The 1962-1964 Dodge Polara 500

At the dawn of the 1960s, America saw a rise in various new car types as Detroit refined its marketing strategy. One such model was the 1962-1964 Dodge Polara 500. Alongside compact cars, the market saw the emergence of "personal-luxury" vehicles and high-performance models featuring V-8 engines, distinctive trims, and bucket seats. Dodge blended these features into the iconic 1962-1964 Polara 500.

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Picture yourself on a Survivor-style show, stranded on the barren Utah salt flats. The night is cold and eerie. In the distance, three cars approach, their headlights cutting through the darkness. Your challenge: Can you tell the difference between the 1962 Dodge Polara 500, the 1963, and the 1964 just by their headlights? How would you spot the Polara 500 among those 12 glowing circles?

If you're familiar with the Polara 500, it's a simple task. The 1962 model has inboard lamps higher than the outboard ones, the 1963 has the inboard lamps positioned lower than the outboards, and the 1964 features lamps all at the same height. (You never know when this trivia might come in handy!)

The 1962 Polara 500 was Dodge's inaugural effort at creating a personal-luxury car with a performance edge. It emerged from a mix of powerful influences in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some factors, like the rise of smaller cars and the increased demand for bucket seats, affected the entire automotive industry, while others were more specific to Chrysler. Let's take a closer look at what was happening.

Despite the era's fondness for fuzzy dice, the late 1950s were a turbulent period for American car manufacturers. After record-breaking years in 1955 and 1957, the industry faced a brief yet severe recession in 1958. At the same time, a downturn in the mid-range car market led to the collapse of companies like Nash, Hudson, Packard, and DeSoto, while Mercury took a severe hit. Meanwhile, Ford's Edsel, introduced with high expectations, became one of the biggest flops in automotive history.

While sales of high-profit cars were dropping, the increasing popularity of the Volkswagen Beetle and George Romney's Rambler pushed the Big Three to develop smaller "compact" cars by late 1959, cars that offered less profit. The entire car market was experiencing a fundamental shift. In Detroit, product planners were left asking, "What kind of car should we create?" Big or small? V-8 or six-cylinder? Front-engine or rear? More chrome or less? It was a period of uncertainty—and immense risk.

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Dodge Polara 500 Competition

In early 1958, Ford made a splash with the debut of the four-passenger Thunderbird, a move that marked the beginning of the competition for the 1962-1964 Dodge Polara 500. The Thunderbird introduced a sleek, blind-quarter roof design with a luxurious interior that could seat four. Its individual front bucket seats were divided by a floor console, and the rear offered simulated bucket-style seating. It became the prototype for a new car category: the personal-luxury vehicle, and the public was enamored.

Pontiac introduced bucket seats in its 1958 Bonneville, and a few other brands experimented with the idea. But the real game-changer came in 1960 with the Chevrolet Corvair Monza coupe. This affordable two-door personal-luxury car featured a beautifully designed interior with stylish front bucket seats, setting a new standard for the genre.

Much like the Thunderbird, the Monza was a quick hit. Despite its late arrival, 12,000 Monza coupes were produced in 1960, with that number skyrocketing to 151,000 in 1962. As noted in Ward's 1964 Automotive Yearbook, "It remained for Monza to send other producers rushing into the bucket seating market." By 1963, 16.7 percent of all cars came with bucket seats, a change Ward's called "quite phenomenal, since it allows only two people to sit up front instead of three, meaning at least 1,000,000 cars sold annually were no longer family vehicles."

Chrysler was somewhat late to embrace bucket seating. The innovative swivel seats introduced in 1959 were a close alternative, and in 1960, the limited-edition Chrysler 300-F offered four separate seats with a full-length floor console. However, it wasn’t until 1962 that Chrysler offered front bucket seats in any of its more affordable models.

While bucket seats were central to the Polara 500's appeal, other factors also shaped its design. The rearrangement of headlights each year reflected Dodge's frantic attempts to recover from the disastrous 1962 redesign, which had nearly ruined the brand and its dealerships. The fallout from that styling and product planning failure was severe.

The tumultuous development of the 1962 Dodge and Plymouth models is well documented, so here's a brief overview. Seeking a new look after the fin era, Virgil Exner, Chrysler's brilliant vice president of design, worked to transform the full-size family car. He swapped out the Fifties' wedge-shaped fins for a long-hood, short-deck profile. Another key feature was the oval body shape at the B-pillar, inspired by the sleek fuselage of a jetliner, with the new curved side glass blending seamlessly into the bodywork.

While the 1962 models were coming along, William Newberg, the executive vice president, "discovered" in the spring of 1959 that Chevrolet was planning to downsize its full-size cars for the 1962 model year. Fearing that the cars Exner and his team were developing were now too large, Newberg ordered that the 1962 Plymouths and Dodges also be downsized.

With little time to initiate a new design direction, Exner's existing Dodge and Plymouth models had to be modified to meet the new size requirements. The wheelbase was reduced from 118 to 116 inches, the curved side glass was removed, and the width was narrowed. Every effort was made to shrink the size, weight, and cost. Newberg was supported in this by a group of Chrysler engineers, led by Syd Terry, who, frustrated by the growth in size of American cars in the late Fifties, eagerly backed this smaller, lighter, "more rational" approach.

During the meeting where the downsized 1962 models were approved, Exner, visibly frustrated, bluntly declared, "These cars are 'plucked chickens.'" He added, "They are not competitive, and Styling should not be blamed." Despite his objections, Exner ultimately took the fall when Chrysler president Lynn Townsend replaced him in the fall of 1961 with Elwood Engel.

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Dodge B-Body cars

Dodge's newly downsized cars, Chrysler's first unitized "B-bodies," were revealed on September 28, 1961, and became the foundation for the 1962-1964 Dodge Polara 500. Dubbed the "New Lean Breed of Dodge," these B-body vehicles were also available in the Dart, Dart 330, and Dart 440 models. The design featured long, horizontal lines fading into the front doors, with a striking, forward-leaning grille shaped like an inverted trapezoid interrupting the fender blades.

The high-beam headlights were neatly integrated into the upper corners of the vertical grille, while the low-beam headlights were placed in round chrome bezels nestled beneath the fender blades. Essentially, the low beams were mounted lower, and the high beams higher.

Both light placements had their quirks. The grille itself had a unique undercut design, with a short wrapover at the top. To accommodate the high-beam lamps, the convex grille surface had to be carved out for the lamp bezels, creating a somewhat awkward visual. Gerry Thorley, the retired Chrysler styling chief, recalls that the grille texture was initially concave, with the inner lamps recessed and set in forward-thrusting bezels, which he felt was a more natural look. Thorley also preferred the concave grille design as a continuation of the grilles seen on the 1961 Dart and Polara models.

However, Dodge Division General Manager M. C. Patterson insisted on the convex grille design, believing it represented a more significant styling departure from the 1961 model. The bright bezels surrounding the outer low-beam lamps were also distinctive, with the inner bezel being a white plastic ring. This design was likely an attempt to make the five-inch low-beams appear larger, matching the size of the high-beams.

At the rear, the staggered-lamp theme continued with a diagonal arrangement of four small, circular lamps, with the inboard lamps again positioned higher than the outboard ones. In the case of Darts, the lower outboard lamps housed the taillights, while the upper inboard lamps were used for the back-up lights.

A sculpted, arcing blade in the body-side sheetmetal curved over the rear wheel, rising rearward to meet the upper lamp. Between the front and rear sculptural elements, the car's midsection retained the original design's flush body-to-glass relationship, though with straight side glass. The beltline was raised behind the front door to reduce the height (and cost) of the rear door glass.

Both the two-door and four-door rooflines were identical and featured a more upright profile, a sharp contrast to the sharply sloped two-door hardtop roofs that Dodge had favored since 1957. The base of the windshield was pulled forward at the centerline to meet the rising "speedboat" cowl, a styling feature cherished by the deposed vice president Virgil Exner.

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1962 Dodge Polara 500

Amid a time of uncertainty, with management changes disrupting the car design process, the 1962 Dodge Polara 500 emerged. The Polara name, which had only appeared in the Dodge lineup in 1960-1961 as a larger model than the Dart with distinct styling, was unclear in its role for 1962. Ultimately, the Polara name became a trim option for the Dart.

The Polara 500 stood out as the most stylish version of the 1962 Dart body. The exterior was refreshingly dechromed compared to the Dart 330 and 440 models. A subtle, slightly flattened blade design on the front doors provided space for 'Polara 500' to be inscribed in sleek chrome letters and numbers, a unique touch. The numerals themselves were a clear nod to America's iconic Indianapolis 500 race.

The nearly chrome-free sides of the Polara 500 were highlighted by a narrow color stripe running from front to rear, framed by thin moldings. This color sweep, which matched the interior trim, offered a smooth visual flow from front to back. It became a design feature that was later copied midyear on the Dart 440 and, in chrome, on the Plymouth Fury and Sport Fury.

However, the Polara 500's other body design feature wasn't as well received. The rear quarter panel was adorned with a series of bright louvers. Since similar louvers were already standard on the Dart 440, the Polara 500 needed something extra. The designers added a long, bright die-cast rectangle enclosing the chrome louvers, adorned with the new 'fratzog' emblem, Dodge's triangular, three-pointed symbol. The interior of this rectangle was painted in an accent color, but the overall design was somewhat heavy-handed, and the car would have looked cleaner without it.

Up front, the Polara 500 was instantly recognizable thanks to the blacked-out grille. The narrower vertical bars were painted black, making the seven wider, bright bars pop. At the rear, the 500 featured four round red taillights, while the back-up lights were moved to a slim die-cast strip with a ribbed texture, positioned just above the rear bumper. Additionally, the Polara 500 sported unique wheel covers, complete with prominent chrome spinners – ‘weed winders’ – shaped like large fratzogs.

Both the exterior and interior of the Polara 500 were meticulously color-matched. Red, blue, green, cocoa, and black exteriors featured beige in the color sweep and louver panel. Beige cars could be ordered with these same exterior colors for the sweep and louvers. Black cars had the option of red or blue accents. In every case, the predominant interior color was light beige, which appeared on the seat bolsters, steering wheel, door-panel trim, and headliner.

The interior featured a darker contrasting color on the instrument panel, door trim, seat inserts, and carpeting. For example, a blue car would sport beige accents on the exterior and a beige interior with blue accents, while a beige car with blue exterior accents would carry the same interior theme. The result was a striking, stylish, and sporty visual effect.

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1962 Dodge Polara 500 Interior

The interior of the 1962 Dodge Polara 500 played a crucial role in achieving the car's desired personal-luxury appeal. The seats were upholstered in saddle-grain vinyl, with the front bucket seats featuring a horseshoe pattern of narrow vertical pleats in contrasting colors. The rear bench seat was designed with similarly styled pads to give it a bucket-seat appearance. Between the front seats was a chrome-trimmed center console, offering lockable storage, dual ashtrays, a cigar lighter, and a courtesy lamp.

Like the exterior, the padded instrument panel was a departure from what General Motors or Ford offered. The base panel sloped away from the windshield and tucked under to maximize knee space. Virgil Exner, overseeing the 1962 design as Chrysler's vice president of styling, favored this "minimalist" approach, which stood in contrast to the typical full-width slab design. The instrument cluster featured a free-form pod in front of the driver, with the automatic transmission and heater pushbuttons placed along the lower edges of the cluster.

This layout was particularly fitting for the Polara 500, as most of the key features were positioned right in front of the driver. Even the steering wheel was unique, sporting a strangely shaped hub that stylists affectionately called the "grasshopper head."

Byron J. Nichols, General Manager of Dodge Division, emphasized, "We do not believe car buyers should have to choose between luxurious features and top-notch performance. The Polara offers both, and we believe discerning motorists will demand this combination." To support his statement, the Polara 500 was equipped with Chrysler's 361-cubic-inch, 305-horsepower V-8, featuring a four-barrel carburetor, high-lift camshaft, and dual exhausts.

"This engine packs a real punch," Nichols enthusiastically stated. "It provides the Polara with exceptional smoothness, acceleration, and passing power." The inclusion of the four-barrel "Runner Manifold" added five more horsepower. Later in the year, engine options expanded, including 330- and 335-horsepower 383-cubic-inch V-8s, and 413-cubic-inch V-8s delivering 365, 380, and 410 horsepower.

All Polara 500 models were assembled exclusively at the Dodge Main plant in Hamtramck, Detroit. Having a single location for production ensured better control over the car's build quality, an important factor since the target market for the car consisted of more discerning customers who were likely to be particular about the details.

Initially available as a two-door hardtop and a convertible, the Polara 500 lineup quickly grew. As Nichols mentioned in a press release dated November 5, 1961, "The Polara 500 was initially planned to be limited to only two models, but due to the overwhelming response from both customers and dealers, we decided to add a four-door hardtop option."

The four-door hardtop Polara 500 differed from its two-door counterparts in terms of interior layout. Instead of the front bucket seats and floor console, it featured a three-passenger front seat made entirely of vinyl, with a fold-down center armrest. The interior was finished in solid, darker colors, in contrast to the bold two-tone designs of the two-door models. The price for the four-door hardtop was $2,960, while the two-door hardtop was priced at $3,019 and the convertible at $3,268.

The decision to introduce the four-door hardtop model just a month after the launch of the 1962 lineup highlighted the dissatisfaction among dealers. They were unhappy with the unconventional styling and reduced size of the 1962 models, and they also voiced concerns that customers trading in their late-model Custom Royals, Polaras, and Matadors had no premium four-door option to consider. As a result, the four-door Polara 500 with its more traditional six-passenger interior was introduced to fill this gap.

However, the four-door Polara 500 didn't fully address the dealers' frustrations. In the words of Dodge PR manager Frank Wylie, "The dealers were quite upset about not having a larger car to sell." By January, Dodge planners responded by creating a new model: a hybrid of a 1961 Polara front clip attached to a 1962 Chrysler Newport body shell, resulting in the awkwardly named Custom 880.

Once production of this vehicle began, the need for a four-door Polara 500 was eliminated. No successor model was planned. After all, the idea of a four-door personal-luxury car was somewhat contradictory, a lesson that Ford would learn the hard way when it introduced a four-door Thunderbird in 1967.

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1962 Dodge Polara 500 Styling

Much like Ford's ill-fated Edsel, the 1962 Dart/Polara represented the wrong car with the wrong styling, the wrong size, and the wrong timing. The 1962 Dodge Polara 500 featured a bold central grille, sculpted fenders, fully exposed wheels, and a long-hood/short-deck layout—design elements influenced by Virgil Exner's 'pure automobile' philosophy, which had previously appeared in his 'idea cars.'

While it might be argued that these design features suited the sporty Polara 500, they were certainly out of place for family sedans.

In the summer of 1962, Bob Gale, the assistant manager at Dodge's Exterior Studio, drove his new Polara 500 convertible to the Colorado mountains. Though it garnered attention, people were often puzzled by it, as no one knew exactly what kind of car it was. Upon the downsized Dodge's arrival in showrooms, the reaction was mostly one of stunned silence from dealers, long-time customers, and the public. The initial reactions ranged from 'different' to 'unusual,' 'odd,' 'weird,' and eventually, 'ugly.'

The situation held a degree of irony. Unlike Dodge's decision to downsize its full-size car, Chevrolet introduced the 110-inch wheelbase Chevy II in 1962 instead of shrinking its large vehicle. Ford, too, kept its full-size car and debuted the midsize Fairlane, which had a 115.5-inch wheelbase, between the Falcon and the Galaxie. With no full-size counterpart, the Dart/Polara essentially became an 'intermediate' car, leaving it overlooked by buyers who still preferred larger vehicles.

Perhaps the greatest irony was that the 1962 Polara 500, despite its sporty design and vibrant bucket-seat interior, achieved a level of success. (One enthusiast magazine even named it 'Performance Car of the Year.') In total, 12,268 units were produced, a strong showing considering its place within the Dart/Polara lineup.

This prompted Plymouth to introduce a similar Sport Fury hardtop coupe and convertible midway through the year, adding to the increasingly competitive market. Ford entered the race with the 1962 Galaxie 500/XL, while Mercury launched the Monterey S-55, and Buick unveiled the Wildcat. This was also the first year for the bucket-seat Pontiac Grand Prix. Despite its unconventional styling, the Polara 500 was poised for better sales than its more conventional 1963 successor.

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1963 Dodge Polara 500 Development

As the development of the 1963 Dodge Polara 500 began, along with the rest of the 1963 models, the Dodge design team found themselves under immense pressure. Similar to 1962, there were multiple design programs created for the 1963 lineup.

The 1963 model year was initially expected to be a facelift year, with most of the bodywork carried over but new sheetmetal added below the beltline. However, the planned changes to the rear were ultimately dropped, and the 1962 models were updated at the front, including a new hood, grille, and fenders. The trapezoidal grille frame was removed, allowing the grille's texture to extend fully across the front. Positioned between the existing bumper and a flatter new hood, the body-colored grille frame divided the bright vertical texture into six individual segments.

The outer headlights were repositioned to the top of the new fenders. Initially, in October 1960, the design included single seven-inch lamps. However, this concept evolved over the following two months, resulting in five-inch dual headlights, with the high beams recessed into the outer parts of the grille. By 1963, the low beams were placed high and outward, while the high beams were positioned lower and inward.

For the first time, turn signals were amber. The horizontal blade on the front fender and door from the 1962 model was removed in favor of a smoother design, defined by the curve of the headlamp. This was further emphasized by a slim undercut element that sloped from the peak of the fender down into the new front door panel, where it gently curved downward and faded.

As Chrysler worked on this version of the 1963 Dodge, the company's executives were confident in the direction they were taking. At the time, the American car market was clearly shifting toward smaller vehicles. When the Big Three introduced their new compact cars, Ford's Falcon became the most successful new car ever launched up to that point. Even 108-inch-wheelbase Ramblers and Studebaker Larks were selling well.

In addition, the new, smaller 118-inch wheelbase 1960 Dart was setting sales records for Dodge, surpassing the larger models in popularity. Meanwhile, confidential reports from Detroit-area tooling shops revealed that medium-price competitors like Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Mercury were scrambling to introduce smaller cars into their lineup.

Retired product-planning executive Gene Weiss recalls that in 1960, Chrysler's senior management was convinced they had already conquered the 1962 market. They believed that the downsized, lightweight, and fuel-efficient 1962 Dodge and Plymouth would set the stage for a new era of engineering and design leadership for Chrysler. The Polara 500 was seen as the perfect finishing touch.

However, by early 1961, those same executives were shocked to realize they had been outpaced by competitors. They had not, in fact, mastered the market. New 'spy' reports confirmed that the full-size cars of their competitors would still be around in 1962. This revelation led them to abandon the ongoing 1963 facelift plans and urgently begin working on more drastic changes.

Once again, time was not on their side. The nearly completed new front ends for Dodge and Plymouth were retained as a base, but designers were now tasked with creating entirely new cars from the doors back. The already overwhelmed Dodge and Plymouth design teams worked overtime in a frantic rush to design, release, and tool new sheetmetal in time for the 1963 production, which was set to begin in the late summer of 1962, just over a year away.

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1963 Dodge B-Body Cars

The 1963 Dodge B-body cars received significant upgrades compared to their 1962 counterparts. The wheelbase was increased to 119 inches, matching the Chevy Impala and Ford Galaxie. This was achieved by shifting the rear wheels three inches back, which also moved the rear seat rearward, resulting in an additional 1.5 inches of legroom for rear-seat passengers. (Station wagons, however, kept their 116-inch wheelbase.) The overall length was increased by 6.1 inches.

Starting with the new front fender design, the stylists crafted a sleek, continuous bodyside that flowed seamlessly from front to back, eliminating the abrupt, disconnected look of the 1962 model's blade elements. The undercut detail, beginning at the headlight, deepened gradually as it extended rearward, eventually angling sharply down to meet the new rear bumper. Bodyside moldings followed this character line, further emphasizing the sense of continuity.

The shape of the 1963 Dodge's bodyside was more complex than it appeared at first. A subtle vertical peak appeared above the outer headlight and broadened into a vertical plane that increased in height as it moved rearward. This plane became flush with the new C-pillar, shaping the upper sides of the trunk. Below this, the body surface curved outward, meeting the earlier-described undercut and creating a sheetmetal shoulder that developed smoothly from the headlight to the taillight.

The new rooflines featured wide, sloping C-pillars, clearly inspired by the Ford Galaxie's Thunderbird-influenced design, which was a trend GM also embraced. At the 1963 auto shows, Ford boldly declared the Galaxie's roofline as "The Roof That Tops Them All"—and they were right!

At the rear, the Dodge featured a wide, low, and flat decklid, designed to enhance the car's sense of size. The trunk capacity was increased by 10 percent compared to the 1962 model.

In the rush to increase size and standardize the design, most of the investment went into the exterior. As a result, the interiors saw minimal changes, with updates including new door panels and seat styles, a revised instrument cluster, and more traditional round-hub steering wheels. The tooling costs for the 1963 B-body program for both Dodge and Plymouth totaled $26.7 million, a significant decrease from the $87.5 million spent on the 1962 models.

In general, the new Dodge models were quite appealing. When they debuted in showrooms on October 2, 1962, they would turn out to be far more "commercial" in terms of size and design than the often criticized 1962 Dart/Polara. What the dismissed Chrysler styling executive Virgil Exner thought of these cars remains unknown.

Without a doubt, these models were a complete departure from Exner's original design philosophy. However, they were developed under his leadership and were almost finished by the time Elwood Engel, his successor, took over in Highland Park in November 1961.

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1963 Dodge B-Body Cars Trim

Elwood Engel was satisfied with the overall styling of the 1963 Dodges, but as the new Chrysler vice president of design, he did request some minor adjustments for the first model year under his leadership. This included modifications to the 1963 Dodge B-body cars. To enhance the front trim, the body-color grille frame was replaced with anodized aluminum. Additionally, triangular diecast extension pieces were added to extend the grille texture beneath the outer headlamps, creating the illusion of a wider front.

Although the 1963 Dodge press photos feature cars with these grille extensions, they never made it to production, likely because they couldn't be properly integrated into the final design.

The 1963 Dodge Polara 500, both the two-door hardtop and convertible, was again adorned with a prominent color sweep running along the entire length of the bodyside, positioned above the 'shoulder' line. Additional bright accents included sill and wheel-lip moldings, a bright, ribbed quarter-panel appliqué that extended the visual flow of the rear bumper, and a horizontal continuation of the bright drip molding along the base of the C-pillar, giving the 500 its distinctive ornamentation.

(The rear-quarter appliqué posed a design issue for Engel. Initially, it angled rearward at its forward end, mirroring the side view of the bumper. However, Engel found this design awkward and insisted that the appliqué be adjusted to lean forward, aligning with the trailing edge of the rear-wheel opening instead.)

While the side trim of the Polara 500 retained its uniqueness, the front and rear views lost their distinguishing features. Notably absent was the grille blackout that had given the 1962 model its distinctive look. Though blacking out the vertical bars in the six-segment grille of the 1963 would have seemed fitting, Engel seemingly did not favor such treatments. At the rear, rectangular lights were embedded in a carwide, bright die-cast frame surrounding the license plate. The design split the lens horizontally, combining taillamp and backup-light functions on each side.

This rear light treatment was also applied to the new Polara series, which included four-door and station wagon models. As a result, while the side trim on the Polara 500 remained distinctive, from other angles, it looked virtually identical to a standard Polara hardtop or convertible. With ordinary Polaras in the lineup, the 500 seemed to be a mere trim variation.

The interior of the Polara 500, however, maintained its unique appeal with bucket seats and high-contrast color schemes, available in five two-tone combinations. Alabaster replaced beige as the primary color, and a matching two-tone steering wheel came as standard.

During the press previews, Dodge general manager Nichols proudly stated, "We believe that the 1963 Dodge has been engineered and styled so that it meets completely the needs and desires of a majority of American car buyers," while Chrysler president Lynn Townsend described the new Dodges as "all-purpose, full-size, representative American family automobiles."

Both Nichols and Townsend were correct. As the year 1963 unfolded, Dodge dealers began to smile once more. The new compact Dart was a huge success, and the larger 880s were well-received by the older demographic.

Dealers were especially pleased with the redesigned and larger B-bodies. These cars were strong contenders against Chevy and Ford, and even had the potential to attract Plymouth buyers due to the Dodge's three-inch wheelbase advantage. Additionally, they came with Chrysler's new five-year, 50,000-mile warranty, the best in the industry at the time. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with U.S. production rising to 181,600 units for the model year.

The only downside was the significant drop in Polara 500 production, which fell to just 7,256 units. In contrast, the Plymouth Sport Fury saw an increase in production, reaching 15,319 units. The price difference between a Polara 500 and a comparable V-8 Polara was $233, while the Sport Fury/Fury difference was $158, but the Polara 500 featured a larger standard V-8 engine. This decline in Polara 500 sales would later have an impact on the 1964 model.

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1963 Dodge Polara 500 Engines

With the 361 V-8 reserved for the 880/Custom 880, the engine lineup for the 1963 Dodge Polara 500 began with the base 383, delivering 305 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor. A more powerful version of this engine was available, featuring a 'Power Pak' that included a high-performance cam, a dual-breaker distributor, twin exhausts, and a four-barrel carburetor, bringing the horsepower up to 330.

Motor Trend tested one of these engines with a four-speed transmission and achieved 60 mph from a standstill in 7.7 seconds, completing the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds, even with a less aggressive 3.23:1 final drive. On Riverside International Raceway, the 4,400-pound Polara 500 convertible reached 116 mph on the backstretch.

Replacing the 413 was a pair of massive, special-order Ramcharger 426-cubic-inch V-8s. The smaller of the two offered 415 horsepower, an 11:1 compression ratio, 'pop-top' aluminum pistons, a hand choke, and two Carter four-barrel carburetors. The more powerful variant produced 425 horsepower, 480 pound-feet of torque, and a formidable 1:1 compression ratio, requiring high-octane fuel of 102 octane or higher. Dodge proudly claimed, 'With its 426 cubic-inch displacement, the 425 horsepower comes so close to matching displacement that this one creates an irrefutable thunder that speaks with authority on any drag strip.'

Both engines were equipped with short-tube ram-induction manifolds and upswept exhaust to enhance performance at high RPMs above 4,000. The manifold assembly fit tightly between the two cylinder banks, with the underside doubling as the tappet cover. The compact design of the ram manifold enabled the use of high-performance engines within the more confined space of B-body engine compartments.

Unlike the system found in the Chrysler 300-J of the same year, there was no provision for manifold heat. While most Ramcharger wedge-head engines were placed in stripped-down 330 two-door sedans, earning a strong reputation in drag racing, five Polara 500 hardtops were specially ordered with the 426 engine option.

Chrysler's internal Engineering Data Book, issued in January 1963, listed additional engine options, including single four-barrel versions of the 426 engine producing 370 and 375 horsepower. Also available was the 383 engine with either a single four-barrel (320 horsepower) or twin four-barrels (325 horsepower) with an 11:1 compression ratio.

Various transmissions were offered with these engines, including a new Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual for use with V-8s, though it was not recommended for the 426 maximum-performance engines. Chrysler also offered its A-745 heavy-duty three-speed manual in four variations, though not for the 426. This transmission came with a Hurst floor-shifter conversion unit.

The standard transmission for the 426 V-8s was the Borg-Warner T-85 three-speed manual, which featured a Hurst-Campbell floor unit for quicker shifting. When paired with the 426 engine, the TorqueFlite automatic used a high-speed governor to delay upshifts to higher engine rpm. Additionally, all TorqueFlite automatics were equipped with a new parking sprag, activated by a lever near the transmission pushbuttons, serving as a replacement for the handbrake to keep the car stationary while parked.

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1964 Dodge Polara 500 Development

For the first time since the 1961 model year, the 1964 design process was carried out smoothly, without the usual corporate missteps, last-minute direction changes, or panic. As the 1964 Dodge Polara 500 came together in the early months of 1962, Dodge's stylists and engineers worked at a more typical pace, putting in just the usual overtime. This design was also the first entirely under the leadership of Elwood Engel, providing him the freedom to replace Virgil Exner's earlier ideas with his own vision.

The plan involved a typical Detroit makeover: a refreshed front end and a redesigned two-door hardtop roof. Leading the styling efforts as the chief stylist at the Dodge studio was the late Bill Brownlie, who had transitioned from Plymouth during the 1963 model's development. Always impeccably dressed and a true gentleman, Bill was also a fierce competitor, relentlessly searching for that design "edge," the extra detail that would give Dodge a clear advantage over both Plymouth and Pontiac.

The front end featured completely new sheetmetal, including redesigned fenders, a new hood, and a revamped cowl. The striking new grille, crafted by Dick Watson, cleverly followed a barbell motif. Oversized bezels highlighted the low-beam headlamps, framing a full-width grille composed of vertical bars. The high-beam lights were recessed within the grille, positioned just inboard of the low beams.

The grille was essentially a convex version of the one seen on the 1962 Plymouth models. Although Plymouth abandoned the design in 1963, Brownlie maintained a fondness for it. The concept was so effective that it reappeared on the completely redesigned 1965-1966 full-size Dodges and beyond.

The new front bumper, with its outer edges curving gently under the headlamps, reinforced the barbell theme. Much sturdier than the previous 1962-1963 design, the new bumper wrapped around the sides of the fenders for improved protection and featured a deep skirt that matched the rear bumper. Triangular amber turn-signal lenses echoed the shape of the triangular inserts bearing the Dodge "fratzog" emblem on each fender. A satin silver-and-chrome casting on Polaras and 500s enhanced the concave, vee-shaped windsplit along the centerline of the hood.

At the rear, the new decklid featured dual raised wind-splits, accented by bright black-filled moldings on the Polara/Polara 500 models. The rear bumper was also redesigned, now sporting a deeper skirt that replaced the body-color pan seen on the 1963 model. The 1964 models grew by 1.6 inches in length and 1.5 inches in width, with the rear track increasing by 2.1 inches.

Changes above the beltline included a newly designed two-door hardtop roof. In 1962 and 1963, the sedans and hardtops had to share the same roof panels out of necessity, but by 1964, there was both time and budget to create distinct designs for the two.

Since the roof design was to be shared between Dodge and Plymouth, a "bake off" took place between the two studios. One of Dodge's proposals was a heavily modified version of the 1962 Plymouth "Super Sport" roof, which Brownlie had been particularly fond of.

However, the Plymouth studio's design ultimately won out. It featured a wedge-shaped C-pillar that narrowed toward the base, with a subtle crease line running across the surface. The lower section of the new angled backlite wrapped around the pillars. The total glass area for the 1964 models was 1,275 square inches, compared to just 917 square inches for the 1962-1963 models.

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1964 Dodge B-Body Cars Design

For the 1964 Dodge B-body cars, including the Dodge Polara 500, a new roof was introduced, designed with racing in mind. After using more vertical pillars in previous years, the new roofline had a more rakish look, though it wasn’t as extreme as the aggressively sloped roofs added to the 1963 Fords and Mercurys midyear. These drastic roof angles were mainly driven by the need for improved aerodynamics in NASCAR racing, but this led to some uncomfortable comparisons between Dodge and Ford, putting Dodge's chief stylist, Bill Brownlie, in a difficult position.

One day in the summer of 1963, after attending a press preview at the Chrysler Proving Ground in Chelsea, Michigan, Brownlie returned to inform his team that the reporters had liked the new hardtop roof, but there was a problem. One journalist had asked, "What do you call it?" and Brownlie realized he had no name. The next day, he needed to provide an answer. Stylists spent hours brainstorming a suitable name, but none felt right. In the end, the new roof went unnamed.

The windshield was also redesigned. Initially, it wasn’t part of the plan, but Chrysler's design vice president Elwood Engel, eager to move away from Virgil Exner's "speedboat" cowl, managed to secure the funds needed for a new cowl panel. This was one of the priciest components to tool. Because the new cowl didn’t rise to meet the windshield, a new windshield was necessary. This change increased the glass area to 1,304 square inches, up from 1,147 in 1962-1963. The new windshield was also less slanted, and the A-pillar was narrowed and shifted slightly forward at its top.

The cost of these significant updates was an additional $3.60 per car, which contributed to the total tooling expenses for the 1964 models, which reached $24.7 million. This was nearly as high as the cost for the extensively revised 1963 models. Fortunately, these expenses could be distributed across two model years and four successful models: the 1964 Dodge and Plymouth, as well as the 1965 Coronet and Belvedere intermediates.

The new cowl necessitated the creation of a fresh instrument panel. Engel, who was unimpressed by Exner's minimalist design featuring a free-form cluster pod, insisted on a more traditional, straight-edged, full-width design. This new panel featured an overhanging lip that was padded in the Polara 500. The arrangement of instruments, dials, and controls was rather unremarkable, consisting of a mix of circles and rectangles.

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1964 Dodge Polara 500

On May 8, 1963, Chrysler's Technical Data Department released a booklet detailing the key features of the 119-inch-wheelbase Dodge for 1964. The Polara 500 described in this internal document was quite different from the version that eventually went into production.

Initially, the Polara 500 was planned to feature exclusive side trim. A diecast, horizontally ribbed texture was positioned in the U-shaped area of the front fender, from which a single molding extended along the body-side contour. The bright sill and wheel-lip moldings were retained from 1963, though the bumper extension casting was removed, replaced by a longer sill molding that stretched from the rear wheel and outlined the bumper end. The Polara 500 nameplate was incorporated into the front fender casting.

Other differences included a fully bright hood windsplit molding (previously silver and bright). At the rear, three square taillights were arranged per side and housed within a full-width textured chrome panel, with vertical backup lamps positioned next to the license plate.

Unfortunately, the streamlined, elegant version of the Polara 500 was never brought to production. On May 23, a letter was sent to the recipients of the original report, stating that in 1964, 'the Polara 500 will be marketed not as a separate premium-line automobile, but as a sport option on the Polara highline series.' Consequently, all of the unique exterior trim planned for the Polara 500 was canceled.

The production version of the Polara 500 featured a more cluttered side trim, designed by former Packard stylist George Krispinski. This trim incorporated the low-line 330-series 'trace' molding, with a wider double-rail molding painted black, positioned a few inches below it. This molding ran the length of the body and ended in a wider section that featured the series name.

For the Polara 500, the black molding was swapped out for an engine-turned silver insert, and a separate 'Polara 500' nameplate was added to the front fender. The chrome lower deck panel, which was initially an exclusive feature, was now included on all Polara models. Additionally, the red/white/red taillight arrangement bore a striking resemblance to the Chevrolet Impala's design. (At least the new convex wheel covers with fratzog spinners remained exclusive to the 500.)

Things took a turn for the worse when the letter clarified that, 'Since an engine is not included in the package, the [230-horsepower] 318-cubic-inch V-8 is the standard powerplant for the new Polara 500 sport option.' The price for the 500 package was set at $170, with an additional $71 for the two-barrel 383-cubic-inch V-8, and a $122 premium for the four-barrel variant.

The rationale behind this change was purely financial. The 'take rate' for the Polara 500 had dropped significantly in 1963, prompting Dodge product planners to conclude that continuing with the originally planned ornamentation for the 1964 500 was no longer a sound business choice. In hindsight, their decision proved correct: 17,787 customers chose the more affordable, less-distinctive 1964 Polara 500, more than doubling the sales of the 1963 model.

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Pentastar Logo

In the middle of the 1963 Dodge Polara 500 model year, Chrysler introduced the gold Pentastar logo, marking its new corporate identity. Positioned just behind the front wheel opening on the lower right fender, the Pentastar was placed on the passenger-side fender to ensure it would be noticed by those on the curbside, as they were most likely to view it.

While the 1964 Dodge Polara 500 no longer featured its unique exterior trim, its interior design remained distinct. The vinyl bucket seats had contrasting color accent bands in a U-shape that separated the smooth bolsters from the vertically pleated inserts. There were six standard interior colors to choose from, including black, which was added for the first time after Elwood Engel, Chrysler's vice president of design, discovered that black interiors were not available at the time and promptly rectified this oversight.

For those who still considered themselves part of "The Forward Look" era, the 1964 model year was a sad one, as it marked the end of Chrysler's beloved automatic-transmission pushbuttons. On the Polara 500, these were already replaced by a new floor console, which housed the four-speed manual or TorqueFlite shift levers. The console also featured a space for a tachometer at the front and included a padded armrest with lockable storage beneath.

Under the hood, engine options were mostly carried over from 1963. However, the base 426-cubic-inch wedge engine was now more user-friendly, featuring a single four-barrel carburetor, a milder camshaft, a 10.3:1 compression ratio, and producing 365 horsepower. For any 426 engine, upgraded brakes were included as standard. Additionally, a new Chrysler-designed A-833 four-speed manual transmission replaced the Borg-Warner T-10, offering a 11% increase in torque capacity.

Two special versions of the A-727B TorqueFlite were available for use with the more powerful 426 engines. The editors at Motor Trend returned to Riverside in a Polara 500, this time equipped with a 365-horsepower 426 four-speed hardtop. They achieved a 7.7-second 0-60 mph time, matching their 1963 record. The quarter-mile time was slightly slower at 15.9 seconds, but the top speed increased to 118 mph.

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Dodge's 50th Anniversary

In 1964, Dodge celebrated its 50th anniversary as an automaker in style. A special body color, "Anniversary Gold," was introduced, and a unique concept car named the "Charger" was unveiled for the auto-show circuit. The first Charger, based on the 1964 Polara 500, was a red two-seat roadster featuring a frameless, cut-down windshield and a squat roll bar with built-in headrests for both the driver and passenger. This prototype still exists in private hands today.

Powered by the 426-cubic-inch Hemi V-8, which had been introduced in February 1964, the Charger was built to perform on both the racetrack and dragstrip. One summer evening, Chrysler exec Elwood Engel took the car home, much to the amusement of his design team. The stylists secretly hoped for rain, not out of malice but because the sight of Engel stuck in traffic in his fancy, topless car would have been too perfect a moment to miss.

The 1964 B-bodies, introduced nationwide at Dodge dealerships on September 20, 1963—the earliest launch in Dodge history—were a huge success. By the end of the model year, 248,700 units had been produced, just 26,000 fewer than the related Plymouth models. With the inclusion of Dart and 880 models, Dodge surpassed the 500,000-unit milestone for the first time in its 50-year history, marking a nearly 12 percent increase over 1963. This success solidified Dodge's position at the heart of the mainstream market, a goal long pursued by both Engel and Chrysler president Lynn Townsend.

Despite the efforts to create a personal-luxury car for Dodge between 1962 and 1964, the plan was ultimately unsuccessful. Given the division's numerous challenges at the time, the Polara 500 was always a side project. By 1965, the Polara 500 was replaced by the new premium bucket-seat Monaco, which marked the beginning of a new era with the 121-inch wheelbase Dodge.

The Monaco, originally meant to serve as Dodge's personal-luxury model, had its trajectory altered just a year after its launch. In 1966, the Monaco name replaced the Custom 880, turning the renamed Monaco 500 into a trim-level variant. Though a 500 package remained an option on Polaras until 1969, it was never quite the same. Dodge's focus shifted from personal luxury to performance with the development of muscle cars like the big-engine Coronets, Chargers, and Challengers.

From a collector's standpoint, the 1964 Polara 500 is often considered the least desirable. It was the most-produced model, reducing its exclusivity, and it also lacked the distinct appearance that made the earlier models stand out. By 1964, the Polara 500 had become more of an option package than a standalone model. It also featured the smallest standard V-8 engine, further diminishing its appeal to enthusiasts.

Comparing the 1962 and 1963 models, the distinction between them is much tighter. Both had unique side trims and were individual models. The 1963 was produced in the smallest quantities, but it looked very similar to the lesser Polara models from the front or rear. The 1962, however, had a standout blacked-out grille and exclusive taillights with backup lights, making it the most visually distinctive. Although the 1962 Polara 500 featured the more unusual styling, its standard engine was the 361 V-8, while the 1963 came with the larger 383.

As a collectible, a 1962-1964 Polara 500 with a 413 or 426 Ramcharger V-8 would be the most valuable. However, while these larger engines are highly sought after, they aren't as practical for daily driving as the more manageable standard V-8 options.

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