1966 Chrysler Newport

The 1966 Chrysler Newport remained as the company's entry-level model, offering comfort and versatility at a reasonable price. Above the Newport in Chrysler's 1966 hierarchy was the 300 Series and the range-topping New Yorker. All of the passenger cars had a 124-inch wheelbase platform while the station wagons measured 121 inches. The Newport was motivated by a 383 CID overhead-valve V8 with a Carter two-barrel carburetor, the 300 a four-barrel version of the 383 CID with 325 hp (55 more horsepower than the Newport), and the New Yorker used a 440 CID with 350 hp.

The 1966 Newport was built on an all-new Chrysler C platform that was shared with the 300 and New Yorker, with styling inspired by the square lines of the Lincoln Continental and the 1964 Imperial. Minor cosmetic changes were made to the grille and the rear deck area, and nameplates were placed on the rear quarter panels. On the lower-trim molding was a painted insert, which ran from the rear bumper to just in front of the front door hinge post. The remainder of the distance to the front bumper was filled with a non-painted trim piece.

All body styles came with fender skirts. The standard engine was an overhead valve V8 that displaced 383 cubic inches (6.3 liters) and offered 270 horsepower and 390 ft/lbs of torque. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, with a three-speed Torqueflite automatic available as optional equipment. Optionally available at extra cost was the 383 with four-barrel carburetion and 315bhp.

The interiors featured padded instrument panels, full carpeting, and choices of cloth-and-vinyl or all-vinyl standard bench or notchback bench seats with armrests. A Cleaner Air Package was available for emission control, and the optional list included safety features such as seat belts and a shoulder harness. The Golden TOne radio, AM/FM radio, Golden Touch Tuner, rear seat speaker, air conditioner, power seat, power door locks, power brakes, power steering, power windows, and a heater and defroster were also part of the extensive options list.

1966 Newport body styles included a four-door sedan priced at $3,754, a town sedan at $3,600, a hardtop coupe at $3,535, a hardtop sedan at $3,615, and a convertible at $3,900. The Town and Country six-passenger station wagon listed at $4,175 and the nine-passenger version was approximately $100 higher. The most popular body style was the sedan with 74,964 examples built, followed by 37,622 of the hardtop coupe, 24,966 of the hardtop sedan, 9,432 of the town sedan, and 3,085 of the convertible. The six-passenger T&C wagon was only slightly more popular than the 9-passenger version, with 9,035 units built compared to 8,567 of the 9-passenger version.

The combined 167,671 examples of the 1966 Newport represented approximately 63 percent of Chrysler's total production. For 1966, overall company sales rose more than 12 percent.

The Chrysler Newport was produced from 1940 to 1941, from 1949 to 1950, and from 1960 to 1981. The original Newport was a 1940 show car, of which just five examples were built.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2012