Vehicle Description
1962 Dodge Polara 500 Hardtop
The start of the Sixties saw several new types of cars sprouting up
in America as Detroit began fine tuning its marketing. The
1962-1964 Dodge Polara 500 was one example. Aside from compacts,
there were also "personal luxury" cars and high performance
specials built to a formula that included V8 engines, unique trim,
and bucket seats. When Dodge mixed these ingredients, it cooked up
the 1962-1964 Dodge Polara 500.
For consignment, a 1962 Dodge Polara 500 with a title verified
10,110 actual miles and 1 of only 12 1962 Polaras to receive the
413ci Max Wedge engine and 1 of 5 with the 3-speed manual 410hp
combination. Even with 1,100 cars in our building, (at time of
writing), this stands as one of rarest and if you're not a Mopar
Head, you might not know such a beast exists. This one was restored
in the late 80's and early 90's. Let's take a closer look.
Exterior
Leave it to Virgil Exner who helped pen this unique exterior
styling for the 1962 model year for the Polara. The high beam
headlights are tucked into bright recesses in the upper corners of
the vertical grille work, while the low beam headlights are housed
in circular chrome bezels nestled under the fender blades. Both
locations have their unique features and the bright bezels on the
outer low beam lamps are also unusual in that the inner bezel was a
ring of white plastic. At the rear, the staggered lamp look is
repeated in the diagonally biased arrangement of four small
circular lamps, with the inboard lamps mounted higher than the
outboard. A sculpted blade in the body side sheet metal curves over
the rear wheel and then rises rearward to meet the upper lamp and
inside it, design trim in blue reminiscent of a jet as it ends at
one afterburner tail light, standing out against the Polar White
paint. Blue also adorns the shoulder line spear that flows its way
onto the hood and is bordered by polished trim. The belt line is
notched up aft of the front door to reduce the height, (and cost),
of the rear side glass. The base of the windshield is pulled
further forward at the centerline to meet the rising "speedboat"
cowl and the entire exterior design is a complex treat for the eyes
and is in very good condition. Imperfections include some filler
work down low, cracks in the paint down low as well, scratches,
chips, and some bubbling
Interior
A swing of the doors and this will throw you back with its early
mid century drippings with door panels that are two tone light blue
and white in vinyl, the rising insert in stitched pattern. The
front bucket seats keep the colors but this time putting the
stitches on blue inserts around white surroundings. The back seats,
in fact, the entire back of the cabin is a beautifully coordinated
presentation in blue and white, airy and light and stylish and all
is looking good. A white steering wheel is offered to the driver
with a chrome horn ring, and it leads to a wonderful instrument
cluster that is symmetrical, two circle gauges on each side of a
circled Dodge emblem under a horizontal speedometer and underscored
by ribbed metal trim and the push button vent controls. We note
some patina on the cylindrical rims of the gauges. An AM radio,
looking original, is dead center of the dash while a simple Hurst
shifter rises from the floor and is topped with a white handle.
Blue low pile carpet on the floor is in good condition with built
in heel pad for the driver, its circular features copied on the
three pedals at your disposal. Metal braces cross a white
perforated headliner that's in great shape and the trunk looks
showroom fresh with plaid pad and space saver spare.
Drivetrain
And there it is, in all its orange glory, the 413ci Max Wedge motor
rated at 410 horsepower and fueled by split dual 4-barrel
carburetors adding up to eight barrels of Mopar fun. A Borg Warner
3-speed manual transmission sends that big herd of horses to the 8
� inch rear with SureGrip. Drum brakes live in front and rear. The
bay itself is very clean and the engine's configuration presents a
rare show stopping layout.
Undercarriage
Clean but not concours level underneath, it's mostly free of
surface rust, present only on hardware such as clamps and random
occurrences. A light film of oil is on the transmission pan but
that's the only fluid we see on this otherwise dry underside. The
dual exhaust takes an interesting path with capped short outlets
that start heading towards the sides, as the standard pipes keep
going to run tandem down the car to find a pair of stock style
mufflers finally terminating on either side of the gas tank just
before the bumper. Just before the junction of the cut-outs,
there's an H-pipe, shaped more like a U to join the two sides.
Torsion bar suspension is noted up front with leaf springs in the
back.
Drive-Ability
The simplicity of the pedestrian interior along with the stylish
exterior design belie the belly of the beast, where a 410 horse
powerplant awaits for what would be a brisk ride for the family on
a Sunday drive in the country. It powers up with all the gusto
something called "Max Wedge" should and propels this car eagerly
onto our test loop, delivering substantial acceleration with a soft
ride and decent handling and braking that is pedestrian in
comparison. This nicely restored car gets a passing grade for all
operational items in the car. While Classic Auto Mall represents
that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we
cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of
your purchase.
Our consignor indicates this car has won awards and has been
featured in magazines and as one of 12, we don't doubt it. This is
a piece of Mopar history, even if somewhat obscure to the general
public, but it will be your job to educate them and boy, wait until
the jaws drop when you open the hood. This is one for the
discerning collector and if you don't have a collection, this would
be an amazing first addition!
5422164599
5-Polara 500
4-Polara
2-1962
2-Detroit, MI Assy Plant
164599-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
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