Dodge Custom 880

The Dodge Custom 880 was an automobile sold under the Chrysler Corporation 's Dodge brand from 1962 through the end of the 1965 model year. The 880 was a stop-gap vehicle brought to market quickly to remedy Dodge’s vulnerability in the mid-price fullsize field.

ORIGINS

The Custom 880 was a quick solution to consumer demand for a full-size Dodge passenger car during the 1962 model year.

The 1962 Dodges introduced in the fall of 1961 had their origins in a rumor heard by a Chrysler executive that Chevrolet was planning to downsize their fullsize automobiles for the 1962 model year. Not wanting Chrysler to play catch-up, and wanting to beat Chevrolet at its own game, Plymouth and Dodge designs were placed in an emergency downsize program that took the approved fullsize designs and shrunk them to smaller vehicles that would compete head-to-head with the rumored smaller Chevrolet.

When introduced for 1962, Chevrolet's fullsize lineup emerged as a vehicle slightly larger than it was in 1961, with the mid-range Chevrolet Bel Air (119 in wheelbase) a half inch longer in its body, but weighing 45 lb less than its 1961 predecessor. The rumoured small Chevrolet turned out to be the new Chevy II compact. The "fullsize" Dodge Polara and Dart that emerged for 1962 were built on a three inch shorter (116 in) wheelbase and were seven inches shorter overall than the comparable Chevrolet, placing Dodge in the precarious position with consumers of not offering a true full-sized automobile.

Compounding the size issue were the designs themselves, which did not translate well from fullsize to what amounted to a new intermediate size. Dodge’s awkward design features for second year in a row, combined with its smaller overall size, threatened the viability of the make enough that Chrysler moved almost immediately to stem Dodge's financial and market share losses.

1962

Because it didn’t have the luxury of a lead time sufficient to develop an all new fullsize Dodge, Chrysler approved the sharing of the full-size body used by the Chrysler Newport and the non-letter 300 series. The models were differentiated by mating the 1961 Dodge Polara front clip to the Newport's definned rear quarter panels and passenger compartment. This act of body sharing allowed Dodge to launch the car in mid-1962.

The only visible cue that was different from the 1961 Dodge model was the addition of Dodge’s new brand mark (jokingly named Fratzog only to have the name stick) in place of the stylized “star bar” from the 1961 Polara. From the rear, the 1962 Custom 880 was identical to the Chrysler Newport save for its Dodge badging.

The model name Custom 880 was derived from Dodge’s numerical sub-model naming structure that was also used on the Dart and sportier models of the Polara.

For 1962, the Custom 880 was available as either two or four-door sedans, two and four-door hardtops, a two-door convertible, and a choice of six and nine passenger Station Wagon s which featured Chrysler’s hardtop styling. A total of 17,500 vehicles were produced in its first year.

1963

For 1963, the Custom 880 returned with a full offering of body styles, and a new base model, simply named the 880. Chrysler redesigned its cars for 1963, leaving the 880’s body unique to Dodge.

The car received restyled taillights (round, set in heavy chrome housings), a new convex grille in the shape of a very long oval, and new 880 and Custom 880 scripts were placed on the front fenders aft of the headlights. Base 880 station wagons were available as a pillared model in both six and nine passenger models; Custom 880 wagons featured a hardtop design. With Chrysler no longer using the body and its interior trim elements, Custom 880s were better appointed than they had been during the 1962 model year.

A total of 28,200 vehicles were produced for 1963, of which 5,600 were station wagons.

1964

The 880 and Custom 880 received their most significant and final redesign of the 1960 body for 1964 . Under Chrysler’s new Vice President of Design Elwood Engle , body contours were squared up somewhat and the cars received a more contemporary roof line, eliminating the panoramic rear window that had been a Chrysler styling hallmark since 1957 . The grille was updated to a concave design with a central horizontal break running the length of the grille’s housing. The car also received wraparound rectangular taillights, the top line of which flowed into the side body trim.

Custom 880s received stainless steel rocker panel trim, foam-padded seats, and a grooved Stainless Steel panel that spanned the distance between the taillights. Custom 880s also received better interior appointments than the 880 enjoyed.

Because of tooling expenses, station wagon bodies, which were also shared with Chrysler models, did not receive all of the changes that the cars enjoyed. Most notably, station wagons continued to feature the heavy rear horizontal blade stamping first seen during the 1961 model year. Again, station wagons were offered in both pillared (880) and hardtop styling (Custom 880); this would be the final year for the hardtop station wagon model – Dodge and Chrysler being the last American automotive brands to offer the style. Station wagons also received rectangular taillights that wrapped around the sides of the vehicle.

All 880s and Custom 880s received a new instrument cluster layout, replacing the previous unit that had been in use since the 1961 Dart and Polara.

The 880 and Custom 880 enjoyed favorable press reviews, especially for their redesign. Evidently, the public also agreed to buy 31,800 vehicles, a sales record for the model.

1965

1965 marked the first time that Elwood Engel's influence on Chrysler's corporate overall design themes was fully expressed. Gone were rounded curves and awkward angles that were a legacy from the final Virgil Exner -styled cars - Engel's design path took Chrysler's products in the direction of crisp geometric angles; rectangular and trapezoidal shapes dominating Dodge's fullsize designs for the year.

The introductions of the 1965 models also allowed Chrysler to rectify its 1962 mistake and reintroduced a fullsize Dodge Polara to the public. The base Polara took the position formerly held by the 880, with the Custom 880 taking the top trim level. The Dodge Monaco , available only as a two-door hardtop, was the top-of-the-line model produced by Dodge in 1965 and was designed to compete against the Pontiac Grand Prix .

All Custom 880s featured the standard options found in the Polara and also now had foam-padded seats and stainless steel window frames on station wagons and sedans. Hardtops and convertibles featured all vinyl interiors. Custom 880s also featured a six window sedan body that was unavailable in the Polara series. The series also featured the first factory "wood" trimmed station wagon since the early 1950s, a look achieved through the use of Di-Noc appliqué framed in stainless steel trim. A total of 23,700 Custom 880s, all with V8 engines, were built during the model year.

Dodge discontinued the Custom 880 nameplate at the end of the 1965 model year in the United States. Taking the Custom 880’s place in the lineup was the Dodge Monaco , which was expanded to include all the body styles formerly in the 880 range. Filling the top seat vacated by the Monaco, Dodge added in the Dodge Monaco 500 to take the premium model position competing with the Pontiac Grand Prix.

DODGE 880 AND CUSTOM 880 MODEL YEAR PRODUCTION FIGURES

Note: all production figures rounded to nearest 100.

1962, 17,500

1963, 28,200

1964, 31,800

1965, 23,700

Total: 101,200

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Dodge Custom 880