m-mman Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 https://www.ebay.com/itm/266062298120?hash=item3df28c7c08:g:pCMAAOSwc-xjre9A&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAkJUJJYDfwCQbJM7ku9LGolOEgB7vGHfubUQnl1JTMGKROCkQvAEoc6XEUY1UNtN4FmyMHRsMc9PjBsqyMkNxU%2BXpidPrgcuZAz3sKbP7WyOT9rnVPoL%2Bwa3TSg3mQSKZn0Px5nUtMutxMkRVM10kMbpTT9xaKJtm80D72omVkxTClTtzwiTrQHDs0To34S1YEA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_i5-oavYQ Posting just for the rarity. A full size 69 Dodge convertible with a stick. I bet the dealer did not want to order this thing and then later have it come back as a used car. OR god forbid, have the customer walk after the order was made. But a neat car today 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingrudy Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Nice looking car, but my question is how do you keep white interior looking this good for so long? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Wow. Three on the tree too bad it’s not a four-speed on the floor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillOutThere Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 From the ebay ad: Interior is in excellent condition It was all redone with all brand new interior 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) 39 minutes ago, m-mman said: I bet the dealer did not want to order this thing and then later have it come back as a used car. OR god forbid, have the customer walk after the order was made. I think it would have been like pulling teeth to get that out of Chrysler no matter what the dealer wanted. I like this stickshift convertible a lot, but if I were a buyer I would definitely want to see the build sheet. I am skeptical beyond words. Edited January 3, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 If your going to go through the trouble of special ordering a car like that then why not request the shifter on the floor and at least make it more appealing? Even if it had to be a 4 spd. It would be very interesting to know the circumstances behind this cars existence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975, edited by John Gunnell states for 1969 Dodge Polara and Monaco: "Three-speed manual transmission was standard on all models unless noted, with the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic and four-speed manual transmission optional." It appears to have no power brake booster and the power steering may be absent too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 5 minutes ago, Fossil said: If your going to go through the trouble of special ordering a car like that then why not request the shifter on the floor and at least make it more appealing? Even if it had to be a 4 spd. It would be very interesting to know the circumstances behind this cars existence. The short answer is older folks who may have been in the market for a full size car in those days may not have looked at that the same way you or I might. That is the least surprising part of the whole deal to me. Also a floor shifter may not have been available. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) One last Grey Haired fling makes sense. Traded in their old American Motors for a flashy red convertible. Now that you mention it that kind of sounds like fun. Thanks for offering the perspective. Edited January 3, 2023 by Fossil (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 29 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said: The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1946-1975, edited by John Gunnell states for 1969 Dodge Polara and Monaco: "Three-speed manual transmission was standard on all models unless noted, with the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic and four-speed manual transmission optional." It appears to have no power brake booster and the power steering may be absent too. Yes it's possible. As much as I would like this to be real I don't believe it. I have seen exactly one 383 two barrel 3-on-the-tree C-body in my life. It was an even weirder build than this one. This car has manual brakes and power steering, the right way to order it in my opinion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Wonder if it comes with rear window cranks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted January 3, 2023 Author Share Posted January 3, 2023 1 hour ago, Fossil said: It would be very interesting to know the circumstances behind this cars existence. It is also POSSIBLE that in ordering the car, the dealer forgot to check the automatic transmission box. . . . There exists a 1970-71 Buick Skylark high performance (Stage 1?) convertible as a one of one. (Saw at an auction) It has the big engine, buckets, wheels, etc. BUT the dealer forgot to check the 4 speed box and it arrived with a 3 speed on the floor. (floor shift standard for the HiPo model) The original buyer walked ("That's not how I ordered it!") and it sat on the lot for 13 months(?) until it finally sold. Today its a rare and special car, when new it was a mis-ordered dog. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearheadengineer Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 As for the standard equipment, I believe it. Seems like back then people could (and did) order a wide range of combinations. I have a ‘65 Galaxie convertible (not the XL) that came with the optional 300hp 390 and no other options. Other than the engine, it was a bottom of the line ragtop. Three on the tree, manual steering, manual brakes, 3.00 open diff, manual windows. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjmarzoli Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 4 hours ago, kingrudy said: Nice looking car, but my question is how do you keep white interior looking this good for so long? Replace them with new ones! Seat covers and door cards appear to have been replaced. Front seat headrests were eliminated when the seat covers were replaced. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Pretty cool. Ad says it was repainted last year. I wonder if it used to be a slightly more maroon shade of red...one of the photos in the ad appears that way. I'm not a huge fan of bright red on big cars, but a white convertible top goes a long way in toning it down. I don't see many of these, and the three on the tree makes it even more unique. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 5 hours ago, JACK M said: Wonder if it comes with rear window cranks. The pictures in the auction show that the front windows have manual cranks, but I didn't see cranks for the rear windows. Is it possible that only the rear windows are electric? That would make this car even more unusual! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 55er Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Has crank up manual windows all around......there's supposed to be a crank handle covering that black hole down low on the rear white interior panel, must have fallen off. Those rear quarters behind the rear wheels look really out of whack to me and they're missing the wide chrome trim pieces that are supposed run from the front doors all the way to the rear bumper of the car. Wheelwell mouldings are mssing too. Bondo alert! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kar3516 Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 6 hours ago, m-mman said: It is also POSSIBLE that in ordering the car, the dealer forgot to check the automatic transmission box. . . . There exists a 1970-71 Buick Skylark high performance (Stage 1?) convertible as a one of one. (Saw at an auction) It has the big engine, buckets, wheels, etc. BUT the dealer forgot to check the 4 speed box and it arrived with a 3 speed on the floor. (floor shift standard for the HiPo model) The original buyer walked ("That's not how I ordered it!") and it sat on the lot for 13 months(?) until it finally sold. Today its a rare and special car, when new it was a mis-ordered dog. Around 1986 I bought a completely original 1969 Camaro SS / RS “Z10” pace car coupe in Houston TX from an AutoTrader ad. The car had the original paint with orange hood and trunk stripes, original pinstripes, cowl induction hood, original numbers matching 350 / 300 hp engine, original white/black houndstooth interior, and original 3 speed standard transmission with floor shifter. A friend of mine who was restoring and repainting a 1969 SS / RS pace car convertible took many measurements to duplicate the stripes and pin striping on my car. I’ll bet it was one of a very few ordered with a three speed stick. Strange things do happen. Wish I had kept the car… Growing family and financial demands took precedence. I have a couple of rolls of pictures of that car somewhere in my files 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 (edited) 7 hours ago, m-mman said: It is also POSSIBLE that in ordering the car, the dealer forgot to check the automatic transmission box. . . . For many years my default daily driver was a c-body that was special ordered with a 3 on the tree and got built with an automatic anyway. If this is real, somebody had a brother in law working at Hammtramck. I remain highly skeptical. 6 hours ago, Gearheadengineer said: As for the standard equipment, I believe it. Seems like back then people could (and did) order a wide range of combinations. I have a ‘65 Galaxie convertible (not the XL) that came with the optional 300hp 390 and no other options. Other than the engine, it was a bottom of the line ragtop. Three on the tree, manual steering, manual brakes, 3.00 open diff, manual windows. Ford would still happily build you something like this in the mid 60s if you asked for it, maybe even with overdrive. It isn't exactly common, but I have seen several V8 3 speed full size Fords from this period. Chrysler not so much. According to the source @58L-Y8 posted it is technically possible. I'd like to see another one..... 2 hours ago, JamesR said: I wonder if it used to be a slightly more maroon shade of red...one of the photos in the ad appears that way. Chrysler engine compartments were body color. What color are these inner fenders? Might be blue, black, gray or brown. I can't tell, but it isn't red. 1969 B engines are turquoise. This one looks Chrysler blue doesn't it? Or is it just a trick of lighting? What exactly are we looking at here? Edited January 4, 2023 by Bloo (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 55er Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 After looking at a few pics of other 69 Polaras, I'm not exactly seeing a car in the seller stated "jaw drop" condition here. There is red overspray everywhere. The upper side mouldings don't look correct as they are too wide and too square for this application and are installed a bit too high. The shiny taillight surrounds on the rear quarters & taillights are missing and so is the antenna. Also missing are those small chrome turn signal indicators out front on top of the fenders for the driver to see that many of the big Mopars of this era had but those might have been optional equipment. Also to further nit-pick the code W1 on the body plate under the hood indicates this was originally a white car but many people go for resale red repaints today so I guess that's not a big deal. Also no pics or mention anywhere of the condition of the convertible top, that would be a major concern to me but maybe the bidders have inspected the car personally (but I doubt it). I don't think the seller is really misrepresenting the car but he's certainly choosing his words carefully and trying to avoid any liability issues. Caveat Emptor would be the order of the day here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TG57Roadmaster Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 This is a friend's original '69 Polara 500 convertible - never wrecked or repainted. The red one's rear quarter is way off kilter and, as others noted, is missing the trim. The chrome grille surround was a "Spring Special from Dodge - the Polara Custom, a version of the standard Polara model intended as a special offering this spring. Dodge said the Polara Custom is being marketed for 'those who want more brightwork on the front of their car.' The frontal treatment of the special model sports additional chromework." This one sports the optional Super-Lite, AC, PW, Tilt, AM/FM and fender top turn signal indicator lamps. Also has the no extra cost bucket seats and console. TG 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Nice.... The first thing I noticed was the super-lite. You are right on about the rear quarters, although rusted out rear quarters on a C body don't mean much. That's a dirt trap and in theory the rest of the car could be fine. Got a pic under the hood of that beautiful white car? @The 55er pegged the red car as originally white. I think the contrast could be enlightening. 17 minutes ago, TG57Roadmaster said: The chrome grille surround was a "Spring Special from Dodge - the Polara Custom, a version of the standard Polara model intended as a special offering this spring. That funny chrome thing on the red car is stock? Well, today I learned. I've never seen it before that I can remember. I would have guessed JC Whitney. I don't like it at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossil Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 One thing about these Detroit oddities is we get to read a lot of interesting replies. Personally hope more of them show up. Thanks for taking the time to reply to these as it's a real learning experience. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TG57Roadmaster Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 1 hour ago, Bloo said: Got a pic under the hood of that beautiful white car? No underhood shots, but there should be correct examples on the C-body forum. TG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldovert Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Love the Pioneer super tuner too! Cheers,Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Jake Moran Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 Huge buyer beware with the sellers verbiage of it being “all original “ and other BS then we have sharp eyes stating it was originally white and is missing trim and the rear quarters look wonky. Rear window issues, all the negative tone language in the auction. Pass… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 Very easy to pick out the flaws on this one Note the rear quarter panel bottom edge angle. It's not correct and with the missing trim it makes it easy to figure out it's a poor quality patch/replacement. That along with the visible overspray on the rear tire shows sloppy workmanship. The rust visible on the signal lever makes me think the floor is likely the same. Still,a 3 speed bolt action manual convertible is a cool ride! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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