Good morning! Today we have another pair of cars with the most gossamer-thin connections between them: Both of today’s choices have V8 engines, and hail from the 1970s. Apart from that, they have very little in common. But why let that stop us from comparing them?
Yesterday’s front-wheel-drive European coupes were more evenly matched than I expected. In the end, the Italian drop-top won the day, though I expected it to win by more. Like me, a lot of you really would like to know exactly why it isn’t drivable. But I think, when it comes to Italian cars, the fact that it isn’t rusty is more important. Mechanical parts just bolt on; rust repair will drive you insane long before it drains your bank account dry.
Personally, I’d have a really hard time choosing. I’ve always wanted an Italian car, but a Lancia Beta would not be my first choice, or second. (Maybe fourth or fifth.) And the Quantum hatchback isn’t the same as my beloved Scirocco, or the Dasher that my family used to have, but it looks kind of similar if you squint. In the end, Ziggy would probably say there’s about a fifty-four percent likelihood that I’d take the Quantum leap.
Now then: Today is one of those days I expect to be a complete blowout, but we’ll see what happens. Without further ado, I present to you two very different ways of putting eight pistons in two banks ninety degrees apart.
1976 Chrysler Newport – $2,450
Engine/drivetrain: 400 cubic inch overhead valve V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Eugene, OR
Odometer reading: 74,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs electrical/steering column work
I did a double-take when I saw this car. One of the most uncomfortable car rides of my life happened in the supremely soft and welcoming interior of a Newport (or maybe New Yorker?) almost exactly like this. I went to Thanksgiving dinner with a girlfriend in college, and her dad and I did not get along. I can’t even remember what I said or did, but he was not happy about his daughter dating the likes of me. But he wasn’t about to come across as petty or unwelcoming, so we went to dinner anyway, all piling into his white two-door Chrysler, driving through a Minnesota snowstorm at precisely 55 miles per hour in complete silence. Good times.
But she ended up breaking my heart anyway, so to hell with what her dad thought. Let’s check out this car. What we have here is the last of the really big Chryslers, before they were downsized in 1979. It is smaller than the model that preceded it, in much the same way that a jackhammer is quieter than a Mötley Crüe concert. It’s still a massive, heavy car. To power such a beast, you need displacement, four hundred cubic inches of it, to be exact. Whatever faults Chrysler may have had in the ’70s, the big-block B engine was not one of them. Nor was the A-727 Torqueflite transmission behind it. This one is in fine operating condition, and breathes through a custom true dual exhaust.
Behind the wheel, things aren’t so rosy. The seat upholstery is toast, and the wiring under the dash “has been butchered,” according to the seller. The windshield wipers are inoperative, and the ignition switch is wired to a good old toggle-switch-and-push-button arrangement. The column-mounted gearshift is also damaged; the seller says the detents are gone and it’s hard to figure out what gear it’s in. Whether these issues are connected to the car’s salvage title they don’t say, but it does sound a bit like a recovered theft.
But it’s big, it’s badass, it’s cheap, it’s rust-free, and you can drive it home, if you can find Drive. They don’t make ’em like this anymore, which is probably a good thing, but I am glad there are still a few around.
1978 Porsche 928 – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 4.5 liter overhead cam V8, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Silver City, NM
Odometer reading: listed as 12345, so probably unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives great
I love finding cars in places they don’t “belong.” In the comments of a recent “Autopian Asks” post, I mentioned seeing a newish Ram pickup street-parked in Paris, just a few blocks from the Louvre. It’s a vehicle that’s as common as dandelions here, but seeing it in that setting made it remarkable. Likewise, a bright red Porsche 928 wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow in the circular driveway outside Caesar’s Palace (or wouldn’t have in the ’80s), but it’s not the sort of car you expect to see someone driving around in the desert. (But then neither is a DeTomaso Mangusta, I suppose.) And yet here it is, outside of the tiny town of Silver City, New Mexico.
And if the seller is to be believed, it runs beautifully. It has had recent work on the fuel system, and wears new tires. The seller claims to have driven it back and forth to California “many times.” By all accounts, the 928 is a wonderful highway car, and the idea of blasting across large swaths of the Southwest in one does hold some appeal for sure. Even better, this one has a proper five-speed manual gearbox instead of the automatic so many American ones were stuck with.
The desert sun has had its way with the clearcoat, and I’m willing to bet that the dash top is a mass of cracks under that carpet cover, but it still has that 928 presence. These weren’t desirable Porsches for a long time, but pretty much anything with a Porsche badge on it is worth something these days. This car seems like a really good deal, considering the market.
It also includes quite a few extra 928 parts, including an engine and a transaxle, fenders, doors, and another set of those “phone-dial” wheels. As expensive as this typical “Porsche Tax” tends to be on parts, any extras thrown in with a car are a welcome sight.
So that’s what we’ve got for today: American king-sized personal luxury versus state-of-the-art-in-its-day German grand touring. Two different ways of making use of the melodious pulse and relentless torque of a V8 engine. Which one do you prefer?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
Running red MT 928 with the right wheels in the desert. Why do you do this to me? Why?
Were it not for all the extras I was trying to talk myself into the Chrysler, but it’s in far worse shape, has a salvage title, and is a less desirable car. I award no points for the Chrysler and may God have mercy and all that.
Clearly in the minority here, but I never liked the looks of the 928. OTOH, I really like those big ol’ Newports. Of course, if I actually ended up taking that thing home, I’d be in for world of hurt, what with all of its problems. Still, rack one up for dysfunction – I’m voting Chrysler.
No bluetooth… hmmm maybe neither
Hold on.. Red, 928, runs and drives, with a spare engine and transaxle PLUS wheels?!? all for 4500 American dollars? this has to be the most no brainer choice yet.
I came ready to choose that land yacht, and then I kept reading.
I’ll stick with my goal of a 62 or 64 Continental.
Same
There is no substitue…..
(for some new paint, a sourced dash cap, and probably a bunch of other stuff, but hey)
How this car got to where it’s at:
Road & Track magazine, September 1978: “We gave Hunter S. Thompson a Porsche 928. We’re still waiting to hear anything back.”
As a perfect example of how little Porsches appeal to me, as a manual sports car guy, I’ll take the malaise Chrysler with wiring and upholstery issues (I do have a weird appreciation for stupidly giant coupes).
Oh, I know I SHOULD take the Porsche. It has the right transmission, I’ve always kind of thought if I ever owned a Porsche it should be a 928, the extra parts can be sold to bring the cost down, etc. But the truth is that the condition of the car would drive me crazy and by the time I got all the cosmetics sorted it would cost more than simply buying the best example I can. I’m not looking for that sort of project and I don’t want a beater 928, I want a really pretty one. So, no.
On the other hand, that Chrysler is a malaise-era beauty that brings back all the nostalgic feels. My uncle had the ’76 Town and Country station wagon equivalent and we piled nine(!) of us (grandparents, uncle and aunt, the five of us grandchildren) in the car to drive from Pennsylvania to Florida so we could visit Disney World (tail gunner seat!). The car is unembarrassed to be the land yacht that it is, it’s not rusty, and I wouldn’t be afraid to take on the steering column and wiring harness issues (if I can’t handle it I’ve got a guy I can trust who won’t break the bank). Cosmetically it looks pretty good and it shouldn’t be that difficult to get the seats redone.
I know I’m in the minority but I am most definitely Team Chrysler on this one.
I’d take the 928 as I expected to when I saw the top of the article. The Newport holds no attraction for me and dealing with bad wiring and replacing harnesses sucks.
The 928 would be fun and if that extra engine is in good shape, I’d sell it and those wheels and recoup most of the cost of the purchase.
I’ve got one of those girlfriend’s dad stories too but he owned the 928 and was a cool guy. A little too cool. He would take us out to the bars (19 year old me). I guess that was cool enough but when he started pulling out small bindles of coke, then things got really weird. And when his daughter was trying to set me up with her best friend, then things got all Twin Peaks. Anyway, I’ll take the Porsche.
That Chrysler is barely worth scrap value. I wouldn’t take it over that Porsche at 1/10 its price, which is all it’s worth.
It is far more attractive than I figured it would be, but that is not saying much. I don’t even feel like I could sell the parts for enough including the shell to a derby dude and come out on top. The Porsche is a steal and basically come with a parts car to keep it alive until the LS swap. LOL
Another dumb-loyal pick for me: in the fall of ’71 I was a passenger in a ’69 Newport Custom 4-door hardtop. We hit something, flipped, and wound up sliding on the roof along NJ Rte. 35 North in Eatontown. I remember the scraping noise well because my ear was on the headliner about 1/2″ from point of contact.
Firefighters came on the scene, yelled in “Close your eyes!” and smashed just about all the windows. I crawled out using their boots as a bearing point, and stood right up in pretty decent shape.
Here’s the part where I question myself: I remember telling one of the crew that I was OK and would it be alright if I went back in to shut down the engine (383). He said, “OK kid.” So I did this, and grabbed a few packages that belonged to me.
Years later I asked myself if I was in shock and imagined this, or if it was indeed true. Would a carbureted V-8 run upside down? In my mind it’s as clear as the moonlit night, but I did get banged up a little (no seatbelt of course).
This is a long way of saying I suppose I’ve internalized “Newport” and I pulled the lever accordingly.
Since it’s make-believe Internet money, I want to believe in the Porsche. It’s not crazy cheap, so maybe it’s honest? The Chrysler is beat, but could be fun for less money. Still, I kinda want that 928.
I’ll take the Chrysler. It would be fun to reskin the front sofa and, although Chrysler electronics of this era are a little more complicated than its Detroit contemporaries, shouldn’t cause too many episodes of rage. Oh yeah, that “Lean Burn” carb will be replaced with a modern TBI unit.
That would be the only way to really live with that car. replace the distributor with a DUI, and the Carb with a Sniper. But it would still be a low compression smog choked 400 in a very large car. But it is a lot like a moped in that it might still be fun to drive, just don’t want to be seen doing that.
What’s that old adage I keep seeing posted here time and again? Oh yeah- “There’s nothing more expensive than a cheap German Car.” At such a “steal” price, does anyone really believe it “runs and drives great”? Put this one firmly in the “too good to be true” category. Plus, that interior looks….musty?
Gimme the Chrysler land yacht. Cheaper and the seller seems much more upfront about what’s wrong with it. Even if I have to toss 2 grand to my mechanic to fix the wiring woes and shifter issues, for sub $5k you still have a huge cruiser with a big block making all the right noises. And there’s probably not another like it in your county 🙂
C-Body Mopars forever.
And the upholstery is ’70s fabulous, like something (I imagine, because I don’t think I ever actually entered the one store I ever saw, exotic though it might have seemed in that borderland between Northeastern and Southern retail territories) you might see on a knockoff of a Diane von Furstenburg wrap dress at Korvette’s.
Despite all these strong points, my original 1939 10’ x 20’ garage, the wiring jangle and the AC delete mentioned in the source ad kill it for me. Shocking as it sounds, the 928 is the sensible choice.
Many manual 928s found themselves sidelined due to a bad clutch. They have a transaxle, meaning the transmission, clutch and differential are in the rear for better weight distribution. Changing a clutch is a strange, difficult, and expensive job. Fortunately, this one says it is ok.
My former BIL has one of those 40 yr old 928s that’s got a blown motor and been sitting in his garage for 2 decades accumulating an ever thicker coating of dust. Never gonna get fixed by him. When he passes on, somebody may resurrect it. His kids see “Porsche” but will be surprised how little it’s actually worth in that condition.
Man, I’d forgotten how narrow 70s land yacht’s track often was compared to the width of the body!
Parsh with extras? Yes, please
I spent a few years in New Mexico as a teenager, and it was always interesting to see the vehicles that showed up there. Plenty of the dull 70s land barges and 80s malaise-mobiles, but also some eclectic choices like Fiats, Triumphs, Porsches, and even a Ferrari or two. My neighbor down the street had two Porsche 914s, one in orange and one in yellow. I never saw the orange one move, but the yellow one was a daily driver when we first moved there. Probably 8-10 months later a 944 Turbo joined the fold, and neither 914 ever moved again after that.
All that to say, I’m team 928.
I appreciate the Newport for being a simple, honest upfront “NOPE!” while the Parsh is a long drawn out “not bad… mmmaaayybe… are you sure? uhhh… lemme think… no I guess not.”
Porsche, please!
Both cars need some work, of course, but the 928 will be more fun when it’s done. I
Frankly it’s almost certainly more fun right now, considering the wiring and steering jankiness on the Newport.
A 400cid V-8 in a two-door car sounds like a good plan but that generally requires the car to weigh under 6000lb and have some sort of form. The Chrysler appears to have been carved from a single block of cream cheese.
This one’s simple math. You’ll be 2k into the Newport to get it where the 928 evidently already is (mechanically speaking)
But again, a dash toupee. That’s just wrong. And a steering wheel cover?
It’s the Herb Tarlek of automotive accessories. Like matching white patent leather belt and loafers…