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Buckeye Brute 1963 Dodge Polara Is a True Max Wedge Racing Monster

Sadly enough, the name Polara does not pop up as often as we’d like. Dodge’s machine was made between 1960 and 1973, and even if it doesn’t enjoy the same success today as other nameplates from the era, it’s definitely something worth revisiting every once in a while. That's especially the case when one with racing pedigree shows up on the open market.
1963 Dodge Polara Max Wedge 12 photos
Photo: Harwood Motors
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What you’re looking at is a 1963 Polara of the Max Wedge variety. That means it packs the monstrous 426-ci (7.0-liter) Max Wedge V8 under the hood. For the better part of its existence in the racing world, though, the car had a 383-ci (6.3-liter) fitted inside the engine bay, so the Wedge was protected from the hardships. The powerplant was put back in when the car became the lucky recipient of a restoration job not long ago.

We’re told the car is part of a larger pack of Polaras doing the rounds and trampling opponents in the region. They are owned by a group of drivers who nicknamed their rides Buckeye + something: there were the Buckeye Brute, Buckeye Brawler, and the Buckeye Bandit.

The one featured here is the Brute, whose restoration brought back the original red paint, removed the graphics and sponsor decals it had on for most of its life (only the Buckeye Brute name remains on the hood scoop), and took care of the interior as well.

According to the seller of the Polara, the car is a “legit” affair, and it is going complete with a copy of the build card, period photos, Chrysler documentation, a Max Wedge manual, and restoration photos.

The racer has 32,560 original miles (52,400 km) on it, most of them added a quarter-mile at a time. It allegedly never got wrecked, it was never rusty, and as such the asking price of $69,900 might seem more than fair.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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