Dodge Custom 880 - 1965

1965

1965 marked the first time that Elwood Engel's influence on Chrysler's corporate overall design themes was fully expressed, although he had joined the company in 1961. Gone were the relatively extreme curves and angles that were a legacy from the final Virgil Exner-styled cars. Engel's design philosophy, which was encouraged by Chrysler chairman Lynn Townsend, took Chrysler's products in the direction of rectilinear geometric angles; rectangular and trapezoidal shapes dominated Dodge's fullsize designs for the year.

The introductions of the 1965 models also allowed Chrysler to rectify its 1962 mistake and reintroduced a full-sized Dodge Polara to the public. The "new" Polara took the position formerly held by the 880, with the Custom 880 taking the top trim level. The sporty new Dodge Monaco, which was available only as a two-door hardtop, was the top-of-the-line model produced by Dodge in 1965 and was designed to compete against the Pontiac Grand Prix.An AM/FM radio and a 7-position tilt steering wheel were optional.

All Custom 880s came with the standard features found in the Polara and added foam-padded seats and stainless steel window frames on station wagons and sedans. Hardtops and convertibles featured all-vinyl interiors. Custom 880s also featured a pillared six-window "town sedan" body that was unavailable in the Polara series. The series also featured the first Dodge-brand "wood" trimmed station wagon since the early 1950s, a look achieved through the use of Di-Noc appliqué framed in stainless steel trim. A total of 23,700 Custom 880s, all with V8 engines, were built during the model year.