I had been jonesing for a classic for years and had read numerous old cars “for sale” sites and visited museums and car shows regularly.

My first car had been a ’66 Cutlass Convertible and I had looked far and wide for one at a reasonable price, but everyone I saw was either a rusted hulk for too much money (and a future money pit project), or a show car already at the top of value.

While walking the beach in Siesta Key with my wife I said something about some car I had seen , or the recent visit to the Sarasota museum, and she said;
“if you want to buy an old car, just do it”…

Looking shocked I replied ”really? If you’re serious there is one locally at home that I’ve been looking at on Craigs List.” She replied- “Go ahead and do it!”

A few weeks later in late April 2018 we drove out to Owensville, Ohio and took home the “Miller High Life” Gold ’67 Newport Convertible. The seller had advertised it as green, and it had sat on Craigs list for least 6 months…

Here is the first pict of it at home:

It’s a far cry from a from a show car. It’s been scratched and banged. Between the time I first looked at it and the second time, the seller’s daughter had rubbed both rear fenders against the garage taking it in and out.

But it seems to be all original.

My primary retirement activity is acting as the Event Coordinator for the Dave Parker 39 Foundation, running the annual Cobra Classic Celebrity Golf Outing and various Parkinson’s Educational Events and other fund raisers.

An all-volunteer group, with minimal administrative costs, we donate almost all the money we raise each year to the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute. Dave is a 19-year MLB veteran, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014. He and wife Kellye created the Foundation, later that year with the express purpose of providing education and help for Caregivers of PD patients and raising money for research for a cure.

Always looking for a way to raise money and reasons to drive the car, I thought a road trip would work for both.

Utilizing Go Fund Me, I started a fund to raise money for the Foundation by undertaking a “Newport to Newport” Road trip in the Newport!

My buddy Bill Roebel and I, left Newport KY. (a Cincinnati Suburb across the Ohio) in early Oct. 2018 and took the Newport on a 2900 mile road trip to Newport RI, stopping at other Newport towns and villages along the way.

Ultimately, we raised $4,000 for the foundation, (we funded the trip ourselves) and had a hell of a good time. We included stops at the National Road – Zane Grey Museum in Norwich OH. (https://www.visitzanesville.com/Explore/Destinations/167/National-Road-%E2%80%93-Zane-Grey-Museum/ ) A must stop for any road tripper interested in US RTE 40- The National Road, or the legendary Zane Grey!

We spent a wonderful half day in Gettysburg PA. ( a delightful college town where I spent 2 wonderful years enjoying the battlefield but not going to class) and a great half day at the US Military Academy at West Point- which every American should do!

In Newport RI we ran into Evan Smith the Pres. & CEO. Of “Discover Newport: who saw the signs on the car and came and ask if he could take a picture of it. He ended up treating us to a tour of The Breakers and comping us a hotel room. Wonderful Guy, such a providential meeting!

If you are a car guy, and even if you don’t appreciate Jay Leno’s 200+ cars in California, did you know he bought a mansion on the scenic Ocean Drive in Newport RI? And of course, it has a 6-car garage! He obviously has some connection to the Audrain Museum in Newport and I wish time had allowed us a visit- But-we did get a picture of the Newport in front of Jay’s House!

Leaving Newport on Saturday morning, we were only a few miles from Portland CT. Home of Wayne Carini’s F40 Motors and Chasing Classic Cars. I had to stop- just to get a picture of the Newport in front of the building.

Surprise! They were open, holding an open house for Wayne’s favorite charity- Autism Speaks, and he was there!  Not only did we get to meet Wayne and get a picture with him in front of the sign but also got to see the infamous Rain Man car, from the movie- much of which was shot here in Cincinnati.

The road home included a visit with friends in NJ. A stop at Newport DE. A visit to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philly and a night with friends in Richmond where we also cruised Monument Drive (the monuments were still there then) and a visit to the University of Richmond Football Coach Russ Huesman another Cincinnatian.

Since 2018, the Newport stayed pretty much at home until 2021. This summer it traveled West to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville IA for a Parkinson’s event carrying buddy Bill again along with his brother Mike. We also visited an eclectic variety of stops including: The Hoosiers (movie) Museum in Milan IN, Bobby Plump’s Last Shot (bar & restaurant in Indianapolis); The University of IL.; RTE 66  from Bloomington to Pontiac IL; Ronald Reagan’s hometown and boyhood home; Herbert Hoover’s boyhood home; The University of Iowa; John Wayne’s birthplace & Museum; friends in Yankton SD; and the TD Ameritrade Field (Home of the College World Series) in Omaha.

In addition, the Newport is now starring in its second movie of 2021- Shirley- a film about Shirley Chisholm, the black Congresswoman from NY and the first black woman to run for the presidency in the Democratic primaries.

Here is a shot of the Newport on a Cincinnati Street reenacting 1968 in NYC.

The Newport isn’t done- we would love to take it out to Newport Beach CA!  we again would do it as a fund raiser for the Dave Parker 39 Foundation. Just need a sponsor to cover the gas! Any offers?

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The post Old Cars Reader Wheels: 1967 Chrysler Newport convertible appeared first on Old Cars Weekly.

By Al Johnson

I own a 1970 Chrysler Newport two-door hardtop. When it rolled off the car hauler seven years ago at my home outside Minot, N.D., the numbers “00137” were showing on its odometer. Since becoming wrapped up in old cars and pickups, my goal was to someday own one like the one my mother drove back in 1970. Finding the same year and model as hers as well as the same nylon fabric interior — I had to have it. With so few miles registered since new there also had to be a story. And, there is.

My Chrysler was ordered by Reed Motors in Bellefonte, Pa. Upon delivery, the transport driver managed to do minor damage to the driver’s side unloading it. The customer now did not want the car. Reed Motors in return refused to take delivery, and Chrysler didn’t want the expense of taking it back. So, Chrysler did the next-best thing, it donated the car to the Centre County Vocational Technical School near Bellefonte for use in their automotive studies. The VIN plate was removed as required by the Chrysler Corp. so the school would not sell the car or get any warranty work done on it. At this point, there were 7 miles showing on the odometer.

In 1975, the school was given another car, so the Chrysler was put in storage. It sat relatively untouched until 1994, when the school applied for and was given a Pennsylvania issued VIN and title so it could sell the car. It was first registered to a gentleman in Spring Mills, Pa. He had bought the car intending to repair the minor damage done at the dealership in 1970 and have himself a very nice, low-mileage driver. He never quite got around to doing the work needed, and in 1998 sold the car to a collector in Acton, Ma.

It was trailered to his shop and parked with 10 miles on the odometer. Kept in covered storage until 2005, it was given a complete service and check-up to be sure that everything was in working order. With the Chrysler safe and road worthy, it was taken to a body man who stripped the car, replaced the driver’s door, and repaired the other minimal damage. The entire car was then re-painted the original color so all panels would match before it was reassembled. The car was driven sparingly, and in 2008 was put back on the market. I was still looking.

In 1970, my parents bought a new Chrysler Newport. It was my mother¹s car. It was also the car in which I learned to drive and used for my driver¹s test. I had a great fondness for Mom’s Newport and longed for the day when I might convince my folks to let me have it. In 1973, they sold it to a business friend of my father’s. I kept track of it so that I might buy it back some day.

In 1983, the car was sold again to a gentleman in my hometown. I contacted him and offered to buy the car when he no longer wanted it. A few months later he was in a nasty accident that totaled the Chrysler, and the car went to the scrapyard.

At that point I started a long, slow search for a replacement. It may have taken 25 years for the stars to align, but it was well worth the wait. I bought this car out of Pennsylvania and had a transport deliver it to my home in North Dakota. When I drove it into the garage it had only 137 miles on it, and I had a smile on my face.

It is quite a time capsule! Everything about it is still fresh. It still smells new inside. Driving it takes me back to my much younger days. I only wish my parents were still alive so they could enjoy it with me.

The color is Citron Gold Metallic. Mother’s was Burgundy Metallic. Both were built as 1970 Chrysler Newports in the base model two-door hardtop. Hers had the light group, AM stereo 8-track, remote driver’s mirror, and cruise control. Mine has the light group, vinyl roof, remote driver’s mirror, AM-FM radio, and air conditioning. These Newports had the Chrysler 383 engines, TorqueFlite transmissions, and weighed right at 4,200 lbs. Even with their weight and size, they were not sluggish cars. ŠThings we never told our mothers.

I have often wondered: If I had been fortunate enough to have acquired the family’s Newport, would it still be as nice as it was back then? Maybe, but not likely. Would it be as nice as the one I have now? Not likely. And, as it sits in my shop covered for the winter, 00675 is its mileage since new.

For certain I know what happened to two of the 10,292 Newports built for 1970. Even though Chrysler was doing well, 1970 was the last year for the Newport convertible and the Newport station wagons. The wagons continued on as the Town and Country and in later years that name was used for the minivan.

I enjoy owning this piece of time machinery and regret having put so many miles on it. When it goes to distant shows it goes on a custom-built trailer and towed by my 1970 Dodge D-100 pickup like the one my dad drove.

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