1962 Chrysler Newport, Rare by Greg Zyla

Q: Greg, I own a 1962 Chrysler Newport 2-door coupe. I have been told by several sources but can't confirm that it is one of seven built as a dealer display model.

The story goes that Chrysler spies reported that Ford and Chevy were down-sizing middle class cars (Fairlane, Chevy II), so Dodge and Plymouth attempted the same. This left nothing full-sized to compete with in the under $3,000 market.

My car reportedly was one of seven built with a Dodge 880 body, a 1961 Newport front clip, a 361 V8, 3-speed manual shift on the floor, a 40/60 bench seat, crank windows, manual steering, and brakes.

Each one of the seven built had one option, and mine has a gold tone radio. These cars were sent to dealers to be priced at $2,939.00. The car that I have went to a dealer in Hay Springs, Nebraska.

I have the build sheet but no one can find production records. I took my car to Legendary Auto Interior and they won't touch it because they can't replace the crank window door panels.

My Father was a Chrysler tech in the 1960's, but never saw one like this and there is nothing in any of his old manuals. The Chrysler museum at Dearborn, Michigan, could only find records for 10 three speed transmissions which were sent to my car's assembly plant.

Could you please help me find out what I have and what my car's value is?
Brian K., Sodus Pt., NY

A: Brian, I’m hoping one of our readers out there can help you out, as all of the people I’ve spoken to about your car came back with the same information you received, a big zero. However, because you have the build sheet, it at least proves that the car was indeed factory built and worthy of some additional price considerations with the 3-speed floor shift.

However, here’s what I’ve been able to uncover, so read on. Chrysler first used the Newport name way back in the 1940s and 1950s, but it wasn’t until 1961, as you already know, that the Newport became a stand-alone model.

The lower price, full-size entry-level 1961 Newport carried a base price of $2,964 with the 361 V8, which is very close to your $2,939 car’s value. With the demise of the DeSoto line, the Newport was an instant hit, even in “plain Jane” version. Many had crank windows, but I don’t remember any with that 3-speed on the floor.

As we move to 1962, which is your model’s year, Chrysler continued to use the 1961 body, which would mirror your car’s 1961 front end. However, over at sibling Dodge, Chrysler gave the OK to share the full-size Newport body and called it the 880 line. However, the 1962 Dodge models used the 1961 Dodge front clip and the Newport's nice looking rear end clip and interior. The Dodge Custom 880 became available in January of 1962.

In your case, however, it seems your Chrysler has the Newport front end and, since Dodge shared the Newport rear clip, your car actually has the official Newport rear clip, too, so the way I see it, your car is 100-percent Chrysler as it was Dodge that shared the Chrysler rear body/interior and chassis with the Dodge front end in 1962. The rear of a 1962 Dodge Custom 880 is exactly the same as the Chrysler Newport, sans the badges.

Hope this helps initially, but your car’s 3-speed manual on the floor delivered from the factory with build sheet make this all the more interesting to look into further. I’ll also check some pricing and get back to you.

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