1965 Chrysler Newport

Tom writes:  My unrestored 1965 Chrysler Newport came from the factory with the police package options, 4 speed transmission and air conditioning. When I bought the Mopar it had been stored since the 1970s. A clean up, AC charge — and I was on the road!

To backtrack, before I took possession, I had the original owner’s wife take the Chrysler to a mechanic to check it over because I intended to drive the Mopar from Texas to Iowa. The mechanic said he wouldn’t be afraid to drive the Newport anywhere, but he told the owner to give me 2 gallons of 50/50 antifreeze before I headed north. That was due to a couple of expansion plugs in the block leaking. Only one glitch on the trip: the speedometer cable broke somewhere north of Wichita and a new inner cable did not fix the problem; so I’ve got a new control head ready to go in when the mileage is right.

I first saw this Mopar on ebay but did not buy it then. I later kicked myself and decided I should have bought the car. I made a phone call to the newspaper in the town where the Chrysler was listed as being located. A small Texas town where everyone knew everyone, I soon located the Chrysler. The original owner revealed that the Chrysler had been purchased new by her husband at their nearby Chrysler dealer. It seems the Chrysler was ordered for the local police department but the funding for the purchase fell through. So her husband bought the Chrysler, very happy with the beefed-up brakes, suspension, and electrical system.

I am a Fire Inspector so I decided to personalize the Chrysler: I added period Motorola radios, top emergency light, and door emblem.

I have contacted Chrysler Historical to get the build sheet decoded. View a bigger-sized build sheet.

Now I enjoy the Chrysler. The AC still leaks refrigerant, but will be good to go by summer 2012. We pulled the motor shortly after I bought the Mopar and installed new frost plugs and several gaskets, a carburetor kit and tuned the big block up. The engine runs OK  — but I may opt for more power in the future.

Contact Tom:  

Thanks Tom!

That is a seldom-seen Chrysler, especially with a standard transmission! My understanding^*is that 1964 Chrysler Newports officially were the last Chrysler-badged cop cars made until 1979. It looks like your 1965 Chrysler was specially-ordered by the dealer for a police department using 1964 Chrysler police package as a guide.  

^*[Note: Tom later wrote that an employee from the Chrysler museum confirmed this understanding.]

Gary H.

August 30, 2011