that had a semi-fastback roof line.

If the wheels were true Chrysler options, by the way, they would be Motor Wheel, not Kelsey-Hayes. Also, Canadian 1961 Plymouths and Dodge Darts used the Plymouth instrument panel with DART interiors, not Plymouth.

When this car first came to light, "Hemmings Classic Car" was making inquiries about this car, trying to verfiy the various claims. Needless to say, more than a few Mopar fanatics wrote to HCC and set the record straight. HCC were miffed they had spent over a thousand dollars in photos, etc., but glad they were able to pull the plug on the project before it was too late.

Mopar Collectors Guide, however, was not so lucky. They did publish an article on the car and got slaughtered!

Why do people make up such nonsense and then try to pass it off as truth? The truth will out and when it does, it only makes everything the story teller says questionable.

In this case, Garlick converted a 1961 Polara 2-door hardtop. Replacing the front clip is an easy feat. The doors of the Polara 2-door hardtop were on the 2-door hardtop models of 1960-61 Plymouths, 1960-61 Dodge Darts, 1960-61 Dodge Polaras, 1960 Dodge Matadors, 1962 Chryslers and 1962-64 Dodge Custom 880. The 1962-64 front clips will not fit the 1960-61 cowl as Chrysler made some changes. They almost fit.

There is a fellow on the web with a yellow 1961 Dodge Polara hardtop to which he has attached the nose from a 1961 Chrysler Newport.

So, take Garlick's story for what it is - a fairy tale. If you do spread the story about the car, just make sure you state that it is only a fairy tale."

[61polara]

Again from the forwardlook.net

"Going back to Paul Garlick's car, for a moment; Hemmings Classic cars said that it had invested over TWO thousand dollars
in preparing to publish the Garlickmobile in its pages, and one person, in particular, over on our website's Daily List Server
(not me) gets credit for busting Paul's efforts, with HCC, at the very-last minute, to get some legitimacy for this thing.

I met Paul, in 1987, at a MoPar show in Fountain Hills, AZ, and Paul is a very friendly person; he was just, then, completing
his 'renovation' of his having taken a white/blue 61 Polara 361 convertible, and creating a 383 red/red "D500" out of it, with its
back-story, then, of ("possibly"-) having been owned by a 'manager' of Marilyn Monroe.

The story on the car's ownership eventually morphed into its having been "owned" by M.M. , with the car eventually acquiring
15" wire wheels, and reportedly touring the country along with John Lennon's Bentley, in a "Cars of the Stars" production.

Paul definitely knows and loves his 61 Dodges, and his work-execution is at least the equal of any Swede (high praise).

I personally love his hot rod, with the exception of its Toilet Seat deck lid, and I'm not real 'wild' about its dual antennae,
but, maybe they'd look OK without the rear deck 'treatment'."

 

[Guest]

For a completely fabricated story and a "created" model, I have to say he ended up doing a pretty darn good job.  

In short, whether the car was factory built or not, it looks sensational.  This guys eye for detail, line and color choice was exceptionally good. 

I've spent many years in "Corvette world" where fake, fantasy and fiction abound.  Most are readily recognizable as such, to those in the know, but once in a blue moon I come across one that looks good enough and the story is interesting enough that I can appreciate a well thought out lie almost as much as the truth. 

 

[Fossil]

Best looking lie I've ever seen bar none. 

 

[John348]

1 hour ago, GregLaR said:

 

I've spent many years in "Corvette world" where fake, fantasy and fiction abound. 

 

 a place for grown men to tell lies about their cars, 

[JamesR]

Many thanks to 61Polara for the update on - and another side of the story about - this car. An impressive car, too bad it might be shrouded in deception. I wish there had been a link that he could've provided, but in trying to search the forwardlook.net site myself, I encountered some tech roadblocks, so that may be the issue.

 

I'll edit my original post to reflect this information.

Edited July 7, 2021 by JamesR (see edit history)

[JamesR]

1 hour ago, Fossil said:

Best looking lie I've ever seen bar none. 

 

 

Whatever the truth about it may be, you have to wonder why Mopar couldn't have come up with something like this for the American market.  Even if you don't go for the look, the swooping lines and trim of the front end are very consistent with the swooping lines and trim of the back end...something that the Dodge and Plymouth of that year didn't do as well as this car does, IMO. 

[8E45E]

9 hours ago, 61polara said:

Sadly, Garlick tried to pass it off as one of three built in Canada for Mexico, even though the VIN clearly showed the car was built in Detroit. Unfortunately for Mr. Garlick, grand total production of 1961 Dodge Polara models in Canada was ZERO. He also claimed most of the 1961 Dodge Polara models built were destroyed by Chrysler as Dodge dealers refused to accept delivery of them.

He was obviously trying to capitalize on Chrysler's oddball non-USA market trim and deviations and catch the uninformed off-guard with this particular car. The obvious lie is the above about cars being 'returned to Chrysler and destroyed'.  Not to mention, I do not recall ANY Chrysler dealer refusing delivery of a car or truck.

 

Craig  

[TAKerry]

Pretty decent looking car. Do you suppose the whole nonsense story thing actually adds value to the car? I would imagine in Dodge circles its somewhat a well known vehicle by now.

[58L-Y8]

Swap the correct 1961 Polara parts onto the car, then it would actually be special since the 1961 D-500 versions are virtually extinct.  Even if it is a recreation.

 

"In this case, Garlick converted a 1961 Polara 2-door hardtop. Replacing the front clip is an easy feat. The doors of the Polara 2-door hardtop were on the 2-door hardtop models of 1960-61 Plymouths, 1960-61 Dodge Darts, 1960-61 Dodge Polaras, 1960 Dodge Matadors, 1962 Chryslers and 1962-64 Dodge Custom 880. The 1962-64 front clips will not fit the 1960-61 cowl as Chrysler made some changes. They almost fit."

 

So. Going by the 1962 Dodge Custom 880, a 1961 front clip with mount on a 1962 cowl but not the reverse?

Edited July 7, 2021 by 58L-Y8
Front clip fitting question (see edit history)

[Mark Huston]

Interesting story attached to this car.  However, the story should have no place on a show field for judging. Where would a car like this get placed at an AACA judging event?

[TAKerry]

3 hours ago, Mark Huston said:

Interesting story attached to this car.  However, the story should have no place on a show field for judging. Where would a car like this get placed at an AACA judging event?

From my understanding of the rules, this car would not be allowed to be judged. Seems to be a home built, one off custom. Please correct me if Im wrong, and I can start to show one of my cars.

[joe_padavano]

4 hours ago, Mark Huston said:

 Where would a car like this get placed at an AACA judging event?

 

Spectator parking.

[George Smolinski]

4 minutes ago, joe_padavano said:

 

Spectator parking.

Even there, it may get more interest than the event cars, maybe not the REAL old guys but the ones who grew up in the 60's.

[JamesR]

The unfortunate thing about this car and article is if you google search images for "1961 Dodge D-500" it's one of the first images to come up. That's how I came across it. On the other hand, google results for claiming the car is a fabrication seem hard to come by, based on my very limited efforts. Here's a link to a forwardlook.net conversation about it.

 

Re: [FWDLK] 1961 Plodge story

 

The text that 61polara provided was from a forum conversation, but it looks like more than one person is in agreement about the car being misrepresented, so that certainly lends credence to the allegation.

[Guest]

Self ordained celebrity (or infamy).

The car, whether good or bad, now has a permanent place in automotive history.

Maybe it would make more sense if it were purchased by Paris Hilton or one of the Kardashians  ....notoriety for the sake of notoriety. 

 

[John348]

12 hours ago, Mark Huston said:

Interesting story attached to this car.  However, the story should have no place on a show field for judging. Where would a car like this get placed at an AACA judging event?

 

That is an interesting question. how many people really would know? I have seen several 1959-60 El Camino's with Impala Trim and Interiors with Senior Ovals and even know a friend of mine who paid good money for one because he was 'told' the Impala trim was and option. The quality of the restoration on the Dodge is done so well it would hardly draw a question because it looks so genuine. Chrysler products of that era are seldom ever seen.

 

3 hours ago, GregLaR said:

one of the Kardashians  ....notoriety for the sake of notoriety. 

 

 

The Kardashians... speaking about parts that did not come from the factory great example! 

[JACK M]

18 hours ago, GregLaR said:

....notoriety for the sake of notoriety.

 

Yes, Famous for being famous.

 

18 hours ago, GregLaR said:

now has a permanent place in automotive history.

 

[Porsche 68]

It is quite sexy though.

[Ed Luddy]

Growing up in Canada in the 60's Plodge's were the normal cars to see. Usually the base model sedans, usually rusty by the latter half of the decade, but none ever as pretty as this subject car!

[TG57Roadmaster]

“Where would a car like this get placed at an AACA judging event?”

 

The hotel parking lot.

 

Pretty cheeky line of BS for the entire fabricated story, but saying all Polaras were destroyed on arrival at the dealerships is taking it too far.

 

I would love to be on the team when this ersatz Mopar showed up to be judged, and immediately, gleefully disqualify it for the imposter it is. Judging teams have enough on their plates to be bothered with such fakery, no matter how beautifully-executed or pretty the car may be.

[Rusty_OToole]

Given some of the apcray Chrysler passed off in the late fifties and early sixties, I can't see the dealers refusing anything. If they did they wouldn't have had anything to sell for several years.

[Restorer32]

Park it next to the Tucker Convertible.

[misterc9]

Did Chrysler ever put a full size 61 Plymouth front on a 61 Dodge body in any plant anywhere ?  I thought it was usually the other way around with the Dodge front on the Plymouth body.

[TG57Roadmaster]

1 hour ago, misterc9 said:

Did Chrysler ever put a full size 61 Plymouth front on a 61 Dodge body in any plant anywhere ?  I thought it was usually the other way around with the Dodge front on the Plymouth body.

No, they did not. Not anywhere in the world.