I can find a for sale sign on an old car like some kind of bipedal hound dog. When I get on the scent of one, I ignore traffic rules, I jaywalk, and I disregard my own safety to find it. It’s a compulsion! Needless to say, I found this ’66 Belvedere Hardtop in short order, but there was no price on the sign. I didn’t even ask, because there is definitely no room in the garage. But what if there were? Why should I plunk down X-dollars on this old Mopar?
Reason #1: It’s not a Satellite! I don’t know if that’s a good thing, but this Belvedere II tripped my weird-o-meter. The Satellite would have been the “top of the line,” but who cares? When else are you going to find a Belvedere II?
Reason #2: Effortless V8 power! Did you know that you could still get a 361 in the ’66 Belvedere? In fact, you could order one of four V8s, but this one likely has the 273 or 318, because the big-blocks were called “Commandos,” and should have special badging. Special note: the 318 was still the old “poly” engine in ’66 (and until ’67 in Canada). I wish my Dart had the 273, but oh well.
Reason #3: Two-tone? Actually, I don’t like the silver top too much. I’d prefer a solid “dark red metallic,” but according to the brochure, 18 different two-tone combinations were available.
Reason #4: Boring hubcaps. I often prefer boring factory hubcaps, largely because most people don’t. Yeah, sure a set of Torq-Thrusts would look cool, but does a 318 Belvedere really need a set of wheels that make it look fast?
Reason #5: Interior color. Old cars had loads of options, and you could get a nice, deep red cloth/vinyl interior. Plus, this one is nearly showroom new!
Reason #6: Torqueflite! As cool as I expected my three-on-the-tree Dart to be, I must admit that I get why people ordered the automatic…three-on-the-tree is clumsy and slow. Having to shift into second before going down into first so it doesn’t clash is an unnecessary pain. Smooth, effortless power mixed with one of the great automatics? Delightful. This would immediately become one of my long trip cars.
Reason #7: I’m starting to get used to Mopars! While the above printed circuit from Classic Industries is meant for a ’62 or ’63 model, a ’66 model’s would be similar. I had no idea that the Mopar electrical system was so unlike what Ford and GM were using. That’s not really a compliment, but now that I’m starting to get the hang of it, that would be a hurdle I’d expect!
Reason #8: Size. The ’60s intermediates are a reasonably practical size. Sure, they’re big by today’s standards, but they’re still easy to maneuver, and they might (MIGHT) fit in the garage. May I repeat that just about every ’60s car offered a bunch of color options? Look at all those colors! Unlike today’s black, gray, or silver options; one could order a veritable rainbow.
Reason #9: The name. My lovely bride remarked that I’d have to get a “Mr. Belvedere” personalized license plate if I bought the car. That’s reason enough, I guess.
Unfortunately, there were also reasons to not buy this Belvedere.
Reason #1: It’s not on the list. Neither was the Dart, and that didn’t stop me, but I can’t be pulling that kind of garbage all the time.
Reason #2: I don’t have room or sanity for another old car. A Belvedere would make six. That’s a lot. I already have to keep one “off campus,” and that’s not cheap.
Reason #3: It’s too nice; therefore, it’s probably too expensive. I kind of like cars that are a touch beaten down. That way I can fix them.
It is, however, always fun to dream, and for a minute, I was tossing this one around in my head. Now you know why.
It is funny how the colors are named no-nonsense Beige, Yellow, etc. Big contrast from the later trend of calling everything “Autumn Starlite Firemist,” etc.
Very attractive cars and colour scheme.I remember a Belvedere just like this from the USAF base near my Grandparents in the 60s.
Holy cow is that one nice Belvedere. And I love the hubcaps. I’d be tempted.
There are not a lot of Mopars that trip my trigger, but this one has it tripped. I love the trapezoidal C- pillar on these things!
Looks to be in great condition and I love the colour combination. Dark metallic reds and maroons are among my favourite car colours. I think the silver roof complements the wide silver chrome strip and finishing panel on the tail.
Agree!!
Another vote for dark red/silver roof!
After few cars in and outside garage… Either it’s a good feelin’ to reconsider from time to time the possibilities like “what if?”. Like the short story about this Belvedere… Anyway nice catch and it’s good to see some good shaped oldies in today’s environment as a Curbside Classic.
Put a fork in me; I am DONE!
How much and where is it?
I’ll swap him/her even for my low mileage, just-as-clean ’85 Dodge Ram long bed truck.
You will have to do a lot better than that ’85 Dodge Ram. That is a truck that will have to wait a long time to be ‘Wanted’.
That’s beautiful. I’d buy that.
Boy the mid-60’s really had some great car designs. The big Fords, everything from GM and starting in 1965, lots of stuff from Chrysler. These were nicely styled, the perfect size, and I loved that C pillar. With the right color and options these were very desirable cars. The competition was tough, however, and these tended to be overlooked when compared to the LeMans, Cutlass and Malibu offerings from GM. A shame, because with a 318 and Torque Flight, these featured a better drivetrain.
One thing about cars of this era was that you needed to carefully review the long options list, as even the most basic items like AM radio, vinyl seats and nice moldings were extra. If you went cheap and skimped, these could wind up looking like crap. A cheapskate old neighbor bought a new ’66 Belvedere I 4 door sedan with absoluelty no options. It looked nowhere as nice as the featured car.
The 318 and Torque Flight was good enough for top notch UK car maker Bristol.A very overlooked engine from Mopar compared to the 340s,big blocks and hemis.I’ve seen a Sox & Martin tribute GTX with 318 go seriously fast on UK drag strips and it was a daily driver.
A 318 poly drag racer? Never heard of such a thing. Well, I suppose some were raced, but not with any degree of real success. It was a solid but a very heavy engine for its size.
The 318 poly was unduly large and heavy as a result of old-school thick-wall castings and the huge polyspheric heads. I was rather underwhelmed by its performance in our family ’65 Coronet wagon.
The LA 318 that came out in 1967 was much lighter, and in my experience, a bit brisker too. It used the same basic block, but cast with thin-wall technology and the new wedge heads that were much more compact and lighter. It led the way to the very successful 340, arguably the best engine in its class.
It more than likely was the LA 318 as it was in a 67 GTX,it was a street legal daily driver and featured in UK magazines around 10 years ago
From what I can recall from my days of used car lot sampling in the mid/late 1970’s and 1980’s, this car prolly has the 273 2-BBL v8 engine.
The 318’s were used in the Fury’s quite often, the Satellite/Belvedere’s and Barracuda’s had the 273.
Which would please me greatly and suit MY needs just fine. A 273/Torqueflite was (and still is!) more than a match for a Fairlane’s 289/C4 or a Malibu’s 283/PowerGlide, IMO.
In a ’67, it would have been the LA 318.
Unusually for a ’60s car, that dashboard design really works for me: simple & functional, neither overdone nor too plain. And no horizontal speedometer, either.
Maybe it was Kelly Johnson’s principle “Keep It Simple Stupid” which explains why Chrysler compacts & intermediates from this period appeal to me.
Absolutely gorgeous and a great example of the company’s mid-sixties styling I love so, so much.
Another reason to possibly avoid the purchase: it’s an automotive experience similar to those you’ve had already. If you’re going to spend so much to keep it clean, maintained and stored, perhaps something novel to you might be more worthwhile.
Very true! Is it time to try a ’70s car? 🙂 Maybe relive my youth with an ’80s T-Bird? Finally step up to the plate and get a nice first-gen Riviera? 🙂
It might be time to not buy any more cars! I’m doing a cam swap in the Mustang today and tomorrow…I don’t need more to do!
Or an 89 Grand Marquis maybe? 🙂
Uh, yeah, maybe…………. 🙂
Aaron, you need a car from the 70s as cars from the 70s combine so many things into one delicious package.
You get 1960s era fuel economy with engines strangled like what we would see for most of the 80s. You get something that has more modern amenities like a/c plus a higher level of safety than ever before, like disc brakes and shoulder belts. They are more comfortable than modern cars and accelerate like a car from the 1940s. Plus, they have corrosion protection that has never been paralleled.
Everyone needs to own at least one car from the decade of their birth to better appreciate their ancestors.
+1
’40s acceleration, ’60s fuel economy? How could I resist? 🙂
I remember my dad’s ’74 Gran Torino Elite. I was four when he sold it, and I remember putting my fist in the rust holes in the driveway. Even at four, I had separation anxiety when my parents sold cars. They told me they were sending it back to the Ford factory to get the rust fixed, and it would be home in the year 2000. Needless to say, when I turned 23, I asked where the Elite was. 🙂 Corrosion-resistance, Ford style!
Yikes! My parents had a ’73 Torino.
One time I decided to crush some aluminum cans on the back floorboard while going down the road. Of course I got in trouble, but mainly from worry my foot would go through the floorpan. And we loved in the Banana Belt of Southern Illinois where snow was only an annual event – maybe.
> Everyone needs to own at least one car from the decade of their birth to better appreciate their ancestors.
I’ll pass, too new. 🙂
Until recently I only debatably met that requirement. While my ’82 Malibu technically would have qualified (I am a 1980 model, myself) it was really a 1978 car with a 1982 front clip. The interior was identical other than color to my ’79 except for what was previously the optional “sport” dash with the round gauges becoming standard somewhere along the way to replace the horizontal ribbon speedometer.
With the recent purchase of the 780 I have rectified the situation. Everything about that car is very, very 80’s…but most of it in a good way 🙂
Not for me. 🙂 I can go one better, as the 59 Plymouth I found sitting on a car lot in 1980 had a sticker in the glove box attesting that it was delivered to its original purchaser on the very exact day I was born. How could I not buy it?
Very nice car! Reminds me of this story:
http://www.moparaction.com/Article/Barn_Stormer/Barn_Stormer.html
One of these was always on my short list from back when they were just cheap, old used cars. As time has passed, these have ratcheted up in price to the point that I will not likely be adding one of these to the “cars JPC has owned” list. Sadly.
I am a veteran of this car’s big brother, as I drove a 66 Fury III sedan for four years back in the late 80s-early 90s. The wideblock 318 and Torqueflite was quite adequate on the big C body, and would surely be even better in one of these. Don’t forget that this was a heavily revised 1962 Fury, so it was a mite bigger than the other intermediates from back then.
When I was a safety patrol in 6th grade, Mrs. Doyle was the mother of my little sister’s best friend, and drove a gold 66 convertible. Can’t recall if it was a Satellite or a B2, but I was seriously in love with that car and deeply disappointed when she traded it on a 72 Satellite coupe.
Would it be considered a breech of publishing etiquette/invasion of privacy if you published the telephone number on the “For Sale” sign?
I’m THAT interested.
Yeah, and maybe find out what he wants for it. It’s usually not a good sign when they don’t list the price, though. Were the quarter panels all metal with no bondo?
Regardless, shouldn’t the engine size have been on the reverse side of the hood ornament? I’d go with others who suggest it was a 273. The LA 318 didn’t seem to start getting used with regularity in the intermediates until 1967.
The ’67 intermediate Plymouth also had a better looking front end with quad headlamps, too, but, hey, a clean ’66 is nearly as good.
There were plenty of 318 polys installed in ’65 and ’66 Belvederes and Coronets; we had one. I saw plenty others too. It was a popular upgrade for a few extra bucks.
Yes, the 318 LA replaced the poly for 1967.
One had been swapped into the 61 Dodge Pioneer/Dart I had it came from a later model it was the selling point to dispose of the car the motor was fine the rest not so much.
Rudiger, I didn’t have my magnet out, but I’m pretty good at spotting filler, and I’m guessing it was solid. Didn’t check out the hood ornament, but I should have; I’ve noticed those hood ornaments, too.
Everyone is forgetting the 383. I know for a fact that it was available in the 66 Coronet, so it was likely available in the Plymouth as well. One of these with a 383 would be pleasant indeed.
FWIW, it was a Belvedere that inspired the ’68 Roadrunner. One of the Chrysler execs had a ’66 or ’67 with a 383 4-speed combination and a bunch of heavy-duty police equipment.
I didn’t get the phone number…sorry. This one may be lost to the ages! I’m guessing he pops a for sale sign in it at cruises and shows, just to see if someone will bite. The sign was well-weathered.
Also: compared to the same year Fairlane or Malibu, these Belvedere/Satellite’s were H U G E inside, with trunks capable of hauling dead bodies.
The photo of Mr. Belvedere reminded me of an obscure (but hilarious) skit on the old SNL show with Tom Hanks as the leader of a group of obsessed weirdos who form a ‘The Guy Who Played Mr. Belvedere’ fan club, some of whom seem to be most interested in killing him in some bizarre and outlandish way.
Yeah I like it the colour the shape, it looks very much like the restyle GMH used to improve the incredibly ugly HD Holden it appears they photocopied this Plymouth front to produce their 66 HR model,
3 speed tree shifts are a pain mostly due to the linkages binding there is no reason to shift to first via second at a traffic light other than that. Ive owned and driven many from several makers and properly setup they shift and skipshift fine. Rootes group described theirs as fingertip control, YMMV, mine did I swapped in a syncro floorshift box.
The only reason I go to second before first is that it never clashes when I do that. Sometimes, going straight from neutral to first at a light, it will clash (standing still).
Non syncro I bet. you have wait after depressing the clutch whereas going via second the second gear syncro stops the layshaft making it glide into first, Yep MK2 Zephyr was like that.
It’s definitely non-synchro. It’s an A-903…
“I can’t be pulling that kind of garbage all the time.”
Boy, that hits a little too close to home. As does any Origami hardtop. (The accepted term for a ’65-’68 Mopar that looks to have been designed through the folding of stiff paper. Accepted by me, anyway, since I made it up. :-p )
Origami hardtop. I like that!
Pretty car, I have always liked the ’66-’67 B’s. Owned a few over the years and they are great cars. Good handling too.
There were some hi-po versions of the poly 318, both 4bbl. and dual-quad. Look for late 50’s Plymouth Fury’s. No question the ‘LA’ 318 was an improvement though.
What is so strange about the printed circuit for the instrument cluster? My ’67 GMC pickup as a very similar one. Standard fare for GM and Chrysler from the mid-60’s on.
If you hang around the Mopar A-Body website, it becomes pretty apparent that there are two types of Mopar owners…those who have gauge trouble and those who will have gauge trouble. New ones seem pretty hard to find.
I had a 66 Belvedere II when I was in college. 4 door sedan/318/Torqueflite. Painted in a greenish metallic gold with matching interior, same upholstry pattern as this car.
As another suggested, the engine displacement is on the back side of the hood ornament. For some reason, I have one of those hood ornaments kicking around here: Plymouth insignia on one side and 318 on the other.
Hardest riding car I ever had. Could have been the Monroe load levers on the back, but then I had one broken leaf on one side and two broken leaves on the other side, which should have softened it up some.
Manual drum brakes worked fine.
Had gas stains drooling down the side. The round badge on the bodyside molding is the gas cap.
Found out why the battery kept going dead: the latch on the glove compartment door was lose, so the light was on all the time.
For mid 60s Detroit iron in Michigan, it was not a terribly bad ruster. At 8 years there was some worm in the bottoms of the rear fenders, but that was about it.
All in all, not my favorite car. It got me to class, but that’s the best I can say for it.
Speaking of hood ornaments, I found it
Front side
And the back side
Cool detail.
Want to sell the hood ornament I have a 66 Satellite with a 318 and dont have that one, it got broken when I was in college. It was my Grandfathers car before I got it in High School
I’ve always found these ’66-’67 coupes very attractive. The crisp lines, the subtle point to the front fenders, the trapezoidal c-pillar, the long-low-linear look. Very, very nice. This one looks like a fine example too!
Plymouth were really into the I-II-III thing for a while, weren’t they? I knew of the roman numeral Furys but didn’t know it got applied to Belevederes too. Or should I say II.
BUY IT!!!!! This car is gorgeous, and looks like its a real cherry example. Offhand I cant think of a single mid 60s Mopar 2 door hardtop that isn’t a slam dunk in terms of looking fantastic and being a well made car. Even if its only a 318, its still got enough mojo to boogie.
Im with you on the silver top though. A quickie spray to match it to the rest of the body and problem solved. Id scrap those hubcaps for some Magnum 500s though.
I think the reason I like these angular B-body 2-door hardtops so much is because they seem like slightly shrunken analogs of my 300L hardtop.
I’m with you!
IIRC, the Belvedere II was the top trim available range wide. The Satellite was coupe and convertible only and considered sort of a sport package. This is a well trimmed mid-size Plymouth. Very attractive and decent selling. It’s one downfall was that the Dodge version was very, very similar. This lack of identity likely hurt both versions some in light of the well differentiated mid-size cars available from GM.
What a beautiful car. I have owned its older brother for 15 years now-1966 Satellite- red exterior and red interior. Bought the car in 1999 because I like Mopars and do not see a lot of 66s around, Belvederes or Satellites. Interesting term- origami styling. That is problably one of the things that also attracted me to the car, the style. Do not let anyone say this body is square and/or slabsided. The more you look at it there is a form along the sides that moves in and out fro top of the beltline to the lower sill. Even the gascap has a slight curve to it to fit in this body side at the left rear. Don’t forget one year only trim-taillights, front grille, rear trunk trim. Love it
Pictures, man, pictures!
To aaron65. I will get pictures of my 1966 Satellite as soon as possible. Finding your story on the Belvedere took me a bit by surprise. Plus,believe or not I do not have a ready source of photos of my car and I am doing this from an older Ipad. Will be going to a car club meeting Tuesday July 22 in the efening and we are touring out toma member’s acreage so hope to get pictures then. Might even try to get a little story in too with photos, will have to see. Patience, I hope will be rewarded
My 66 Satellite
i always have wanted one of these!
I like the two toned silver top.
I can’t think of any reason to buy it, but I like it.
Looks like it died and came back in shrunken form in Oz as a 1967 HR Holden.
My first car was a ’66 Belvedere I I got for $15 in 1975. Old phone company car, white, 225, three on the tree, nothing else but a heater. 75k miles, badly rusted but drive able. I fancied it up with an AM two speaker radio and nice shag carpet squares to cover the huge holes in the floor.
I drove it all summer before I went off to college…it caught fire for some reason and that was that. A great learning experience and first car.
So I’d offer $75 because it’s considerably nice than mine and inflation and all.
That’s a beauty – I’m not a true Chrysler fan but I think these are the most attractive of all the intermediates offered in the 66-68 timeframe – great example of Engel’s “fill the box’ design philosophy.
And having driven all three, I agree that the 273 was a tad stronger than the 289 or 283 – you just had to make sure that Mustang next to you didn’t have a K code 289 – fairly easy to tell with the mechanical lifters, if so, you didn’t want to mess with it………that’s one mean motor………
Had a chance back in 82 to buy the Dodge version (Coronet) of this car. 2-dr, yellow, black interior, poly 318 and console shifted TF. I still regret not doing it. 🙁
funny how many 66 Belvederes have survived. Saw three at the Mopar show at the Gilmore today
Yup, it has a Hemi. Two of the three had 426s. One had a slant six. No 318s anywhere…go figure
Looks like a fun show! I was down at Waterford Hills today for vintage race weekend.
They had a good turnout. Check out the 56 DeSoto pic I posted on the “hardtop” thread. Of course, I would have preferred more 50s and fewer new production, but I did see several Plymouths of the same year as ones I grew up with. Pretty sweet 56 Plymouth, but a 2 door Belvedere sedan. If it has been a Fury hardtop I would have been in full drool mode.
I tried to sell that 66 Belvedere hood ornament to a couple vendors who had a lot of trim bits, but noone was interested. There’s another one for eBay, as I handed off the 66 to my cousins 40 years ago.
By the way, the ones with the Hemi had “426” badges low on the front fenders, so your CC didn’t have one.
Clean clean car got to sell I need room in my garage for my Ferrari.
all you ” experts’ tickle me. 66 bel II cars were built with poly engines early and probably until very late in the year . some were built with la 318,s probably late in the year.and some had the 273.this I know from witnessing or owning [or a family member owning ] all of the above. 361 yes. 383 yes. hemi definatly.I wouldn’t be surprised if a few had the
” c body” 440 or even a left over 426 wedge or two.Chrysler was famous for building cars they never built,mixing parts from adjacent years,and building anything a “good dealer” ordered. ever see a bel ii with buckets? 45 years experience and still surprised once in a while.
Just to follow up…this car is now advertised on craigslist.
It looks like a poly 318 under the hood, and the asking price is…wait for it…$18,500 firm!
No wonder the “for sale” sign was faded in the windshield. Nice car, but that price is stout for what the car is.