1970 dodge Polara convertible rare car

[Kdog54]

I think I have a rare car with only 21,000 miles , a survivor car all original, only 841 built. does anyone know how many might be left in this condition?

[Giftman]

Post some pictures and detailed information like options, driveline etc and let the boys do their job….

[8E45E]

3 minutes ago, Giftman said:

Post some pictures and detailed information like options, driveline etc and let the boys do their job….

Only the 'Dodge Boys', right?

 

 

  

[TAKerry]

Pics would be great. Do you belong to a dodge club? I am a GM guy but my perception is that a lot of the mopar stuff is highly documented. Dont take this the wrong way, but this sounds like a generic car of the time (though quite a time capsule now). Rare being a convertible as that roof configuration was falling out of favor by this time in auto history. I would bet that not many are left. Improperly cared for a roofless car would not last long. I would stand by the statement that you have the lowest mileage original left, until proven other wise. I dont think I have ever seen one.

[rocketraider]

Figure 2-5% of total production has survived. Even at 10% that's only 80 or so surviving. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-75 corroborates the 841 number.

 

As Kerry said, easy to document a Chrysler product. Look at the body data tags on the LH fenderwell underhood. Galen Govier has an extensive Chrysler database, or if you don't mind a little tv car show drama the guys on Graveyard Carz know the codes too.

 

Pictures, esp of the grille. Wondering if this car has the Super-Lite driving light which was available only in 1969-70.

[keiser31]

There is no way to tell how many are left. There could be some hiding in garages or sheds. Very cool cars! My Dad's 1969 Dodge Polara had a Super-Lite. VERY cool option which would throw a low, rectangular beam out in front of the car so as to not blind oncoming drivers. See it on the driver's side of the front end....

Edited May 12, 2022 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Guest]

Picture.... we need pictures!

[joe_padavano]

4 hours ago, rocketraider said:

Figure 2-5% of total production has survived.

I'm not sure where you get those numbers, Glenn, but NHTSA says that the fleet average for cars from the 1960s and 70s is more like 0.5% to 1.0% survive by 20 years after production. I'm guessing that asymptotes out by half a century, but still the number is pretty small. Admittedly that average includes a large number of more-doors and wagons, many of which died in demo derbies if they hadn't already rusted into the ground. I would suppose that cars like convertibles and high performance models survive at a higher rate than the average, but still 2-5% is probably pretty optimistic. And yeah, this average doesn't account for the fact that over 120% of all rare musclecars built in the 60s survive today. 😉

Edited May 12, 2022 by joe_padavano (see edit history)

[alsancle]

4 hours ago, keiser31 said:

There is no way to tell how many are left. There could be some hiding in garages or sheds. Very cool cars! My Dad's 1969 Dodge Polara had a Super-Lite. VERY cool option which would throw a low, rectangular beam out in front of the car so as to not blind oncoming drivers. See it on the driver's side of the front end....

 

 

No way to know how many but I can't remember seeing one in the last 25 years.     Of course,  that doesn't mean its worth a fortune.   The full size cars just don't bring the kind of money that the mid size muscle cars of the era did.    On the the other hand, a true 21k mile original car will be the top of the heap.   Picture would help.

 

Do you own the car,  or did you "find" it? 

 

[vintage1]

Another vote for pictures.  Keiser31 - I have never heard of that Super Lite, that is very cool, I wonder how many of those are still around.

 

[keiser31]

30 minutes ago, vintage1 said:

Another vote for pictures.  Keiser31 - I have never heard of that Super Lite, that is very cool, I wonder how many of those are still around.

 

They are GREAT on the dark roads of northern Michigan. We could spot deer a mile away.

Edited May 14, 2022 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Mark Gregush]

The OP last logged on May 16th and signed up on May 12th. Sure they could be watching without logging on. 

[Marty Roth]

On 5/12/2022 at 2:42 PM, joe_padavano said:

 And yeah, this average doesn't account for the fact that over 120% of all rare musclecars built in the 60s survive today. 

Maybe even more than 120%?

 

Maybe for each 1 built, possibly 3 of them survive?

[34CR12]

That Super Mini Lite option, or whatever they called it, well Motor Trend had a very brief blurb mentioning that, in one of their monthly magazines, back in 68/69, as I recall ... Maybe the October 68 issue?

[34CR12]

     I used to be into attempting to calculate, estimate, survival rates of some groups of cars, from the 60's-70's.  And as Marty Roth points out above, for the most desirable cars, most desirable muscle cars, more survive now, than were ever made!  So bogus cars, fake cars, etc, now have become so intertwined with real cars that the best experts can now have a hard time spotting them.  However, with muscle Pontiacs, as an example, they have the PHS printouts, that helps to cut down, on forgery.

     Anyways, regarding a 1970 Dodge Polara rag top, I'm positive I saw one or more back in the early 70's.  But those cars, back then, I just don't think anyone looked at them as collectible, ( not at all ) so I will guess, the absolute smallest numbers remain of those even tho that car has the attractive fuselage styling, with a rag top.  I'll guess 1-2% survive at the absolute max.  Mopar clubs, Mopar gurus, probably have a much better idea... 1971 Barracuda rag tops, on the other hand, survive in huge numbers, vs original production because pple love those cars and (maybe?) because pple need real Cuda rag tops, to build (fake), tribute, or reproduction Hemi Cudas, 440-6 Cudas, 440-4 Cudas, & 340-4 Cuda rag tops.

     70-71 E-bodies, like Cudas?, yes, everybody still wants one. 

1970 C-bodies, like Polaras?, they were just so HUGE!!  They were so big, too big.  A 1970 Polara is 220 inches long.  A 1970 Cuda is 187 inches long.  The ever popular Cuda is 33 inches shorter than the MONSTER Polara!!!   One of my current theories in collector car trends, is... big cars, big long HUGE cars, are simply "out" for any decade.  At one time they were "in".  But now they are out"... or headed "out"...

     If someone ordered a 440 magnum, or 383 magnum, in a Polara then those cars, likely got saved.  But slant 6 cars, if they made them?, or 318-2v cars, I just can't imagine those got saved.           

     Just entire swaths of cars from the 60's and 70's simply, (and almost 100%) disappeared.  As an example... One car I've looked for, forever, is a 1969 Montego 2 door coupe, factory 390-4v.  Mercury made them, but I've never seen one, nor seen one for sale. I looked for one, for many years.  A few 390 rag tops, yes, but never a coupe or a 4dr sedan.  428 or 427 power was also supposedly factory available in the 1969 Montego. 

     By the way, if I had a 1970 Polara rag top, I'd keep it stone stock!