September 21, 2021 Update – The seller and prospective buyer came to an agreement on the sale of this Ramcharger Tribute for $38,400!

August 13, 2021 Update- The high for this rotisserie-restored, 8,837-mile 1963 Dodge Polara 500 Hardtop 426 Max Wedge Ramcharger Tribute Guys With Rides did not meet the seller’s reserve of $39,000, so we will continue to feature the car for sale on our Rides Still Available page.

Guys With Rides is proud to auction this rotisserie-restored, 8,837 mile 1963 Dodge Polara 500 Hardtop. Based on a documented low-mileage Dodge Polara 500 two-door hardtop, the current owner reimagined the car as a Ramcharger-topped, 426 Max Wedge Tribute. Bidding on this reserve auction opened at noon Eastern time Friday, July 30, 2021, and ran through Friday, August 13, 2021, at 7:00 pm Eastern Time.  This Dodge Polara 500 Tribute can be found currently just outside of Casper, Wyoming.

Check out this quick video of the 500 cubic inch, Ramcharger-topped, Max Wedge idling:

The white-and-light blue interior presents in like-new condition:

Current High Bid = $3,500

Reserve Meter – the green bar indicates how close the high bid is to the seller’s reserve price. When the green bar is full, the reserve has been met!

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To inspect all of the pictures provided, click on the photograph below to enlarge it and then click on the gray “<” and “>” icons to navigate through all of the other stills in this carousel:

By the early 1960s, drag racing was a fast-growing activity across America, and U.S. auto manufacturers were at the ready to support private racers as way to support their car sales. As part of this movement, Chrysler introduced its new high-performance version of the 413 RB Block motor: the Maximum Performance Wedge in 1962. This engine had been in development since 1959 and employed “short ram” induction, wherein the carburetors were fitted diagonally on the intake manifold. The “Max Wedge” option was available exclusively in Chrysler’s new-for-1962 intermediate B Platform in Dodges and Plymouths only. Chrysler developed the option in part to capitalize on the rising popularity in NHRA super stock racing. Although Max Wedge cars were street legal, they were intended for racing purposes.

First-year Max Wedge engines were 413 cubic inches and came in 410 and 420 horsepower versions. Dodge called its engine the “Ramcharger 413” while Plymouth called it the “Super Stock 413.” In 1963, the engine’s displacement increased to 426 cubic inches as the bore was increased from 4.19 to 4.25 inches. In May of that year, an improved version of the 426 was released, named the “Stage II.” No motors were ever named “Stage 1.” 1963-engines were available in 415 and 425 horsepower versions. 1964 was the final year of the Max Wedge option. The engine for the third year was named the “Stage III.” Max Wedge cars equipped with four-speed transmissions were only produced in the final year, as prior to that point Chrysler did not have a manual transmission that could handle the power of the engine.  Max Wedge cars are an essential part of automotive history as they are among the first vehicles that can be classified as “muscle cars” by the strict definition as an intermediate-bodied car with a big-block motor.

George, the current caretaker and builder of this Polara, rescued it from long-term storage in 2002 from the original owner when the car had only 5,236 miles.  George proceeded to have a full-blown rotisserie restoration on his find with the vision of creating a 426 Max Wedge tribute car.  Based upon the pictures provided, we would say he succeeded very well. Since the completion of the restoration in 2010, George accumulated only less than four thousand miles that now totals 8,837.

Unfortunately, three years ago, a weak push rod caused the engine to fail, requiring a full rebuild.  The result is the enlargement of a 426 cubic inch block to 500 cubic inches that has provided George three years of trouble-free performance ever since. The rebuilt motor, topped with the cool-looking staggered dual four-barrel Ramcharger manifold, channels its torque through a floor-shifted TorqFlite 727 automatic transmission.  The transmission twists a 4:10:1 equipped Dana 60 rear end. In a nod to modern technology improvements, George replaced the antiquated drum brake setup with modern Wilwood Disc brakes hidden behind classic Crager SS wheels.

Consistent with the low-mileage condition of the car, the original unmodified white and light blue interior remains in place with only an under-dash-mounted set of gauges keeping all of the underhood activities in check.

In addition to the documentation supporting the car’s two titled owner history, George will also include the original build sheet, purchase order, and other literature as part of the sale.

The picture below provides the link to the complimentary LemonSquad.com Pre-Purchase Inspection (“PPI”) completed in June 2021 for this auction. Click on the picture below to review all three pages of the completed report!

To help you make informed bids, we’re providing a link to Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the Classic Car market, that provides an interactive graph of recent comparable sales in the past two years. By clicking on the green dots, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you make an educated bid on the car we are featuring for auction here:

If you have any questions about this 1963 Dodge Polara 500 426 Max Wedge tribute, please leave a comment below or feel free to call Rudy directly at 877-468-6497.  Thank you for looking and happy bidding!