Photo: mrsellall/eBay
The Dodge 330 was produced briefly from 1962 to 1964 when it was part of the Polara range. Chrysler's first B-body full-size, the 330 isn't the most iconic Dodge from the 1960s, but it spawned one of the rarest factory race cars of the era: the Max Wedge.
Dodge built only a few of them for the Super Stock class, and the cars that survived are now among the most valuable Mopars from the 1960s. The 330 Max Wedge is hard to come by, and low-mileage examples are extremely rare. Amazingly enough, one such car showed up on eBay after it spent a lot of time in storage. There is some bad news though: the original Max Wedge mill is no longer under the hood.
The cool thing about this beefed-up 330 is that you can't tell it's a race car. It looks just as mundane as the regular 330, which came standard with a 3.7-liter slant-six rated at 145 horsepower. This example is no exception, and it doesn't even come in a flashy color. It's finished in plain black, so it will fly under the radar.
According to the seller, who purchased the car in 2008, the 330 has been sitting in the garage for these past 12 years. The black two-door is unrestored, so it still sports its original paint. The exterior shows various signs of wear, but there's no rust, and it's not actually all that bad given that this 330 is 57 years old as of 2021.
The story is about the same inside the cabin. The all-red vinyl and cloth upholstery is as original as it gets, and it looks incredibly well apart from some discoloration. The floor shows a bit of surface rust, but that's an easy fix during a mild restoration.
Now here comes the disappointing part. This 330 no longer sports the original Max Wedge under the hood. The owner doesn't appear to know the original engine and transmission's whereabouts; they have been replaced with slightly more modern units. The Max Wedge originally came with a big 7.0-liter RB-type V8 engine with four-barrel carburetors. It was rated at a whopping 425 horsepower, as much as a muscle car from the early 1970s.
These cars were the quickest factory-built stock cars on the quarter-mile when they came out. Especially since they were fitted with lightweight, aluminum front clips. The 330 right here, for instance, is one of only 23 built. It's also one of only two examples that combine a black exterior with red interior trim and the optional heater.
So what's replacing the iconic Max Wedge engine under the hood? The owner says it draws juice from a "more modern" 7.2-liter V8, connected to a "1965+ transmission and rear end." He doesn't know how much output it generates but says the engine will run, despite being off the road "for a good numbers of years."
It's definitely exciting to see such a rare 330 show up for auction, but it's disappointing, to say the least, that the original Max Wedge V8 is no longer under the hood. That obviously means that the coupe isn't as valuable as it could be. All-original Max Wedge cars are known to fetch more than $100,000, but this 330 won't raise that kind of cash. The bidding, hosted by "mrsellall" on eBay, is now at $55,555 with almost eight hours to go. It probably won't go much beyond $60,000, but it's still impressive, though.
The cool thing about this beefed-up 330 is that you can't tell it's a race car. It looks just as mundane as the regular 330, which came standard with a 3.7-liter slant-six rated at 145 horsepower. This example is no exception, and it doesn't even come in a flashy color. It's finished in plain black, so it will fly under the radar.
According to the seller, who purchased the car in 2008, the 330 has been sitting in the garage for these past 12 years. The black two-door is unrestored, so it still sports its original paint. The exterior shows various signs of wear, but there's no rust, and it's not actually all that bad given that this 330 is 57 years old as of 2021.
The story is about the same inside the cabin. The all-red vinyl and cloth upholstery is as original as it gets, and it looks incredibly well apart from some discoloration. The floor shows a bit of surface rust, but that's an easy fix during a mild restoration.
Now here comes the disappointing part. This 330 no longer sports the original Max Wedge under the hood. The owner doesn't appear to know the original engine and transmission's whereabouts; they have been replaced with slightly more modern units. The Max Wedge originally came with a big 7.0-liter RB-type V8 engine with four-barrel carburetors. It was rated at a whopping 425 horsepower, as much as a muscle car from the early 1970s.
These cars were the quickest factory-built stock cars on the quarter-mile when they came out. Especially since they were fitted with lightweight, aluminum front clips. The 330 right here, for instance, is one of only 23 built. It's also one of only two examples that combine a black exterior with red interior trim and the optional heater.
So what's replacing the iconic Max Wedge engine under the hood? The owner says it draws juice from a "more modern" 7.2-liter V8, connected to a "1965+ transmission and rear end." He doesn't know how much output it generates but says the engine will run, despite being off the road "for a good numbers of years."
It's definitely exciting to see such a rare 330 show up for auction, but it's disappointing, to say the least, that the original Max Wedge V8 is no longer under the hood. That obviously means that the coupe isn't as valuable as it could be. All-original Max Wedge cars are known to fetch more than $100,000, but this 330 won't raise that kind of cash. The bidding, hosted by "mrsellall" on eBay, is now at $55,555 with almost eight hours to go. It probably won't go much beyond $60,000, but it's still impressive, though.
Google News