Welcome to Down On The Street, where we be surprised at old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. The “fuselage” early-70s Chrysler is pretty well represented in this series, through this ‘71 Newport and this ‘71 Newport Royal, but for the reason that yesterday’s ‘70 Newport Royal ad made me close to break extinguished the photos of today’s vast two-door luxury machine. The 1970-71 Chrysler C-body is actually one of my favorite Detroit body styles of all time (with the 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst being the ultimate), and I’ve often considered leaving a “How much do you want?” note on today’s DOTS car.


How many acres is that hood? The standard engine for the ‘70 Newport was a 383 with 290 horsepower, still the Chrysler dealer could get you a 350-horse 440. Get the 300 Hurst and you got 370 horsepower from your 440. Sadly, a 4-speed hand-book transmission was not beneficial from the factory.


There’s the usual rust you see around the rear windows on Northern California Detroit cars by vinyl tops, thanks to the rainy winters here. Otherwise, the car seems very solid. It looks advantage driving and sounds just better.


At 4,100 pounds, this car isn’t quite as heavy as its vast size suggests. Hey, it’s only 200 pounds heavier than the new Camaro SS! Still, prehistoric engine technology and a 3-speed slushbox means it probably swills elastic fluid like the oil wells will never run dry.



First 300 DOTS Vehicles • DOTS FAQ