1965 Chrysler 300 Number Produced: 1,418
Original Price: $3,852 Current Price: $15,400–$44,500
1965–67 Lincoln Continental Number Produced: 9,042
Original Price: $5,553–$6,798 Current Price: $15,300–$57,200
1965–68 Chevrolet Impala (small-block)
Number Produced: 127,427 (not incl. 1966, numbers n/a)
Original Price: $3,041–$3,197 Current Price: $10,500–$54,400
lously preserved or properly restored is the key to immediate enjoyment and a lower cost in the long run.
1971–76 CADILLAC ELDORADO
The front-wheel-drive Eldorado benefitted from a massive redesign for 1971, and this larger body/chassis architecture carried it through the end of its final second-generation iteration in 1976. Recall that in the early 1970s, safety concerns, among other factors, brought convertible production and sales to their collective knees. GM was so sure that the convertible as a body style would go away that Cadillac’s product types dreamed up a special
The Lincoln Continental, Cadillac Eldo- rado and Chrysler 300 (below and left) are proof that whether you’re a Ford, GM or Mopar guy or gal, there’s a big, reliable drop top for you.
“Bicentennial Edition” model for 1976, finished in white, with a white top and white upholstery. Each one wears a small plaque declaring: “This 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado is one of the last 200 identical U.S. production convertibles.” These are rare, and good ones are beyond our price ceiling.
The Eldo lineup was largely carryover during the early ’70s, with bumpers growing larger, interiors ever more opulent, and grille designs evolving over the years. A 500-cubic-inch V-8 had replaced the 472 in 1970. These cars don’t drive, they waft, and are also good examples of the “buy one done” philosophy of investing in the best example you can find and afford. They ride like velvet and seat six, reminding you and everyone else within eyeshot that you have, literally and figuratively, arrived, mid-70s style.
1965–68 CHEVROLET IMPALA
Year in and year out, Chevrolet con- tinually proves to be one of America’s favorite collector car brands. And the new-for-1965 full-size Chevys were a knockout hit. With swoopier styling than their predecessors, the ’65 Chevy was offered with a variety of pow- ertrains and comfort/convenience/lux- ury options so it could be tailored into any sort of car the buyer wanted. Don’t expect to find a solid, well-restored or -preserved Impala SS ragtop in our price range, but a modestly equipped, non-SS V-8 Impala isn’t out of the ques-
tion. Parts are plentiful and affordable, so if you find or buy one that needs work, it’s a simpler, less expensive job than restoring a Caddy, Chrysler or Lin- coln. A two-barrel-carbureted 327 V-8 and Powerglide automatic powertrain will move the car along with spirit and deliver reasonable fuel economy. The 1966 models showed only minor styling and equipment revisions, although the ’67 restyle was substantial, with a lon- ger, more voluptuous body and more aggressive visage. The ’68 evolved sim- ilarly. All of these mid-late-60s Chevy convertibles offer lots of top-down fun and good value.
1965 CHRYSLER 300
Everyone remembers that when Britt Reid was in “Green Hornet” guise, he rode in a rolling arsenal called Black Beauty — a heavily customized 1966 Chrysler Imperial. But while in street clothes, the prominent newspaper pub- lisher drove a ’65 Chrysler 300 convert- ible. Chrysler offered two 300 models that year: the high-performance “letter car” 300L, with a high-horsepower 413 V-8 and heavy-duty suspension, as well as a less performance-oriented 300 with a standard 383.
This non-letter 300 slots in above the Newport and below the New Yorker, and it fits squarely into our price window. The 300 is a long, lush, purely American two-door convertible with front end styling resembling that of the ’66 Imperial. Most power acces-
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