1966 Dodge Polara With Unusual Badge Is a Bench-Seat Sleeper With a Big-Block Surprise

The full-size Polara isn't associated with the muscle car era, but that's not to say it was a slouch. Although Chrysler did not offer the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8 in large C-body automobiles, the Polara got a couple of high-compression big-block powerplants.

The lineup included the ubiquitous 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8 and the bigger 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB. The latter didn't get the Six-Pack setup that delivered 390 horsepower in the B-body Mopars, but the four-barrel version was plenty potent for a full-size car tipping the scales at nearly 4,200 pounds (1,905 kg). In 1969, it came with 375 horsepower on tap.

This two-door hardtop spotted at the 2024 Mopars with Big Daddy car show is an earlier version produced for the 1966 model year. The four-barrel 440 V8 was available at the time, but it was rated at 350 horsepower. This Polara may pack a tad more oomph, though, because the 440 appears to have gotten a few upgrades.

But that's not what makes this C-body stand out. The hardtop is a stunning restoration, and it's arguably the cleanest Polara I've seen in a long time. It also flaunts a rarely-seen color combo: an A4 Silver exterior and a two-tone blue interior. While it may not be as flashy as other combos from the era, I think these colors look fantastic together.

It's also a four-speed car, yet another scarce feature on the C-body. There are no statistics on how many hardtops got the three-pedal setup in 1966, but it's a known fact that C-body rigs were usually ordered with automatic transmissions. All told, this Polara is a bit of a sleeper. The front bench seat makes the package even more appealing in my book.

But this Mopar also carries a badge that shouldn't adorn a Polara. I'm talking about the red "R/T" emblem on the front grille. While Dodge did offer R/T versions of the Coronet and Charger (starting in 1967 and 1968, respectively), the badge never made it on the Polara. At least not in the United States.

Dodge actually offered a Polara R/T in Argentina, but the car had nothing in common with the American-made C-body. The Argentinian Polara was based on the compact Dart and also spawned a GTX version.

While I wouldn't slap an "R/T" emblem on a Dodge that didn't get it from the factory, I do get the owner's intention to signal a 1966 Polara that likely packs more punch than the standard version. It's the Polara R/T that Dodge never built (and should have). Check it out in the video below.