During the 1960s and part of the 1970s, the Polara was Dodge’s version of the Chevy Impala. It would be a popular alternative to the more expensive and better-equipped Monaco. The fourth and last generation was built between 1969 and 1973 with the “fuselage” styling that Chrysler employed back in the day. This 1972 Polara is a one-owner automobile that’s been sitting since 1977. It’s quite dirty and who knows what it will take to get it going again. From Peyton, Colorado, this large Mopar is available here on eBay for $3,000 (Buy It Now).
There were three trim levels of the Polars in 1972: regular, Custom, and Brougham. From the looks of things, this is a Custom edition which accounted for sales of 15,000 units as a 2-door hardtop like the seller’s car. This one has the 360 cubic inch V8 (which I think was new in ’72), paired with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The auto was only driven 52,000 miles before being parked 47 years ago for reasons unknown.
We’re told one of the windows is in broken out, which would explain the tremendous amount of dirt in the passenger compartment. It could have gotten in by the car being stored outdoors or inside a rather drafty barn. This is an estate sale vehicle and the title is MIA after all these years. Despite its hibernation, the body looks pretty good, though the vinyl top has all but disappeared.
No mention is made of any attempts to start the car since 1977. You would think the fuel system will need cleaning, a new battery installed, and new tires mounted, at a minimum, after the car is thoroughly detailed. Perhaps all this might result in a driver-quality car and a restoration might prove costly. When was the last time you saw one of these Dodges in person since they’re not hot items in the vintage car arena?
Nice one, Russ! This one is painfully tempting at that price.
I owned a 1972 Polara Custom fully equipped like this example with a 360. It was brown with a cream vinyl roof and tan interior. My car had the power options and cornering lamps. I was still envious of the Monaco’s concealed headlights. It had 2 broken motor mounts. Boy that motor lifted! Dad said, “Get that fixed!”. I did!
This one is loaded, including cornering lights. I don’t see a power steering pump, which could just be the picture, but the space in front of the engine looks like enough can be seen that the pump is missing. The 360 made enough power to keep you happy even if it did not press you into the seats.
Cruise control and factory A/C, and Power windows. Nicely optioned car. Needs a lot of cleaning, though.
Agreed. Well-optioned car with an OUTSTANDING body for a mopar this age (trunk looks great, though I’d suspect driver’s side floor might need swapped out, even if this was taken care of). Great starting point for a project.
The Fuselage styling was definitely POLARIZING. Never found it to my tastes. This poor car would take a lot of TLC and $ to bring it back. Have frequently heard that the 360 could have issues. Later Royal Monaco Brougham had much more appeal for me. BUT fortunately we can STILL have our own opinions! 🇺🇸 Not sure how much longer 😕
No issues with a 360 , its a dependable engine
I had a 360 in my ’72 Polara Custom wagon. It was a good engine, plenty of power, but it was also a guzzler. I changed the factory Holley carb to a Carter BBD, and that helped. But it was still a very thirsty car. Frankly, IMHO, the additional torque from the 360 was only useful for towing. The 318 was far less thirsty and gave adequate power for daily use. When the trans went, I put a 1981 A727A in it, which helped highway mileage a lot, but did nothing for town driving.
Thing I always found odd: My ’68 Monaco wagon was 400lbs heavier and had a 383, but was not as thirsty as the 360 in the ’72. I had a ’72 Monaco 4-dr hardtop with a 400 that was also a guzzler and gave no better performance than the 383. What I’d really like to have is a ’72 or ’73 Monaco wagon with a 440.
I actually like the window styling of the 2-door C-body Mopars from 1972. The Dodge might have the worst front and rear end styling of the three but this one looks remarkably rust-free. I only wonder why this car was parked after only 5 years of service. And the 360 was introduced in 1971; I remember seeing some 1971 Furys with 360 badges below the front side markers.
I’m a big Fuselage fan. I’ll never forget seeing a brand new ’72 Polara Custom coupe sitting on the street next to the showroom of the dealership, silver, black vinyl roof, black buckets, gorgeous. No Brougham trim level was offered in ’72, Custom was the top.
A nice one period! Think of the survival rate of these compared to the Challenger of which far fewer were built. I would buy this in a minute if I did not have enough projects for three life times and it wasn’t on the darkside of the moon from me. There is a 71 Fury locally right now priced simular with the paisley top and I am going through withdrawals. This is the one to buy as it was special to someone long ago, an off beat car in two door form with all the right stuff. The other bonus, unmolested right down to the original wheel covers..