There’s no doubting the brand loyalty of Liz and Ken Sears of Thomaston. Parked in a gravel area off to the side and near the top of their long paved driveway when My Ride visited recently were a 2017 Dodge Challenger and a 2018 Dodge Charger. “We’re Mopar people. We always have been,” said Ken.
The Challenger is his and the Charger is hers. “Mopar” is the parts and accessories division of automaker Stellantis, but Ken’s use of the name mostly refers to the classic models once built by Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge and DeSoto, and for a good reason.
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The couple also has identically-shaped his and hers 1966 Chrysler 300 models. The 300 was a luxury and performance-oriented full-size car built between 1962 and 1971. His is dark green and hers is Turbine Bronze, which is regarded as the rarest Mopar color. His was purchased two years ago out of New Jersey. Hers arrived a year ago from Pennsylvania.
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The 300 model is “a boat,” Liz volunteered. “They’re like 5,000-pound cars. They’re heavy, but they give you that nice ride that you remember.” She likes their heft. “The cars were built so much better. You’re looking at metal versus more plastic on the cars.”
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But it was nostalgic memories from high school, that spurred the purchases.
“My husband had that car when he was a teenager in high school...And we went everywhere in that car,” Liz recalled.
“We had the car when we got married and we had it for like 10 years before we parted ways with it. I enjoyed driving the convertible. It was comfortable in the car. I liked big cars and I was safe in it,” she added.
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For Ken, the Chrysler 300 convertible, which was also dark green, was his first car at age 17. “I paid $25 for it. I was a junior in high school when I got it. It needed some work. I fixed it all up, got it going and everything,” he said.
Eventually, it was time to unload it. “It started having problems. Engine problems.… We actually gave it to her brother, and he put another engine in it and he drove it for a while and then he sold it to somebody else and that was the last we ever saw of it.”
It was 1986 when the original Chrysler 300 left their possession the memories endured.
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"We drove that first car in the blizzard of ’78. That convertible. We got everywhere with that car, so I’m safe in that car. I feel safe in that car, and I wanted another one. I wanted him to have something from his childhood; his teenage years,” Liz said.
The replacement process was slow. “She’s been hunting for the last probably 10 years looking for another one,” Ken said. It took 38 years to get another Chrysler 300. “It wasn’t on my list of things to do. My wife was the one (who) kept looking around. She missed the car, I guess. She kept hunting.”
Ken wasn’t always kept apprised of her progress. “Eventually she found one not too far away. She had it all set up for us to go look at it before I even knew anything.”
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Having landed his 300, Liz then eventually looked for one of her own. She was hoping for a convertible but went for the coupe when she saw the color. “It’s the same paint that came from the turbine car back early ’60s. It also has the tuxedo interior which I really like,” she said. “The combination of the color and the interior, I haven’t seen that before.”
The Chrysler Turbine Car that she cited was a turbine-powered experimental car. Only 55 examples were built between 1963 and 1964. They were “Turbine Bronze” is color.
Liz drives her 300 for fun and sometimes to work. “I’m kind of careful where I go because to repaint something is not cheap, and this has original paint on it,” she said.
Ken is pleased with the Chrysler 300s that Liz hunted down. “I like the style of the car. I like all the chrome that’s on it. It’s a two-door also, which makes it a little different, especially these big cars like this. You don’t see ’em as a two-door as much,” he said.
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While both are powered by 383-cubic-inch V8 engines, Liz’s is a bit more embellished, while Ken’s is largely stock. “The only thing extra in it is power steering, power brakes. That is it. The rest of it is just a basic car. Mine came with 14-inch rims, which was standard. Her's has got 15-inch rims, which was an option,” he said.
Having matching Mopars has been a bonding experience for the couple. “They’re ‘his and hers’ and this puts us back together on the weekends, going to car shows and sharing something that we both like,” Liz said.
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Harwinton native Bud Wilkinson writes about classic cars and motorcycles for Hearst Connecticut Media. He previously reported for The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio and was columnist for The Arizona Republic in Phoenix before reporting for KSAZ-TV in Phoenix where he won a Scripps Howard National Journalism Award and an Emmy Award for commentary. He may be reached by email at [email protected].