Over 250 Mopar_® Project Cars to be Sold Online at NO RESERVE!

Gather ‘round, Mopar fanatics! It’s time for another of our weekly auction preview stories focused on the 250-plus vehicle online estate auction scheduled for early October of this year (2021). In each of these weekly previews, we’ll focus on another handful of vintage Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, DeSoto and Imperial project vehicles that are all going to be sold online this fall with no reserve.

In case you’re new to the auction scene, the term “no reserve” means every item is going to sell … even if the highest bid is far less than the actual value of the item. No reserve auctions are a great way to get the vintage Mopar project car of your dreams for a very affordable price.

The auctioneer behind this history-making event is Spanky Assiter, founder of Spanky’s Freedom Car Auctions of Texas and former Barrett-Jackson lead auctioneer. Spanky got the call to liquidate this massive outdoor hoard of vintage Mopar vehicles from the executors of the John Haynie estate in early 2021.

John Haynie, the Texas gentleman who amassed this huge collection of prime vintage tin, was sadly taken by a terminal illness at age 52. But we celebrate his foresight and good taste here while putting these great cars back into circulation after slumbering for as many as 30 years in the dry Texas prairie.

So read closely and be sure to click on the video link to learn more about the cars and light trucks that will all find new homes in early October as the Great Texas Mopar Hoard Auction Event plays out!

1964 Chrysler Newport: Lot #18

Though the body style seen on this nifty 1964 Chrysler Newport four-door sedan was only seen for two model years (1963 and 1964), folks over the age of 40 probably recall a time when these large vehicles, with their assertive trapezoidal grilles and horizontally aligned headlamps, were a common sight on the road. Things have changed and what was once common has become scarce – and desirable.

This one is a sedan – with a fixed-B-pillar and full door frames – and is by far the most popular body style offered in the 1964 Chrysler line. Of the 85,183 Newports built that year, a whopping 55,957 were four-door sedans like this. Pillar-less hardtops, wagons, convertibles and two-doors made up the rest of the mix. America loved these cars!

And while this one wears “Turner County Sheriff’s Patrol” door and trunk graphics and a big blue emergency light on the roof, a check of the VIN reveals a starting sequence that reads “814”, which tells us it’s a Chrysler (8), Newport (1) from the 1964 model run (4). If the second digit was a “9”, we’d know it was originally built as a Police model. It’s not clear if this car was given a “police” makeover by a fan – or if it really saw duty in law enforcement. Either way, the body is solid and shows no signs of rust or rust repair work.

Under the hood are 361 2-barrel big block, push-button-activated 727 Torqueflite^® automatic transmission, power-assisted drum brakes and power steering. Inside, the original bench seat upholstery, floor carpeting, head liner and door panels are all in excellent condition, making this a solid candidate for a mechanical once-over to get it back on the road – where it belongs! Be sure to watch the walk-around video for more details.

1957 Plymouth Belvedere: Lot #19

Suddenly it’s 1960! That’s what the world said when the 1957 Mopar vehicles were unveiled for the first time. With the industry’s lowest beltline, cleanest lines, most glass and highest tail fins, the rest of Detroit looked “three years older” by comparison. Many say it was stylist Virgil Exner’s finest work.

This 1957 Plymouth Belvedere four-door hardtop is one of 37,446 made. Without the sedan’s fixed B-pillar and full door frames, the hardtop delivers a breezy, open air experience with all windows rolled down on a sunny day. The interior is all there with all gauges and the factory AM radio still in place. And of course, the torsion bar front suspension (making its debut in ’57) is all there.

Under the sleek “pancake” hood, the original 301-cubic-inch polyspherical V8 remains, complete with the optional “Power Pack” four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust boosting the 301 two-barrel’s 215-horsepower up to 235 horses. The only thing better was the optional Dual Fury 318 V8’s 290 horsepower – thanks to dual quads.

As the accompanying video demonstrates, this lucky survivor is mostly free from the terminal rust that consumed many 1957 Mopar vehicles within their first decade. And while this four-door is loaded with many rust-free panels that could be very helpful in the restoration of a more desirable two-door Fury model, this four-door hardtop is so solid it’d be a shame not to get it running again for all the world to enjoy. Learn more by watching the accompanying video.

1961 Plymouth Savoy Suburban Wagon: Lot #21

There was a time, long before the rise of the Chrysler minivan (and its many imitators), when American families moved around in large station wagons like this 1961 Plymouth Savoy. There was also a time when it was possible to purchase what was known as a “stripper” – a car assembled with minimal extra cost options and the smallest engine offered.

Those two realms merge with Lot 21, a 1961 Plymouth Savoy Suburban station wagon. At the time, Plymouth offered just two model lines, the compact A-Body Valiant and the full sized C-Body, which could be had as the Savoy, Belvedere and Fury with cost and complexity rising on each successive nameplate.

With its manual drum brakes, manual steering, column-shifted three-speed manual transmission and 225 Slant Six engine, the only extra cost options found on this austere people mover are a heater ($74) and AM radio ($35). With its base price of $2,670, the total cost with options came to $2,779.

Still wearing its original two-tone blue colors and, most likely, much of its factory-applied exterior paint, only the slightest bubbles of rust are beginning to form down low on the rear quarter panels. The under hood area is pristine though the Slant Six is missing its one-barrel carburetor and starter motor.

Records show that just 12,980 of these entry-level, four-door wagons were built in 1961. How many remain today? More importantly, how many remain today in nearly 100-percent original condition? Though the bizarre styling triggered a 21.77-percent sales slump versus 1960, that’s all irrelevant today as collectors and enthusiasts alike clamor for surviving examples of Virgil Exner’s swansong designs. See the walk-around video for more details.

1966 Plymouth Belvedere II Custom Pickup: Lot #22

Have you ever wondered what Plymouth’s answer to the Chevy El Camino and Ford Ranchero might have looked like? Though neither Plymouth nor Dodge ever went after the “Ute” market here in America, Chrysler of Australia’s April 1965 launch of the Valiant Wayfarer Utility used the compact A-Body platform to deliver a pint-sized pickup truck down under.

None of it answers the question stateside, which is where Lot Number 22 comes in. Based on a 1966 Plymouth RH45E6 Belvedere II station wagon, some enterprising Texan sliced and diced it into a very appealing El Camino act-alike. Maybe we call it Bel-Camino?

Powered by a swapped-in LA series 318 two-barrel (not the original Polyspherical 318) with a column-shifted Torqueflite automatic, aftermarket air conditioning and cruise control add convenience and comfort. The four-wheel drum brakes are non-assisted though power steering takes a load off up front.

Out back, the original station wagon load floor does duty as the cargo bed while the rear doors have been permanently molded closed with very nice body work hiding all surgery scars. Rolling stock consists of original equipment 14×5.5 inch Magnum 500 rims of 1967-’68 (all-chrome) vintage and white wall radial tires.

The compulsory magnet check (for rust) indicates solid bones throughout for this what-if Ranchero contender. See more in the walk-around video.

1965 Chrysler 300L: Lot #25

The Beautiful Brute for 1965 was the last of the line for Chrysler’s fabled 300 “Letter Cars” and wore the “L” suffix. While lesser 300 Sport (non-letter) models were offered since the 1962 model run, only the Letter Cars delivered top-tier power and performance. They were indeed full-size muscle cars, complete with heavy-duty suspension and huge 11-inch drum brakes.

For 1965, the 300L shared all-new bodywork with more pedestrian Newports and New Yorkers, but was quickly identified at night by its centrally mounted running lamp situated in the grille. Behind that distinctive grille was a standard issue 413-cubic-inch wedge with a full 360 horsepower. The standard issue 8-3/4 rear axle packs 300L-specific 3.23:1 gearing. It is unknown if the optional Sure Grip limited-slip differential is present.

Though a handful of the 2,845 1965 300Ls built (440 convertibles and 2,405 hardtops) came with a factory-installed four-speed manual transmission, this one is equipped with a console-shifted 727 Torqueflite automatic transmission. The leather-covered front bucket seats and special “300L” console button are still present along with the L-only 150 mph speedometer.

Beyond all that is the fantastic rust-free condition of the body, which still wears most of its factory-applied Regal Gold surface paint and stainless steel full wheel covers. Oh, and did we mention it’s got Chrysler’s excellent Air Temp air conditioning system? That’s the story of Lot Number 25. See the walk-around video to learn more!

Check out these other great Mopar vehicles and let us know which one is your favorite!

The Great Texas Mopar_® Auction: Part II

1964 Chrysler Newport: Lot #18

1957 Plymouth Belvedere: Lot #19

1961 Plymouth Savoy Suburban Wagon: Lot #21

1966 Plymouth Belvedere II Custom Pickup: Lot #22

1965 Chrysler 300L: Lot #25

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