I've found quite a few early-70s big Chryslers on the island, including this '71 Newport 4-door, so it's time to get another one of of these Detroit survivors its day of fame. I found this '71 Newport Royal 2-door hardtop in the same neighborhood as the '42 Pontiac Torpedo, and it parks on the street every day- no garage coddling for this C-body!

The Newport Royal was the entry-level big Chrysler for '71 (yes, the Royal was cheaper than the regular Newport). The real high rollers (those who didn't go for the Imperial) bought New Yorkers.


The standard engine in the Newport Royal was the 360 small-block, but the 383 and 440 big-blocks were reasonably inexpensive options. At 4,060 pounds, this brute was even heavier than the new Challenger, so the bigger engine was worth getting.


I've always thought the C-body coupes of this era were great-looking cars, and someday I want to build my own '70 Hurst 300H clone (with a 4-speed, to remedy Chrysler's slushbox-only mistake on the original 300Hs). Someday.

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