For Sale: 1961 Dodge Polara 4dr Hardtop - $7,500 - Canistota, SD - Project - Not Mine

[58L-Y8]

For Sale: 1961 Dodge Polara 4dr Hardtop - $7,500 - Canistota, SD 

1961 Dodge Polara - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale (craigslist.org)

Selling my 1961 Dodge Polara. It has been sitting the last 2 years had it running the other night looks like it's going to need at least a power steering hose maybe some valve cover gaskets. Not sure what's going on with the transmission has a push button tranny you have to let it run for a little while before it will go into reverse. Need to free up some space 7,500 make offer.  odometer: 57732, title status: clean

Contact:   Jeremy  call or text:  (605) 4-2-one-4-one-7-7

Copy and paste in your email:  6b2ec587c69f345ba7aca43c2693bf0a@sale.craigslist.org

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1961 Dodge Polara 4dr Hardtop.

Note: Presently away from my home base, not set up to save and include pictures.  If someone else will, it will be appreciated.  Reposted this because its such an Exner oddity.

[6T-FinSeeker]

Pictures for posterity, as requested.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[6T-FinSeeker]

 

[supercub]

Looks pretty good condition wise but the front is kind of doggy looking. Kind of an odd place for the rear view mirror.

[auburnseeker]

21 minutes ago, supercub said:

Kind of an odd place for the rear view mirror.

That's factory.

[Brooklyn Beer]

Still had the rearview same spot in 63 but even lower. 

[avgwarhawk]

Just the strangest design put on paper and the production line. 

[plymouthcranbrook]

My Dad had a 1960 Seneca 225 and manual trans. Four door.  Felt as strange to drive as they looked.

[deac]

That's wild design especially the rear fenders and taillights.

[58L-Y8]

At any angle other than straight on, one or the other taillight disappears from view.  Later production 1961 cars have a wrap-around second set of taillights mounted just above the bumper corners.

 

Thanks to 6T-FinSeeker for posting the pictures since I can't just now...didn't want you to have to wait to see this truly 'uniquely-styled' Dodge.   The 1961 Polara was a low-point in top-line Dodge sales, 14K cars total comes to mind.  The 1961 Dodge Dart models were consuming the majority of sales...and eating Plymouth's lunch at the same time.  

[kingrudy]

I could warm up to the design of this car if not for the front bumper. Super Cub said it best "doggy looking". My first thought was that the bumper had been damaged and was replaced by one from another car. 

[suchan]

Took me until now to notice the white bumpers...

[John_S_in_Penna]

17 hours ago, supercub said:

Looks pretty good condition wise but the front is kind of doggy looking. 

 

I don't care for the concavity of the front grille.

On the higher-end Dodges such as this, the

large center grille ornament makes the concavity

less noticeable;  but the lesser models have no

grille ornament, and are especially unappealing to me.

 

5 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said:

Later production 1961 cars have a wrap-around second set of taillights mounted just above the bumper corners.

 

Steve, I'm quite sure that you are picturing the

lesser Dodge models in your mind.  Their taillights

were different:  the low wrap-arounds that you mention.

Then, later in the model year, round can-shaped

taillights were added, probably for more visibility.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

5 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said:

At any angle other than straight on, one or the other taillight disappears from view. 

 

You make a good point.  I never thought of that.

I like the upper-level models' taillights, but now 

that you mention it, it's not a safe design.

 

23 hours ago, 6T-FinSeeker said:

 

[Brooklyn Beer]

When I see the front of this car why does this come to mind?   

[Brooklyn Beer]

This just popped up in my mailbox.  This is new to me. Never thought they used a cross ram.  https://journal.classiccars.com/2021/09/18/pick-of-the-day-1961-dart-phoenix-d-500-convertible-rare-piece-of-dodge-history/?utm_source=infusionsoft-pod&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pod&inf_contact_key=f6fa3f47cc5fd5b9ffde0961ac275f681b0a3f0fd3ee5d9b43fb34c6613498d7

[58L-Y8]

7 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

I don't care for the concavity of the front grille.

On the higher-end Dodges such as this, the

large center grille ornament makes the concavity

less noticeable;  but the lesser models have no

grille ornament, and are especially unappealing to me.

 

 

Steve, I'm quite sure that you are picturing the

lesser Dodge models in your mind.  Their taillights

were different:  the low wrap-arounds that you mention.

Then, later in the model year, round can-shaped

taillights were added, probably for more visibility.

 

 

John: 

You are right!  The Dart series had those low-mounted wrap-around taillights originally that were invisible once cars were close enough together in traffic.  The upper set was added after that fact was experienced.  One supposes the visibility of at least one taillight was enough for the Polara.  On either series, those reverse fins are among the most bizarre of Exner's reign.   

 

BTW, For folks who didn't get enough of that 'doggy' front styling and liked the 1962 Chryslers except the front styling, there was the Dodge Custom 880! 

[Fossil]

Dodge styling in the early 60's went through some troubled waters. Don't know how they kept the doors open. 

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

According to what I have read, Chrysler Corporation

wasn't doing well financially around that time.

 

For those around in the early 1960's:  What did people

think of the increasingly bizarre styling of Virgil Exner?

[neil morse]

4 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

For those around in the early 1960's:  What did people

think of the increasingly bizarre styling of Virgil Exner?

 

I've never understood what happened to Exner with the '61 designs for Dodge and Plymouth.  Yes, they are just bizarre, there's no other word for it.  It was as if he dropped some really bad acid!  As a kid during those years I used to look forward every year to September when the first issues of Life Magazine would arrive at the house with the ads for the new models.  As a 12-year-old in 1960 I remember just being dumbfounded when I saw the new designs for Dodge and Plymouth.  The Plymouth front end is even worse than the Dodge.  And, in contrast, it was a fabulous year for GM!  I remember vividly that the '61 Pontiac just blew me away -- and it was in the era when Pontiac had those wonderful illustrations in their magazine ads.  I wanted my Dad to get one so bad!

[John_S_in_Penna]

42 minutes ago, neil morse said:

I've never understood what happened to Exner with the '61 designs for Dodge and Plymouth.  Yes, they are just bizarre, there's no other word for it.  It was as if he dropped some really bad acid! 

 

Neil, if you think the 1961 Plymouth is bad, you 

should see the asymmetrical designs that Exner

was proposing for the coming years.  You have 

never seen anything so astoundingly ugly!  And

I can't think of a strong enough word to describe

their horrible looks.  See this thread, which pictures

a couple of proposals.  The discussion was based on

an article in Collectible Automobile's October 2018 issue:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 19, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

With any of these weird designs, what were the

designers thinking?

 

They had numerous chances to stop these odd

projects, rather than let them proceed to the next step.

The initial sketches should have been rejected.

Then, they probably made smaller models.  Couldn't

they have seen that the models had no grace and beauty?

Then, full-size clay models should have stopped them

in their tracks.  Then, the long process to get the cars

ready for production.

 

At any step, an executive could have intervened.

Was Exner at that point still so respected that anything

he did was accepted?

[neil morse]

John, I've often wondered the same thing.  These weren't just tiny mistakes that somehow "fell through the cracks" and went unnoticed.  As you say, the process is very lengthy and involved many opportunities for people to intervene or veto the decisions that were being made.  On the other hand, it would be interesting to look at the sales figures for '61.  These designs offend our sensibilities, but I wonder whether they made much difference with the general public?

[Fossil]

It's nothing short of a miracle that Chrysler survived to see 1964. It was almost like they were intentionally driving off customers. Can't think of one vehicle during that time frame that set any kind of positive design standard. Torsion bar suspension was a plus but they hid it under some very unappealing designs. The slant 6 and dependable V-8's probably helped keep them going.