When it comes to full-size cars from the low-priced three, especially from 1965 to 1968 (give or take), you can’t really go wrong; they all looked good, were assembled reasonably well, and had plenty of power and space. Those same attributes make them great collectibles today, and who wouldn’t want this 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury, which is up for auction on Hagerty Marketplace in Marine City, Michigan.
Mopars from the muscle car era are so popular that it’s easy to find VIN and body tag information from just about anything from the 1960s and early 1970s. Here’s how this Fury breaks down:
- P: Fury
- H: Belvedere II, Sport Fury, or Barracuda
- 27: Two-door convertible
- G: 383-cubic-inch two-barrel V8 (270 horsepower)
- 7: 1967 model year
- 4: Belvidere, Illinois, Assembly (not spelled like the Plymouth model, by the way)
- 243982: Unit number
The body tag, usually found on a fender apron on Mopars, is even more complete. These are the findings from Kinley’s Classics, a dealer specializing in muscle cars that has a really handy decoder on their website.
Based on the VIN tag and the body tag, we know that the four-barrel decal and four-barrel carburetor underneath are not factory original, but that’s fine. The main difference between the two-barrel 383 and the 325-horsepower four-barrel Commando was the compression ratio (9.2:1 vs. 10:1), dual exhaust for the four-barrel car and, of course, the carburetor. I’ve read some spirited online debates about the true output of the four-barrel 383, and from what I’ve gleaned, some fans think it might have been a touch overrated from the factory, at least when not installed in the muscle machines like the Road Runner or Super Bee. Given the 55 horsepower difference between the two-barrel and four-barrel, I’m inclined to give credence to those claims, but regardless, the 383 is a great engine with plenty of torque in either tune for pulling around a two-ton Sport Fury Convertible.
You’ll also notice that this Fury is factory-equipped with air conditioning; unfortunately, like so many air-conditioning units on so many classic cars, it doesn’t currently work.
Also inoperative are the radio and the blower motor, but aside from that, the interior looks great. The seller mentions that the floorpans have been replaced (as has the carpet), but the undercarriage pictures are taken at a low angle and in low-light conditions, so this is one of those cars that I’d try to inspect before clicking the “bid” button.
The car is being presented as a driver, with “cosmetic imperfections and paint flaws,” in addition to “wear on interior materials.” It also sounds as if the window mechanisms could use a little cleaning and lubrication, because they “do not operate smoothly.”
All that being said, we can hope that those comments are from a seller who just wants to be upfront about the car’s condition, because the pictures show a not-perfect Fury that doesn’t need immediate cosmetic attention in most areas (although the crack on the dash pad might bother some potential buyers.) The Sport Fury was Plymouth’s bucket-seat-and-console full-sizer, a breed that had become somewhat passé by 1967, but with the floor shifter for the TorqueFlite and Plymouth’s typically complete instrumentation, there is something a little sporty about the Fury.
But for some reason, big Plymouth buyers in 1967 weren’t buying convertibles in either Sport Fury or Fury III trim, which sold 3,133 and 4,523 units respectively. Those are some pretty low numbers considering Plymouth’s total output, so this is a pretty rare convertible. It’s not perfect, but it’s painted a hot color, it has a big-block under the hood, and like most full-size cars from what some would consider a peak period in automobiles, it looks great.
Related Reading
Trackside Classic: 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury – Cognitive Dissonance (by me)
Vintage Car Life Review: 1967 Plymouth Fury III Convertible: “Fun To See And To Be Seen In” (by Aaron Severson)
CC Outtake: 1967 Plymouth Fury III – Thanks Mom (by Brendan Saur)
You keep hitting my tender spot with these Plymouths the last 2 days. The 67 is a favorite of mine. I’ll bet production figures shrink substantially if you narrow it to 67 Fury III/Sport Fury convertibles with air. Or even bucket seats.
For whatever reason, the entirety of the postwar Chrysler corporation did poorly when trying to sell convertibles. At least before the 80s.
Yeah, the last couple days, the Mopars I’ve found have been the ones that have struck my fancy. Personally, I’d like a ’65 Sport Fury hardtop (but I’d like a ’65 Monaco even more than that right now), but I like the ’67/’68 as well.
A red 1967 Plymouth Fury convertible played a prominent role in the 1968 Elvis Presley movie Stay Away Joe. In the film, the character Joe sold the doors on the vehicle due to lack of funds but kept driving the car without them.
Mid 60s Mopars look so much better and rag tops…….the roof lines on the sedans and coupes just were horribly weird.
Ever since seeing a 1968 Imperial droptop, I’ve been struck by the insubstantial look of Mopar’s canvas roofs. GM and Ford could make a convertible with a good-looking top, but not Chrysler. They should only be photographed with the roof down.
Yes, the shape of their 60s convertible tops and rear quarter windows left a lot to be desired. Too upright, no finesse.
Pretty nice for sure but I have always leaned to this version before the Vert.
Oh I like this one. As usual, not attracted to the white interior.
(and now I know there is a “Belvidere IL”.
It might be worth to mention that 1967 Sport Fury convertible ad, the same color as the one in that article. 😉
MyMopar.com has a lot of great uploads; I’ve spent far too much of my time watching dealer filmstrips.
My Dad had a couple of those late 50s filmstrips left over from his time at our family’s C-P dealership.
“67 is my favorite big Plymouth of the ’60s. Dad had a ’67 Fury III company car, the first car I ever drove after getting my license that year, loved it. Even with the 318 it moved out well, due to few emissions controls yet. Great instrument panel, one of my favorites.
We had a ’70 Fury convert, even rarer, only 1900 were made that last year for full size Mopar drop tops.
I agree with the many thumbs up comments regarding ’67 Plymouths. Probably the best looking full size Plymouth of the 60;s and beyond.
Lovely .
I hope someone comes back with the final sales price .
Indeed the 383 V8 in all of it’s many variances is a great and stout engine but it’s also thirsty .
-Nate
You had me until I saw that interior. Plymouth. Cheap dash that only reminded me of the Valiants, Darts and Dusters in my life. There’s a point where a basic full size family car can’t be turned into a luxury sports car while using bargain-bin plastics. As soon as I saw that stuff, the spell was broken.
The 383 installed in Road Runners and Super Bees was hotted up with 440 heads and IIRC, a hotter cam too. That obviously amounted to more than the 10 additional hp Chrysler rated it at (335).
The dual exhausts on the 4V 383 alone count for a good 25-30 real (net) hp. But these are gross hp numbers, so the exhausts wouldn’t make a difference. So yes, it’s debatable whether a 4V carb and higher compression alone would account for an additional 35 gross hp. But in real life (as installed; net hp), the duals combined with the 4V and higher compression would easily increase it by that amount.
I’m surprised no one has yet mentioned those gorgeous wheels. Nice contrast of dark and light, and not too “busy” looking. I’m assuming they’re stock? Looking as close as the photos allow, they don’t appear to be wheel covers, but actual wheels. Am I correct?
I think they’re wheel covers (I found this one on eBay), but they certainly look like wheels from a distance.