A couple of spreads from one of my 1965 Dodge brochures, featuring the Custom 880 6-window sedan at the top, and the brand-new "personal luxury" coupe, the Monaco: "For the man with unlimited taste" on the bottom. Umm, something tells me no Dodge dealer turned away women that were willing to sign on the dotted line! Click image to enlarge to a full 1500 pixels in width.
M Y C O L L E C T I O N — 1965 was a major transitional year for Chrysler and its Plymouth and Dodge divisions. This was the first year that Elwood Engel's "clean sheet" designs would be seen, the C-body full-sized cars. Engel's full-square, body pushed all-the-way-to-the-corners design ethic is clearly in evidence, in stark contrast with the former VP of design Virgil Exner's more flamboyant and exhuberant style.
Featured above is a sedan in what would be the Custom 880's last year. The Custom 880 shown in the catalog was the beautiful six-window sedan, a body style shared only with Chrysler for 1965, and the only year Dodge would utilize it. For '66 only the four-window sedan would be marketed by Dodge. Also pictured is the Monaco coupe in its first year on the market. Dodge was ever jealous of Pontiac's perennial sales lead over Dodge, and tended to come up with competitors for Pontiac on a model-for-model basis. The Grand Prix's rising star, and sales, didn't go unnoticed at Dodge, and for 1965 they came up with the specialty Monaco. It was only available in this svelte coupe, with a special 4-place interior, complete with Rattan trim on the dashboard, door panels and the backs of the front bucket seats.
For '66, Dodge would "water down" the Monaco nameplate, replacing the four-year old Custom 880 with sedans, coupes, and wagons, and the specialty Monaco coupe would become the Monaco 500.
I am wondering if the Custom 800 has any design influence on Japan taxis, which are by far the most comfortable car to ride in
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could be Woody! Engel wasn't quite as influential in the long run as Exner was, but he had some very good cars.
ReplyDeleteWell, these 65 big Dodges are just super, as are the Chrysler and Plymouth from the same year. I have this brochure and it really shows off the new era in styling very well. That 6-window sedan is very tasteful! I wonder how well the MOnaco's rattan has held up over 45 years!
ReplyDeleteI remember the 65 Chrysler brochure very well, too. They advertised "The most beautiful Chrysler ever" or something like that, and on the back cover they had pictures of the greenhouses of all the different models and the caption "seven new hats to go with our beautiful new outfit" or something to that effect. I haven't actually laid my hands on the actual brochure for a while!
Chrysler was on a roll in 65 and it lasted for a few years. They seem to be always on a roller coaster or is it bi-polar?
Paul, NYC
I think a bipolar person on a roller coaster would sum them up, lol. I don't have a Chrysler folder from those years, but I have a '65 Plymouth one I'll scan some time. I'm going to do more of this Dodge too. The Coronets have been called bland by CA, but I think they're quite attractive in a simple way. And the '65 Dart was good looking too, hanging on to its Exner roots until '67.
ReplyDeleteI think the Coronets (and the Belvederes) were very simple and handsome cars. Everything can't be a 59 Chevrolet!
ReplyDeleteI prefer the 63 Dart to any of the others -- the rear widnow treatment on the hardtops and sedans was so elegant -- I'm not sure why they changed that in 64!
Paul, NYC
GN CASEY GN
ReplyDeleteGRANNY