This Polara exists because of a rumor gone wrong: Chrysler's president overheard and misunderstood a GM executive, and panic-shrunk the whole lineup to match a downsizing Chevy never actually did.
Median 90 hp across 208 similar cars
Lead trim: Polara 225 slant-6 I6 · up to 305 hp
Dodge Polara mid-size B-bodyPOLARA-1962 · 1962–1964
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Dodge Polara mid-size B-body yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis Polara exists because of a rumor gone wrong: Chrysler's president overheard and misunderstood a GM executive, and panic-shrunk the whole lineup to match a downsizing Chevy never actually did.
All Dodge models were redesigned with smaller, lighter, sculpted bodies on 116 in (2,946 mm) wheelbases for 1962 (the first Chrysler B-body), after Chrysler's president misunderstood Chevrolet chief Ed Cole to have said Chevrolet's largest cars would be downsized; the resulting cars were found stylistically awkward and sized closer to Ford's new Fairlane, and a new full-size model, the Custom 880, was rushed out on 21 January 1962. For 1962 there was no model named "Polara" (the models were the Dart 440 and Dart 330, marketed in Canada as the Dodge 440 and 330, with a Canada-only base 220); the basic body continued until 1964, revised and lengthened by the new Chrysler vice president of styling Elwood Engel, on a 119 in (3,023 mm) wheelbase from 1963, when the Polara range included a four-door sedan and the Dart name moved to Dodge's compacts (the former Lancer). The 1964 models had a revised front end and new tail lamps (six small square taillights on the Polara, Chevrolet Impala-inspired, four on lower-trim models), a new "C" pillar and a significant sales increase. These mid-size Dodges competed successfully as stock cars in NASCAR and in stock-automatic drag racing, with optional V8s up to 413 cu in (6.8 L); the Polara 500 is catalogued as its own generation. Engines: 225 cu in (3.7 L) slant-6, 318 cu in (5.2 L), 361 cu in (5.9 L), 383 cu in (6.3 L), 413 cu in (6.8 L) and 426 cu in (7.0 L) RB V8s; length 208.1 in. The page gives no power figures except for the Polara 500.
Collectors Spotted in the Dodge Polara Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Dodge Polara yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
6 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polara 225 slant-6 I6 | 1962–1964 | 3.7 L Inline-6 | 145 hp | 215 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Polara 318 A V8 | 1962–1964 | 5.2 L V8 | 230 hp | 340 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Polara 361 B V8 | 1962–1964 | 5.9 L V8 | 305 hp | 395 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Polara 383 B V8 | 1962–1964 | 6.3 L V8 | 305 hp | 410 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Polara 413 B V8 | 1962–1964 | 6.8 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Polara 426 RB V8 | 1962–1964 | 7.0 L V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
A plain-looking police Polara held a speed record for 25 years: 149.6 mph, the fastest four-door sedan on Chrysler's test track, until a 1994 Caprice finally beat it.
The Argentine Dodge Polara borrowed its name from Dodge's big American sedans, but underneath it was really a reskinned 1967-69 Dodge Dart.
Argentina's hottest engine ever lived in this car: the Dodge GTX's 318 cubic-inch V8 is considered the most powerful engine Argentina ever produced.
Dodge's full-size comeback came with a catch: 383-powered Polaras of this era averaged just 13.8 mpg, a number owners complained about even in an era of cheap gas.
The downsized '62 Polara exists because Chrysler's president overheard Chevy's chief and misread it as a sign GM's big cars were shrinking — so Dodge frantically shrank its whole lineup to match a Chevy downsizing that was never actually happening.
This Polara exists because of a rumor gone wrong: Chrysler's president overheard and misunderstood a GM executive, and panic-shrunk the whole lineup to match a downsizing Chevy never actually did.
Virgil Exner's reversed-fin 1961 redesign bombed so badly that full-size Dodge sales crashed to their lowest since the company's 1914 founding — just 14,032 built.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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