1960-1962
The 1960 Polara (and the plainer Dodge Matador) featured styling cues carried over from 1959 models, itself an evolution of Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" cars introduced in 1957.
Like these cars, both 1960 full size Dodges continued with the makes styling hallmarks of stacked "jet pod" taillights, however, the size of the lights was greatly exaggerated, with the lower light set into the rear bumper. The design also incorporated Dodge’s trademark shortened tail fins, which included small vertical taillight lenses placed on the vertical surface at the back of the fin; again, the purpose of the shortened fin was meant to exaggerate the length of the “jet pods” holding the taillights. Up front, the car featured a small grille comprised of eight stacks of chromed rectangles nested in a massive (and complex) front bumper assembly. As the top model in the lineup, the Polara featured better interior fabrics and trim treatments. Polaras also received more trim on the outside of the car, most notably a chrome stone guard aft of the rear wheel housings, a full-length chrome spear, and a wide chrome base to the chrome spear atop the headlight housings.
In 1961, Dodge dropped the Matador, leaving the Polara as the sole senior Dodge model. For 1961, Exner’s styling department reversed the car’s fins, making them taller as they flowed toward the rear window. As the fins sloped towards the rear of the car, they cut slightly towards the center (to allow the single taillight housing on each side) of the rear of the vehicle, wrapping downward and then back along the side fender to form a C-shaped line accentuated in chrome. The overall effect made the rear of the car seem to "pucker" from the angles the design created. Up front, the massive bumper treatments that had been a Dodge hallmark since 1957 were replaced with a simple bar design, above which was a massive concave grille shared with the Dodge Dart.
The 1961 styling overhaul of the Dodge lineup was different from anything else on the American market at that time (save the 1961 Plymouth, which was equally unique in its styling) and consumers voted on the 1961 restyle with their car-shopping dollars. Sales of full size Dodges plunged to their lowest levels since the firms founding in 1914, with only 14,032 units produced in the United States. For the second straight year, the make was carried by the Dart which saw sales of 142,000 units for the year. Total Dodge sales for 1961 where down 53% compared to 1960, dropping the make from sixth in the American market to ninth place.
1962-1964
All Dodge models were moved onto a much smaller, highly-sculptured body with a 116 in wheelbase for 1962. This ill-advised move came after the president of the Chrysler Corporation "overheard" Chevrolet's boss, Ed Cole, say that his largest cars would be downsized for 1962. Chrysler designers were forced to take the planned 1962 Dodge full size line and shorten the design to fit a more compact wheelbase in a last minute effort to compete with the "smaller" Chevrolet. However, when Chevrolet rolled out the compact Chevy II that year and a full size Impala, Bel Air and Biscayne, both Dodge and Plymouth were stuck with smaller cars that the motoring press and public alike found stylistically awkward. The new Dodge models had more in common with Ford's new intermediate Fairlane than it had with full size models from General Motors or Ford.
Among the "sized in the middle of the big and little" 1962 Dodges was a bucket-seated sporty hardtop coupe called the Polara 500. It was also available as a convertible, and a 4-door hardtop was added in December. This model proved somewhat popular, but Dodge failed to capitalize on its success and never developed it to its full potential.
The basic body of the 1962 model, revised and lengthened by the new Chrysler Vice President of styling Elwood Engel continued until 1964, with the Polara available in all mode;s and the Polara 500 available only as a sporty hardtop coupe and a convertible.
1965-1968
For 1965, Chrysler wisely moved the Polara back to a full size platform that was shared with Chrysler and Plymouth. Once again offered in a full range of models (sedans, hardtops, station wagons, etc.), the Polara turned over its top-of-the-line status to the new Monaco hardtop, which would become a full line on its own the next year.
One constant of the 1965 to 1968 models was taut, square-edged styling, which changed from year to year to keep the cars fresh. By 1968, however, it was obvious that Dodge's mainstream big cars would need a new look, and that would usher in a whole new philosophy.
1969-1973
Where the previous four years' Dodges had been very straight-lined and lean, the new 1969 Polara wore a chunky, broad-shouldered look. Called the "Fuselage Look", this style would persist through five model years, with subtle variations.
Sales of the Polara were falling by this time, however. Having been eclipsed by the Monaco, Dodge decided to drop the Polara after 1973. Perhaps it was just as well; the redesigned 1974 Monaco would only serve for four model years before being replaced by the unsuccessful Dodge St. Regis.