(Photos by Curtis Perry)
The Plymouth Fury may have been the star of Stephen King’s Christine, but this decade-later model photographed with the beautiful Rocky Mountain scenery and rustic storefronts makes me think more of The Shining and Misery. Regardless, if indeed this near-fifty year old Plymouth Fury has spent its entire life in a climate of harsh winters and managed survive looking like this, perhaps it does have some enduring Christine qualities.
We’ll say that in this case – Christine’s niece, ‘Christina’ – in addition to having the attention of a prudent owner also benefited from the absence of salt on Colorado’s highways, where magnesium chloride is the preferred deicing agent.
Damn you, Brendan. After commenting earlier today about how easy life is without an old car as a daily driver, you have to bring up one of these. I spent several happy years wheeling around a C body of this generation (66 Fury III and 68 Newport Custom) and now feel like I want to do it again. I wish nice examples of these were still as plentiful as they were in the 80s and 90s.
I once had a guy try to sell me his bright red 67 Fury wagon that had a sweet sounding lightly muffled 383. I wish I had not turned him down.
Haha, well at the very least you probably dodged a bullet in terms of upkeep costs buying the Miata over a ’67 Fury. The ’65-’68 C-bodies are among the best Chryslers ever IMO though. For obvious reasons, they are extremely rare in New England’s climate.
My parent’s ’68 Sport Suburban only lasted three years before they traded it in on a Coronet Crestwood, but that had more to do with the apparently optional brakes with which their car was equipped. Nonetheless, I too have a sweet spot for these cars, as well as the great JoHan police cruiser model they inspired.
I do like the hardtop roof on these much better than the ’65-66 models, and have always wondered how a scaled-down version would have looked on the ’66-67 B-Bodies. Why Chrysler didn’t take advantage of already having tooled a 4 door hardtop B-body and become the first company to offer a 4 door hardtop intermediate (in ’65) is another Mopar mystery.
They did, but it was for the Canadian/Australian/European markets, in CKD form. I have one, a 1961 Plymouth, and It’s never had a smidge of rust nor a bit o’ dust on her… I just wondered that they should’ve kept DeSoto up and running for a few more years, they MONOPOLISED the 4-door Hardtop market, and did it with cool style!
I only stopped pointing out C-bodies because you bought your Miata. Now that I know that you can still be tempted by the dark side, I’ll keep my eye out for more clean C’s with a for sale sign. 🙂
The ’67 full-size Plymouths were one of those cars that was an unfortunate recipient of a facelift that tried unsuccessfully update an aging design with styling motifs from newer stablemates or the impending next generation design. The Fury received a nice, straight-lined body courtesy of Elwood Engel in 1965, but by ’68 Plymouth had grafted on rising-hip Coke-bottle fenders and rear door contours trying to apply the upcoming “fuselage” look before the rest of the car was ready, and the result clashes badly with the still-straight beltline from the unchanged windows. You look at the back door and you just know the car wasn’t supposed to look like this.
Im surprised the car is this clean, especially if it was used in the winter…but something is grabbing my attention, that K10 (or 20) in front of it.
Come on man, that’s just a Chevy pickup, but this is a Fury! (says the old fart who no longer owns any Chrysler products but has a Silverado pickup….)
trying to not get off topic, and I apologize if I do, but Ive always had a really soft spot for 73-87 gm truck chassis. (especially the suburban). but honestly, theres no dirt on this fury, maybe because of the skirting?
A car like this takes me back to when men smoked Lucky Strikes and drank Schlitz beer.
And real men drove real cars in NASCAR
Drove a navy blue 2 door with 383 in 78/79. Big brother’s rugby team mate bought it from an American Airman and I went out with him. Being a non drinker I drove it back from nights out a lot.
Comfortable and reliable but a bit big and thirsty for me.
I know it’s Christmas but that’s way too much snow for my liking….
This was mine; 1966 Sport Fury. I acquired it in 1983, added the later model side marker lights, and did a disc brake conversion, and swapped out the tired poly 318 for an 82 360 c.i. Just last year passed it on to a nephew, who is engaged in mildly updating it. 🙂
Wait – WHEN did the big Mopars go fuselage?
’68 or ’69?
1969 were the first fuselage Mopars. But the ’67-’68 full-size Plymouth was definitely transitioning towards the fuselage look from the ’65-’66 cars, at least more than the Chryslers and Dodges, both of which stuck with Engel’s crisp, creased (and even concave) side sculpting.
Duhrrr! Had a brain fart. Thanks rud! 🙂
Dad owned a ’67 NYer, metallic green,
throughout the 1980s. That thing stuck
out on the road even back then!
I don’t the see curved fuselage look on the 67-68, as the ’69-’73, in my eyes. They look as flat as a barndoor on the sides, to me. 😉
This reminds me of the time as a kid that I read in Boy’s Life about 2 1968 Plymouths that collided in Manhattan. The 2 cars had consecutive serial numbers, having come off the assembly line together.
I think the subject car probably looked a little different new; maybe a different color, or some trim and full wheelcovers are missing. It’s still a pleasant sight.
It seems odd that an upper tier Fury III hardtop would have steelies and dog-dishes. It certainly doesn’t help with the blackwalls, definitely giving it a strippo vibe (when it’s not really one).
OTOH, maybe the standard equipment full wheel covers kept falling off and whitewalls aren’t exactly easy or cheap to come by anymore. Kudos to the guy for at least keeping it OEM with the correct Plymouth hubcaps.
But, man, check out the gaps on how the doors match up with the rest of the body, especially on that side view pic.
My first car was a 68 Sport Satellite 2dr. hardtop which was pretty well equipped with auto, ac, ps, pb and dog dish hubcaps. The dog dishes were probably standard on the Fury III. This one is missing the body side molding but is unusual in that it has the optional fender skirts. Wonder if it came with dog dishes and fender skirts? My Dad had a 67 Fury II which I learned to drive on and it was a good solid car. It was replaced with a new 73 Impala Sport Sedan pretty well equipped but it did have dog dishes from the factory. A little unusual but not unheard of.
Even Impala’s had ‘dog dish’ hubcaps standard, at least until ’71. Neighbors had a brand new one, with ‘poverty caps, but Impala trim and triple tail lamps.
The VIP was Plymouth’s “LTD”. But, I think all ’68 Fury III’s had side trim, but Im no Mopar expert.
no body can ever figure out why chryco did things the way they did! these full sizers came
with two different coupe rooflines one was a very handsome traditional treatment which
complimented the car very nicely the other was a reverse slant job which seemed to
not fit the car at all they called this the fastop how much money did they spend on
something dumb like this?
They also gave the four-door hardtop a distinctly “faster” roofline than the post sedans, with a lengthy tulip panel on both, rather than using the hardtop window angle with the sedan’s farthest-back flat point of the roofline for both, taking the length off the deck without shortening the trunk opening by going with little-to-no visible tulip panel.
To be fair, both Ford and Chevrolet also started offering two different full-size hardtop coupes around the same time (1966 for Chevy with the introduction of the Caprice; 1968 for Ford with its formal and fastback coupes). And even after 1972 (when Plymouth reverted to offering a single full-size coupe), Chevy continued offering two different coupe rooflines, through 1974 or ’75.
Full size cars were the bread and butter of Big 3 in the 60’s, like big trucks today. So, many trims, roofs, drivetrains, and interiors were offered. I sure miss the variety!
I like these cars, especially in 2 door hardtop form (but not the fast top).
But I think the 65/66 models had a more solid look to the sheet metal.
If the 67/68 models get dented in those big rear quarters, it can make for a very shabby looking car.
I was lucky enough to drive a 68 Fury III convertible a few years ago, the only American car I have ever driven. (I live in Oz) Even though the car was worn out and in need of a full resto. I was Impressed with the solid feel of the car and liked the metallic sound of the doors, that had to be slammed shut.
The brakes not so much , non power assist drums, you had to really plan ahead if you needed to slow down or stop.
It was easily the most fun car I have ever driven.
I even got to drive it through a tunnel with the top down, an experience I will never forget
some years I have been more a Plymouth fan, some years more a Dodge fan but 68 was the year I would have been happy with either!
What a beauty ! .
In 1976 in Forest Hills , Mass. I was given a non running ’68 Plymouth Fury III Coupe , I got it running but before I could get it registered and safety inspected it blew a freeze plug so I traded it away for some VW parts to a guy who (IIRC) only wanted the romping stomping 383 HyPo V8 engine .
It really was a nice car but the thought of feeding it made me pass it along .
One has to actually drive one of these with tight suspension and good radial tires to grasp what wonderful road cars they are in spite of their girth .
-Nate
What scenery–both the Fury and the mountains in the background!