Good things have a funny way of happening when you least expect them. Much to my frustration, I’ve recently been going through somewhat of a drought when it comes to finding Curbside Classics. But if there is anything I have learned since I started here, it’s that the car you have been hoping for tends to appear when you aren’t even looking for it. That’s exactly what happened to me last Thursday.
I’ve been wanting to find a fuselage Mopar for a long time now. Given my soft spot for Plymouth, I’ve been searching for a fuselage Fury. I don’t need statistics to know that there aren’t many fuselages left on the road. And I’ll bet of those that are, very few are in fact Plymouths.
Value-priced, full-size cars from this era just don’t command the same amount of interest among collectors as do muscle cars and personal luxury cars do. Not to mention that a lot of Plymouths were low-trim sedans and wagon family-haulers, as well in fleet and taxi use, suffering more than their fair share of abuse.
But driving my usual route to the gym, this enormous red fuselage stuck out like Lady Gaga would in an episode of Leave It to Beaver. Suddenly my heart began racing, my eyes widened, and my hands started shaking. It was… a 1971 Plymouth Fury III!
And let me tell you, this one checked all the boxes for me. Fuselage…Check! Plymouth Fury…Check! Higher-trim level, 4-door hardtop, vinyl roof…Triple Check! This thing was so big I had trouble fitting the entire car in closeup shots!
It’s hard to convey just what these cars mean to me. So let me make it easier:
Cars like the fuselage Mopars may not be that special to those who were alive when they were new. However, I grew up in an era when the full-size car looked like the picture above. Not unattractive, but bland, plain, inconspicuous, whatever you’d like to call it.
So, a car like the 1971 Plymouth Fury is truly like laying my eyes upon a Martian spaceship.
photo by Tom Klockau
While definitely a world away from today’s cars, the fuselages were also something groundbreaking back in 1969. One of the biggest differences between them and their predecessors was the way their rooflines and greenhouses were integrated into the body. The greenhouses on the ’68s sat rather awkwardly on top of the body. Another huge difference was that belt lines of these fuselage cars were raised to decrease glass area. In effect, these elements made cars like this 1971 Fury sleeker, and far more futuristic looking than the cars that they replaced.
Curved side glass, flush with the doors of the car was an extraordinary advancement. The body sides were curved outward, allowing the window frames to do the same. These design features were what made shoulder- and hip-room increases of 3.5 and 6 inches possible. All of these are characteristic of cars today, but 40 years ago they were very radical design elements.
photo by Paul Niedermeyer
And radical is one of the best ways to describe the ’69 Plymouth Fury in comparison to the ’68. Despite all the fuselage advancements, the ’69 Furies were still rather blocky-looking, with more squared-off front and rear styling and non-integrated bumpers.
But this was still a time when cars received annual styling changes – the 1970 Furies looked quite different. Bumpers were now flush with the body, with the grille integrated into the front bumper. In my opinion, this made all the difference in terms of making these cars attractive.
Changes for ’71 were more minimal, with a new concave grille design being the highlight. I feel that 1971 represents the pinnacle of the fuselage Plymouths. Clean, uncluttered, and sleek. That’s why this 1971 Plymouth Fury III was such an exciting find for me.
Things got too ostentatious for 1972, with the huge loop front bumpers and split grille design.
1973, the last year of the fuselage C-bodies, was an utter disaster. Federally-mandated 5 mph bumpers, a more upright front end, and vertical tail lights made these cars look heftier (and frankly, more GM) than ever. That concludes our history lesson, and now finally to our Curbside Classic:
As previously stated, this is a 1971 Fury III 4-door hardtop. With just over 55,000 units made, the III 4-door hardtop was the most popular of the 21 Fury body style/trim combinations for 1971. It also has been equipped with a number of optional items such as deluxe wheel covers and a vinyl roof.
This vinyl bench seat with bucket-like seat backs was also optional on Fury IIIs. It’s held up much better than the interiors of most other cars I’ve seen from this era.
One of the reasons for its immaculate condition may be that the owner of this car is an elderly gentleman who collects cars. As I was taking the pictures, the owner of the garage behind it (who seemed a bit annoyed with me snapping pictures) came out to see what I was doing. He explained to me that owner is in fact the original owner, and that the man and his brother own several old cars “like this one”. I’m hoping that the others are the ones in the pictures on the rear seat (more fuselages!) Anyway, the Fury had just received regular maintenance and was waiting proudly to be picked up.
I’ve rambled on for quite some time now, hopefully I haven’t lost your attention. This car held one of the top spots on my Curbside Classic Bucket List, so finding it was a thrill near that of skydiving. Before I finally end, one last word about what this car means to me:
Like all cars, the styling of this one is totally subjective. And I can see why many people dislike its design. But to me, the styling of the fuselage Plymouths is more than something just better or worse than the Chevrolets and Fords of those years. It represents a bygone age in automotive design. A time when bigger was always better. A period when excess was expected. And, an era when designers dared to do something out of this world when it came to the everyday family sedan.
Count me in as a fuselage fan!
One BIG orphaned Plymouth…
The styling is subjective, I guess, so the fuselage look filtered down to Chrysler Australia for their Valiants in the 70s, I liked them back then still like em now and judging by what people are asking and paying for them now I’m not their only fan down this way.
*VERY* subjective .
Nevertheless, this is a stunner .
-Nate
I was born in 1971, just like this beautiful Plymouth. I had the good fortune to check out a similar, though more luxurious, 1972 Imperial at our annual Azalea Festival last weekend. These fuselage cars are indeed massive by today’s standards, but they manage to carry their bulk well. Speaking of Plymouth, growing up, my grandparents had a 1967 Sport Fury until my grandfather passed over back in 1988. I got to drive it some when I was getting my learner’s permit and then license. That car felt massive to me, a new driver, and I was way more comfortable driving my parents Fox body Mustang. Fast forward, in 1998 I bought a Plymouth Breeze which I kept for six trouble free years. It and a Dodge Stratus on the lot were the same price, but I chose the Plymouth out of nostalgia and because I only knew one other person driving a Plymouth at the time. I’ve always been quirky. Thanks for sharing this beautiful car. RIP Plymouth. You are not forgotten!
The 1969-’73 Fuselage Mopars created under Elwood Engel must have given Virgil Exner bit of satisfaction in that the integration of the body sides with the greenhouse he pioneered on the 1960 Valiant and 1962 Plymouth and Dodge was reinstituted by his successor.
Those of us who lived through when these were new didn’t take much notice then, they were a given. But now a half century on, it’s interesting and a pleasure to see a nice survivor in good condition.
Beautiful paintwork, and interior. Lots of pride of ownership here.
Yeah, someone really loves their old fuselage Fury and has taken great care in its survival. Plymouth was one of the “Low Priced Three” and, along with its Chevy and Ford competitors, those remaining haven’t survived well over all these years, particularly considering how the sales numbers of the Mopar were so much lower, not to mention the fabled poor body integrity.
Something that’s always fascinated me about old Mopar full-size cars is that, for any given year, either the Dodge or Plymouth front end will look much better than the other. It’s as if Chrysler management deliberately took pains to swap designs between the two divisions to ensure one would have a substantially better grille aesthetic.
Always a fan of these. The ’70 is my favorite with its double bulge hood and simpler tail design. My personal opinion is that they took a step down in styling each subsequent year but they were very small steps and they did a great job on the ’73 of integrating the new bumper standard. I would be proud to have any – or all of them in my garage. But if granted only one, it would be a hard call between a ’70 GT convertible or a ’71 Grand Coupe with skirts and matching paisley everything.
Our first new car when I was a boy was a 71 Plymouth Fury station wagon in light green.
I remember a story about the 1969-73 Plymouth on Collectible Automobile, I read they wanted to continue with the stackhead headlights theme but they abandonned that idea.
I think Chrysler should have continuing the fuselage body for its full-size cars for 1974 and putting the money they invested for a more bigger redesigned intermediates sedans and wagons.
That wasn’t the Lynn Townsend way. The fuselage cars weren’t anything close to being a hit so he went back to his tried-and-true ‘use the previous GM model styling’ mode for 1974.
The next generation C-body was his take on the 1971 Buick and, man, did it show. So much so that, from certain angles, when I see a picture of a 1971 Buick (especially the low-trim models), I swear it’s not possible to tell it from the new 1974 Mopar C-body.
The sad part is, as usual for Chrysler, their timing was horrible, with the 1973 Oil Crisis hitting not long after the new model introduction. That simply killed any chances the new Chrysler models might have had in the marketplace.
Yeah, while Chrysler’s full-size recovered a bit for 1976-77, Dodge and Plymouth didn’t. The big Newport and New Yorker have the advantage to not have copied the 1971 Buick design.
My insurance STUCK me with a ’71 Plymouth bloatmobile while my beloved ’56 Chevy was being repaired from a rear ender. I could not wait to get my ’56 back from the body shop!
Personally I loathed that wallowing, gas sucking Plymouth. The styling may not have been bad, for the time, but IMO it went straight downhill from there while trying to wallow that monster thru L.A. traffic. 🙁
Compared to the Oldsmobile 88s and 98s I had been selling b4 College; well there was no comparison AFAIK. 🙁 DFO
The red Fury III make the Crown Victoria about 5 photos down look like the mid-
size it really is!
Only, the Vic would seem more spacious inside due to its 4 inches more upright stance. (were people that much shorter back during the Fuselage period?)
That white ‘67 VIP is the twin to one I owned in ‘72…. Excellent road car!!!
Quite handsome. Still won’t want to start in wet weather I’ll wager. Where are the pics taken ‘btw”?
It’s a Very Imposing Plymouth. And in amazing condition.
It’s hard to imagine a world where cars this size were taken for granted.
I think the high beltline is the reason I’ve never really taken to the fuselage Mopars. While it makes for a very stately-looking car, the visual effect is almost overwhelming, and the view outward seems a massive step backwards after the preceding models.
The ’71 seemed even bulkier that the earlier fuselage models. While I loved the 3D grille texture, it made an already big car seem even bigger. This was the last big Plymouth we got down here. Never saw a big Chevy down here, but the Galaxie looked trim by comparison.
I had a 71 with the 383 Super Commando 330hp…I would be lucky to get 9 mpg
I am one of the loved and lost. (Previous owner of a 72 Newport) So I know what it’s like to own a beast like this. Makes me proud that there are still some on the road
Of course, in Australia this ‘71 Plymouth 4 door pillarless hardtop was badged and sold by Chrysler Australia as its top of its passenger car range luxury high end “Dodge Phoenix 400”. Australians see this car as Dodge and not a Plymouth.
The “400” reference referred to the fact only 400 4 door hardtop and 400 4 door pillared 1971 RHD Dodge Phoenix cars were assembled that year. Each was numbered individually from ‘1’ through to ‘400’.
They are a rare sight today on Australian roads from my observation were not as well built as earlier 1960s cars. The four door pillarless 1971 and 1972 Dodge Phoenix (Plymouth) would hold the distinction of being the last 4 door pillarless car assembled in Australia. General Motors Holden (GMH) had assembled 4 door pillarless Chevrolet Impalas and Pontiac Parisiennes from 1965 until early in 1970.
Ford Australia never assembled any 4 door pillarless cars, so the body style to Australians has always remained unique. In Australia during the 1960s and early 1970s, a 4 door pillarless car, regardless of make would draw lots of attention as they were rarely even seen on our roads.
Great article!
Nice looking Fury before THAT 73. Looks like E7 burnished red poly. Attractive color. Would love to drive it. Finding any Fusie in Northern California is hard be it Plymouth, Dodge, or Chrysler. Junky Slab Side Chryslers are about it.
Thanks for sparking a vivid memory for me. Summer 73 Dad took flew us to Disney World and rented a Fury. It was butternut yellow with matching interior and black vinyl top. Man did it move! I remember the a/c being as cold as ice. I recall the room number at the Hilton was 1927 – the year he was born
I always thought my 75 Imperial had fuselage body styling
I had a 71 Polara. True Land yacht/ Battering Ram! 383 4bbl got a half -mile to the gallon. I didn’t care I was 19 yrs old. That sucker would smoke the tire/s as long as you held it to the floor. It was wonderful can’t help but love old MOPAR. Got a 74 Charger now 360 4 bbl now and it won’t smoke em half as far but no problem winding her out to 120 /125 still. Keep an eye on your mirror. You might see me coming up behind you some day. Just let me have the passing lane