(first posted 8/26/13) 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.
Sweet, sweet, sweeeeeeeet find. I would have been tempted to hang around to wait for the owner to come out and fire it up, just so I could hear the starter crank and the engine burble.
My frequent, automotive crowd pleasing imitation of “The Highland Park Hummingbird” gear reduction starter, heard in our family driveway, from 1962 until the late 1980’s:
“NANG-NANG-NANGGG”
(Dad’s exasperated voice from a distance) “Dear, you have to pump the gas pedal to set the choke or it’s NOT gonna start!”)
(Jingling sound of throttle linkage as Mom frantically pumped the gas pedal 2, 3, 4 ,5 times)
“NANG-NANG-NANG-NANGGGGGGG-ROOAAAARRRRRR!”
(Chirp of the rear tires as Mom slaps the Torqueflite into gear and the rapidly disappearing view of whatever Mopar Dad bought for Mom scaring birds outta the trees on our suburban street).
To big and no doubt thirsty for me but it’s nice to see a survivor that hasn’t been gutted to make a fake big block A or B body.I’m sure you’re trying to make a full size fan of me.I always thought the fuselage body full size cars worked best stylistically as wagons.I quite like the 72 grilles but I’m one of the few who like the 70 Coronet/Superbee
There’s something strange about that 1970 Fury ad. On the 4-door, there are vent windows while on the 2-door, they’re missing (they’re completely missing from the entire 1971 line). Is that how it actually went in 1970? Chrysler was one of the last of the Big 3 to have manual vent windows standard (although the 1989 Ford Crown Victoria would actually be the last one to offer them as an option) but it seems exceptionally odd that they would split them within the model line like that. Of course, since Chrysler always marched to the beat of a different drummer, it makes perfect sense.
Vent windows aside, it’s easy to see where the blocky 1969 look came from, and that’s the big ‘forehead’ of the hood above the grille. Changing the bumper to a loop-type in 1970 shortened the amount of hood space above the grille and it made for a cleaner look.
It’s a tough call between the ’70 and ’71, though. Overall, while the ’71 is probably better, the 1970 Sport Fury GT, still being part of the old Plymouth Rapid Transit System with having the twin hood bumps, engine call-outs, and a better hidden-headlight grille, was a bit cooler than the ’71.
Here’s a great, detailed, slide-show type training video (over 10 minutes long) showing many details of the 1971 Plymouth Fury that was sent to the dealerships for salesmen and service techs. It’s a must-watch for those into fuselage Mopars (and the Fury, in particular). Interestingly, they only show up-level hidden headlight models. And it ends with the classic ‘Chrysler-Plymouth, Coming Through’ jingle’:
Thanks for the link to that video. I love old dealer training videos.
Some cool things I learned too. I had no idea headlight washers were available on American cars in 1971. The vinyl top sunroof and flow-through ventilation were cool too.
Chevrolet did offer the option for Camaro and Caprice in the late 1960s.
https://youtu.be/0hsbZa8uWtw?t=15
Chrysler may have been a little late to eliminate vent windows, but it was common to delete it on coupes first, while leaving it on sedans.
Here’s an example from 1970 Pontiac, although we see a hardtop coupe without vents, and a 2-door sedan with them. The 4-door sedan gets them, too.
Ordering AC deleted the vent windows.
I don’t think that’s true at all. All the 1969-70 fuselage cars had vent windows; all the ’71s, both pillared and pillarless, eliminated them, although otherwise they were much like the ’70 cars (except that convertibles weren’t being offered anymore). Vent windows were available at extra cost on some of the hardtops, I think – perhaps only Chryslers and Imperials? – starting in either ’71 or ’72 and continuing through the last of the big Chryslers in ’78. Unlike the earlier standard ones, these had no cranks and were simply pushed open with a locking lever, old-style.
As for the 1968 GM intermediates, the only ones that lost their vent windows for ’69 were the hardtop coupes and convertibles. This distinction persisted through ’72 and was unrelated to whether the car was equipped with factory air.
It was true for two-door hardtop models in 1969. See the text in this catalog image. Vent windows were eliminated for all body styles for the ’71 model year. My family had a ’70 Sport Suburban with them, neighbors had the same model as a ’71 that did not have them. Not sure exactly when they returned as an option, but I want to say it was with the ’74 redesign.
Ah, quite so. I’d forgotten about the vent window delete on the a/c-equipped 1969-70 coupes. In any case, there were certainly no coupes with vent windows after 1970.
At http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1971/Showroom/Page20.htm is a page indicating that no 1971 Chrysler models came with standard vent windows, although power vent windows could be ordered on “Chrysler New Yorker and Imperial four-door hardtops” already equipped with power windows. Likewise for the 1972 cars (www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1972/72Features/Page20.htm) and presumably the ’73s.
I don’t believe any 1971-73 cars that weren’t Chryslers or Imperials could be ordered with vent windows, but the full-line Chrysler-Plymouth brochure for 1974 (www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1974/GeneralBrochure/Page19.htm) makes clear that manual vent windows were optionally available “for Imperial, Chrysler, Fury and Valiant [sic] 4-door models only” – both hardtops and sedans; a sedan is pictured – and presumably this was true for equivalent Dodges too. (Our unlamented ’77 New Yorker Brougham had manual vent windows.)
vent windows were eliminated from the Furys for 71
My family had a 1970 Chrysler 300 4-door hardtop, and it had both Airtemp A/C and vent windows. It also had power windows, no power locks, and cranks for the vent windows. I’m pretty sure my grandmother’s 1970 Fury 2-door hardtop also had the vents, but I can’t remember if it had the cranks or not. But they were both ’70s — and vent windows are just the kind of detail that would be updated or deleted for a new model year.
Contrast how many variations were available back then with today. The absolute worst is Honda, where the only choices are limited to cloth or leather seats, with or without navigation, and a half dozen different exterior colors.
About the only way to get true a la carte ordering anymore is with the expensive German cars (and you’ll pay exorbitant prices for the privilege).
If you are looking for a 1950s/’60s a la carte car buying experience, Honda probably isn’t for you. But when I bought my 2004 Odyssey, I appreciated the fact that everything I wanted came on the trim level that I selected. Optional items were available, but were dealer-installed. Bend over and grab your ankles.
The wait time is 3 or 4 times what it was in the 1970’s for a “special order” car today.
It took Toyota two and a half months to build and deliver a new Camry with the exterior color/interior fabric color I wanted.
I had a ’70 Fury III 4-door HT for a short time. It had vent windows, and the 2-doors didn’t.
Thanks for the great video. It brought back a lot of memories. We had to ditch our 283 1966 Impala in 1971 due to burnt valves. One of our neighbors was a salesman at a local CP dealership and my normally conservative dad came home with a Sport Fury 4 door hardtop in the deep gold/brown vinyl top combination featured in the video, powered by the 383 2bbl. I turned 16 two years later and it was a great car for high school dates. Starting out the fold down armrest gave the impression of bucket seats, but could be pulled up if additional space was desired.
Enough said.
“Good things” indeed, Brendan! Not only is it always worth the wait for a fuselage, but I think I met this car and its owner at a show last year. A really friendly, down to earth guy. I think I remember his mentioning Quincy, which is near you, right? Anyway, good find and writeup!
That’s funny about seeing this car and meeting the owner. And yeah I photographed this one in Milton, so next town over.
That is a find. Just the fact that it is not green, and probably originally red, considering the red interior, makes it a real gem.
The tweaks to the ’69 – ’71 fuselage Furies were minor, but I probably like the ’71s best of the three. Very attractive as a hardtop with a black vinyl roof. If it has AC, I could put in a nicely hidden modern stereo and drive as is. Mopar had the best front seats of the day in its higher trim lines with the high back and armrests.
Kind of the least “fuselage” of fuselage cars with its body sculpting and slightly tucked back C pillars.
Awesome find! I like the color — not what I would expect on a 1971 Fuselage. So many were gold or green (not that I mind that!) I hope you’ll get to see the rest of the owner’s collection.
What beautiful original condition and colors of this Fury III. I hate to admit it but I am old enough that I still like vinyl roofs and whitewalls and wheel covers on cars of the 60s and 70s that had them from the factory. They were considered upscale back then.
Wow- that really does bring back memories. In the mid 90s, I had a ’70 Sport Fury in a slightly browner shade of bronze, but with the same 4 door hardtop and vinyl roof. The only things that made the Fury a Sport rather than a Three (or triple-eye) are: hood bulges with the ‘383’ displacement. 2-tone vinyl upholstery with a darker pad in the middle, and of course hidden ‘garage door’ headlamps that sound like a guillotine when they shut. Mine was a mechanically and interiorilly perfect 68K mile granny car, but having lived in the midwest had the usual rear quarter rust and rot where the sill meets the rear wheelarch.
It was a reliable thing though, and in the days of 80 cent/gallon gas, it wasn’t prohibitively expensive to run. The thing is, although any family sedan today feels faster than this, you just don’t get the same sense of speed. 0-60 in 8 seconds in something this size and with such wooly handling really does feel amazing compared to the over-insulated cocoon of a modern car. It was also the ultimate sleeper- for insurance purposes, it was listed as ‘1970 Plymouth Full Size, Brown 4dr.’ No hint of that lovely 383. In those old underwriting days, it fell into the same category as a Buick Century, in spite of having a proper muscle car powertrain.
I should qualify that- for all of the Sport in my Fury, Chrysler didn’t bother to specify front disc brakes. Now, for the majority of its life in Kansas, this didn’t really matter. When I relocated to Denver, I soon realised just how dangerous 2 tonnes of car travelling downhill on a mountain pass without any engine braking an be. That 383 would still pull 60mph in second gear, which is a problem when decending 40mph bends. The Colorado Highway Patrol did not take kindly to me using a runaway truck sandpit when I finally realised that the speed was beyond the suspension’s capacity to complete the next bend. The officer’s pedanticity regarding the word ‘truck’ almost gained me a ticket. Of all of the advances in automotive technology since 1970, the ability to descend a mountain pass with braking power at the bottom has to be the greatest. If only the old dear had paid for discs, that car would have been great, and I would still have the wheel covers, which one by one popped off the hot rims along the way.
The other benefit of a ’70s Mopar is for those of you into body modification. Now, I know it is cool to put holes and jewelery into various orifices, but there really is nothing more punk rock than an inverted Plymouth badge seared into the small of your back. Those buckets on the ’71 moved the chrome ‘burn bar’ up higher, but on the earlier low-back model, it was perfectly placed to sear you right where the greatest pressure is on the seat. So effective was this piece of technology, that it could heat through a t-shirt in order to mark its territory on you.
All joking aside, it was a great car, in spite of its issues, which today could have been remedied very easily. Compared to a ’71 Ford (which I owned later,) I can say that the Plymouth was much faster and handled far better, but lost out on the ride and quiteness. For all of Paul’s hatred of the ’71 Fords, they did feel much better screwed together than the Unibody Plymouth, which was a bit tinny and rattly. Regardless, I’d still take another Plymouth again, and rank this in the top 10 of cars I’ve owned- drum brakes and all.
Wow! This comment is probably the only time today I will read the word “pedanticity”.
It’s a perfectly cromulent word.
And it embiggened my vocabulary most splendiferously.
My attention was gotten at “interiorilly”.
This is one of the most attractive fuselage cars I’ve ever seen. My father owned a ’69 Dodge Polara, but this Fury III is much more nicely trimmed inside. Plus, the color sets it off so well. Dad’s Dodge was that ubiquitous Mopar green that I didn’t like. A great find, Brendan!
Fabulous car! Like most of you, it was rare to see a high-optioned Fury III in an attractive color other than green, brown or gold.
At the time, I had trouble identifying C body Mopars between 1969-71. There were certainly changes, but unless the cars were parked next to one another, they were not all that easy to remember, especially 70-71. At the time, I would have called this the least attractive of the Ford-Chevy-Plymouth group, but this version has inverted that ranking. This car, as a 4 door hardtop, in this color and with skirts, is simply beautiful.
I agree with Brian, these felt cheap compared to new 71 Fords (and even compared to 71 Chevys), but hindsight says that these were the best built of the bunch – if you got a good one, that is.
It may have been because Chryslers and Plymouths were sold out of the same dealership, but it seemed as though virtually all Furys that were not taxicabs or police cars were the lower-trim versions. A four-door hardtop Fury was a rare sight even then, let alone a Fury with the hidden headlights.
Mopar loyalists who wanted to “splurge” on their full-size car simply bought a Chrysler, which had much more prestige in those days than any Plymouth, including the Gran Fury.
The full-size Ford was the exact opposite – it seemed as though the majority were well-optioned LTDs and Country Squires. They really did have an upscale look, both inside and out.
The Chevrolets were all over the place. Of course, in those days, the Chevrolet badge alone was enough to sell the car – at least it was in our small Pennsylvania town.
A big problem with the Plymouths was that they were supposedly the best-handling big car, but buyers in this class really didn’t care about that. They wanted a smooth, quiet ride and a well-trimmed interior, and the full-size Ford did a better job at delivering those qualities than its Plymouth competition did.
To be fair, 1968 or ’69 Chevy Impalas or Caprices with hidden headlights were also rarely seen at the time. The equivalent high-trim Fords with headlight doors (1968-70) were a lot more common, as I recall.
Hidden headlights were an option on the 1968-69 fulls-size Chevrolets, even for the Caprice. With the full-size Ford, if you bought an LTD, hidden headlights came standard, if I recall correctly.
Hidden headlights on 68 and 69 Chevy’s were rare when new. Almost forgotten about now.
This is a great find. Fuselage Furys are a rare sight even at car shows around here.The four-door hardtops were uncommon even when new – it seemed as though most full-size Plymouths were either wagons or four-door sedans, with a hardtop coupe thrown in occasionally.
It’s interesting how much difference the hidden headlights make to the appearance of the 1970-72 Fury. They really do give the car a much more upscale appearance, while the “standard” headlight treatment gives the car a taxicab/police car flavor.
Love this car. I can easily imagine cruising on the interstate at 80 mph, trunk full of vacation luggage, eating up 500+ miles per day showing the family this great country of ours. Aligning the flat hood with the horizon. Makes me smile just to imagine it.
Dad flicking a Kent III out the slightly cracked window, a/c going, Mom looking at a Union 76 or AAA Road Atlas.
Summer of 1972, I was about to turn 9. Rhode Island to Walt Disney World. Parents, two younger siblings, grandmother. 1970 Plymouth Sport Suburban. Dad smoked Winstons, but otherwise pretty close. Horrendous traffic around DC caused by construction (maybe one of the beltway roads?) but otherwise a memorable trip. Dad liked to drive late into the night because there was less traffic, so I stayed awake while my brother and sister slept in the “way back,” watching the road and countryside pass by.
My uncle and aunt got a 1970 Custom Suburban in Sept 1969, one of the first 70’s off the line. It made our family’s ’68 Custom Sub. look like a 1948 wagon!
This is by far the nicest 1971 Fury I have ever seen. It is a also a really striking color combo from the era–less common than the greens, golds and browns that were so pervalent, and very rich looking.
Brendan, I completely agree with you that this Fury is a wonderful expression of unique styling and so unabashedly American. It’s amazing to contemplate that in 1971, a “low priced” car would be this big, brawny and over the top–and would compete with similar vehicles from other manufacturers sporting their own styling “take” on the bigger better theme. Truly a great relic from a bygone age. Well found!
I am just now noticing the concave treatment of the rear glass. I don’t remember sedans doing this. The concave glass was always one of my favorite styling features on the Scamp/Dart hardtops, and I had never paid attention to it on one of these until just today. Your photography captures it nicely.
The 2 door Formal Hardtop also has that same concave window. Or more precisely, it looks to have the same roof, except two doors instead of four.
Nice car and I agree its a vast improvement over the crown turd in every way, Odd how some of my favourite Mopars missed Mopar week.
I’ve always been 50/50 on 1970 vs. ’71. The rear bumper and lights of the ’70 are slightly less bulky-looking, but I do prefer the look of the four-door hardtop without the vent windows. As for the front ends, I think the Sport Fury’s hidden lights look better for each year than the “regular” Fury grilles.
Brendan: this is such a great find. I know you live in MA, as do I. Where did you find this?
Right in the Lower Mills section of Milton, right on the other side of the Neponset from Dorchester.
73ImpCapn said that he thought he saw this car at a car show before and that the owner was from Quincy.
When I saw “Quincy”, I immediately thought-Illinois. So I Google-mapped Milton, Illinois, and there it was, not too far from Quincy. Cue in the Twilight Zone theme.
That’s real coincidental. Now do people in Illinois pronounce it at “Kwin-See” or “Kwin-Zee” as we Bostonians do?
As far as I know, it’s “Kwin-See”, but what do I know? I’m from Lowell where my surname was pronounced “Mahtin”.
It’s Kwin-See; I used to live about a 1/2 hour away from there.
Ugh. Does anyone think the sixth president pronounced his middle name “quin-zee”? I refuse to pronounce it that way, and I don’t care if any residents of Quincy, MA are offended. I swear people around here do stuff like this just so they can be antagonistic to outsiders.
My eyesight’s a little piss poor and by bifocals can’t focus in, but is the callout the “383” ?? The 360 had a callout too and these cars are very familiar to me. My late Uncle and my Auntie had a ’71 Gran Fury coupe with the 360 (callout on the front fender) – turd brown and paisley embossing everywhere, and in ’71 Granny had her ’69 Chrysler New Yorker with the Police Special TNT 440. She’d tell the attendants (since there were attendants back then), “fill ‘er up with go-go juice!” Premium 100 octane, of course!
BTW, this Fury III is in OUTSTANDING condition. Those vinyl seats would hold the wear and tear quite well and the color and pattern wouldn’t be to severe to sit on after an afternoon’s worth of sunshine heating up the inside of the fuselage. I can almost hear the Hammtramck Whiner, the quiet but still audible high pitched whine of the Torqueflite; the rather tinny “clunk” of the doors shutting and the “shudder” of the live axle on leaves in back (when one sits in back of one of these fuselages, as I did as a kid, although it was less notable in Granny’s New Yorker).
Of course, if it’s a 383 or bigger, that push back into the seats under acceleration.
I don’t think I will ever like the Fuselages aside from just gazing at them in wonder. They look so hallow. That greenhouse integration into the body that Brendan likes puffs out the sides too much. The ’65-68 looked so much leaner.
Nevertheless, really nice find.
Brendan, this is a terrific catch and a great article.
I’m raining on the parade in a big way with this, so be forewarned…
This has been bothering me all day, but this Plymouth looks familiar. So flipping through my mental filing cabinet, I came up with it (yes, my head is too full of crap):
The chase from Mr. Majestyk with Charles Bronson. The twin to this Plymouth is in this clip. It doesn’t end well.
I cried a little after watching that. Well, at least this one is still alive and thriving.
Nice find!
Love that cherry red paint too, and not the usual red paint either.
This is one sweet car you found. Love it.
My parents back in the early 70’s had a base 70 Fury III 4 door, though the pillared version, and it had I think an aftermarket AM radio in it with a problem, and perhaps a K-Mart special one at that. Anyway, it had plenty of volume when first turned on, but as it warmed up, the volume decreased to it was, at “full volume” barely over a low volume.
They got it in a trade with a non running ’66 Plymouth, though I’ve heard it was a Fury, but the front looked more like a Belevedere instead.
Anyway, it had the over boosted power steering and very touchy power brakes, and yes, it had the vent windows as I distinctly recall it had the very cool window cranks as see in this car, and the smaller versions for the vent windows.
Ours was the medium metallic blue that was peeling along the roof line of the driver’s side C pillar that left a flat gray/black splotch, fortunately not anywhere else that I recall though.
I will never forget the excitement of riding in my Grandpa’s 72 Fury. the exciting part was when my uncle took it up to 80 mph to pass a new 78 Corvette,just because we could . Grandpa never knew. what a big car that was. and unique for sure.
Great write-up, Brendan. And really lovin’ the looks of that 1971 Plymouth Fury III, inside and out! Am a big fan of the fuselage cars. To me, back in the day as well as today, it seemed like such a huge improvement over the boxy and rather sedate mid-60’s Mopars. And, this one is such a fine and well-cared for example. What a nice treat this is.
+1
This car has been stuck in my head and not in a good way. It’s the beady eyes. I know they are regular old sealed beams but the car dwarfs them to the point that they look like projector beam lights. They need to be covered up like on the Imperial.
My great-grandmother had a 1971 Plymouth Sport Fury hardtop sedan, and man could she drive that thing (at least before she started to go). Toward the end, she sold it to my mother, who stupidly gave it to my step-father, who thoroughly trashed it. When he got it, it had very, very minor rust The Mood Indigo Blue paint was in perfect condition, as was the white vinyl roof and white vinyl interior, much like the one in the feature car from this article. The original 360ci engine had 63k miles and ran like a champ. By the time he got done with it, half the body panels were swapped out with white ones from a Fury III and the interior was.ragged. Attached is the only picture of the car I have, to the left of my ’85 LeBaron GTS-taken some time around 1998 iirc.
Here’s one similar, tho it’s a Sport Fury GT hardtop coupe, so add two doors, delete the stripe job and change the rims for hubcaps like the ones on the featured car. All Sport Furys (Furies?) had the hidden headlights.
Beautiful car! Last month I found the find of a lifetime. A 1970 Plymouth Fury III from the original owner. It only has 59k miles on it. It has been garaged it’s whole life. Interior is near perfect. It has the 318 with 2 bl. Carb with working A/C ( R-12). I have to add lead to the gasoline.
That car is super-sharp! Love the wheelcovers. Is that really the original color?
I was going to ask the same question. I have never seen a C body in what looks to be Top Banana yellow. The big cars had a pale yellow, and this shade was on the B, A and E body cars. And trucks. Of course, it was probably possible to special-order about anything out of Chrysler around those years.
He had it painted. It originally was more lemon colored.
Yep, that’s a ’71 all right. Not likely to be a 383, as that was dropped. Top engine would be a 400 or 440, with the 318 and 360s as small-block options. The 225 slant (lol) was optional as well; though I think it was dropped midway through the year.
I purchased mine (below) last year and have been slowly working on it. Fury I sedan; 318 2bbl/904 3-speed. Rubber floors, and about 75k on the clock. Oil-undercoated its whole life, and I have the build sheet, manuals, dealer handouts, and radio warranty. I love this car for some inexplicable reason.
The 383 was still available on the 1971 Fury’s, the 400 didn’t arrive until 1972
My grandpa had a purple 1971 Fury III couple – with a black roof and interior. I loved it when he would come and pick me up from school or at my house to go spend the night with him and grandma – I could tell the sound of that engine a mile away – just like I could in his aquamarine 1965 Newport sedan – Mopar engine had a high-pitched “whirr”-ing noise that you could not mistake for a Ford or GM car. One nasty winter my grandma picked me up from school in it (my parents worked too far away to come and get me). Philly had barely dug itself out from a foot of snow when another storm came to bite us in the ass. My grandma was driving and she lost control of the car and the Fury did a complete spin – right into a huge pile of packed ice and snow. We were both shaken, but the car was fine – a loss of a bit of paint, but no dents. I loved that thing. But then they went and traded it in for a 1975 Buick Regal – not a bad car, but it lacked the Fury’s presence and heft. Fuel economy was only marginally better. I loved that Fury.
Had a 71Fury iii mood indigo paint black vinyl interior white vinyl top. Was told by dealer that only 2 special Furyiii were made in each state with the 360 engine 2 barrel and a high ratio rear that made that car go…push you back in your seat go. Also had special wheels. Traded it for a 73 scamp which was good for gas but the sorry excuse for a car. Kept it for one year and traded for a 74 Sattelite Sebring plus. Another good car with a 318. Went for a 77Cordoba which as the last molar Chrysler I had. Problems from day one and the car with a 400 engine and computer that worked when it wanted to. The car died with 80k miles one month before the loan was paid. No more Chrysler prod after.
as a lover of the fuselages, my favorites were the ’72and ’73 Fury IIIs and Gran Sedan. the 72 Fury III front grille was ugly unless the car was in good condition
this 71 shown was the first early 70s Fury that rode quietly. according to Consumer Reports test of the 71, “this year Chrysler Corp has added rubber insulation to the chassis of the Fury and our test car was indeed noticeably quieter than our 1970 model”.
I remember i rode in a 72 Custom Suburban and i couldn’t hear a thing nor feel anything. it was as quiet as our 66 Ford Galaxie even a little moreso. on family vacations we had a 72 Fury III and a 73 Gran sedan, the latter my dad dsecribed as “rides like cloud”. my mom didn’t care for the 72 Fury III she thought it was cheap “the dashboard looks yuuch” she said. i agree too but i still love these fuselages
While I’m not a particular fan of this type of huge 1970s iron, these do have a particular charm in my eyes. Somewhere I have a photo of my dad in the early 70s leaning against the fender of one of these in what I affectionately refer to as “earwax gold”. It was his undercover vehicle when he worked for the Fall River (MA) police department. I think they ran exclusively Mopar vehicles for a while, including these. It had a 440 in it, typical of those days when a cop car was the fastest thing on the road. Not quite the case today! When he retired in 1991, they were using the last of the “boxy” style Crown Victorias. He always said he’d give anything to have the old Mopars back.
Years later, when I followed in his career footsteps (albeit 1200 miles away), I got to know that same feeling. The majority of my time in a patrol car was in the generation of Crown Victoria like the gray comparison car featured in this article. When those went out of production, I had two generations of Chevy Impala (utter garbage) and currently a 2016 Taurus-based Police Interceptor. While the current car is fairly capable, I miss the big, substantial feel of the last CVPIs. Most of all, however, I miss the one-of-a-kind sound that 4.6L V8 in police guise made when it was wound out. I can’t tell you how great they sounded, coupled with a siren, when you needed help and could hear it coming. Still makes me smile.
Who knows…maybe my first write-up on this site will be about the patrol cars I’ve had.
In 1971 my high school’s Driver Education fleet was made of of 5 identical appearing ’71 Plymouth Fury III 4 door hardtops, Kelvinator white with blue vinyl interior, power steering, power brakes, factory air conditioning.
Being the extreme car geek I was, I volunteered to keep the fluids checked on the Driver’s Ed cars.
The only way to tell them apart was by the last 3 numbers of their Louisiana license plate. Unless you had looked under the hoods….
Four cars had the venerable 318 2-BBL carb V8 engine.
The last one has a Big Block 4-BBL V8 engine (I quickly flipped off the air cleaner cover to verify the carb) and the “Trailer Towing Package” (I found the sticker under the front seat.) It also must have included an aggressive (higher number) final drive (rear axle) ratio. That one car would “peel out” SO FINE and “Shiote and Git” compared to the 318 cars!
The cars were rotated between the Driver’s Ed teachers (and their hapless students) on a random basis; so nobody except me (and one attentive teacher) knew what to expect from throttle response.
Watching the horrified expressions from the poor 15 year old kid student drivers, as they “goosed the gas” on my favorite BB car as he did on the 318 car the day before provided me with a continuous source of automotive amusement.
Nobody knew why the quiet kid in the back seat was choking back laughter and pounding his fist on the back door panel. (“He’s just weird” the other guys said of me.)
Dang, that thing is BIG! Barely fits in its parking spot. Actually, looks like it doesn’t.
And that poor black whatsis parked in back of it. Can’t really see it.
The same year Chevy or Ford was about the same size.
The station wagon versions were even longer!
Worked on these back in the day . . .
When equipped with the 318 there was so much space between the fender and the engine that you practically had to crawl into the engine compartment to do a tuneup.
You are so very correct!
The lower back strain (even in my mid 30’s; much less today!) from leaning over the fenders of my ’69 318 Fury III was the impetus for my purchasing one of the early Petronix points elimination conversion kits.
Having owned both a 1970 and 1971 Fury-this was how I remembered the way to pop the hood…the release was under the “M” and the latch was under the “O”, so it was “Latch ‘M” and lift ‘O’…” to open.
There were tons of these cars, along with Polaras in Las Vegas in the later 70’s. Most of them were that awful Avacado Green (I don’t know what it was in Dodge/Ply/Chrysler color language) with a black or white vinyl top. One divorced couple that came into the service station I worked at had identical looking ones. Her’s had a 383, and his had a 318. Both had green interiors. I worked on her car several times, she would never spring for a complete tuneup, so I put spark plugs in it once, plug wires and a cap and rotor the second time, and a PCV hose the next time. She was really great looking, but she had..issues. Her ex came in one time with their daughter, who had been with mom earlier that day when mom accused me and the other guys working there of “looking at me like a piece of meat!”, and crying as she left. The daughter, about 12 said to me, “I’m sorry about this afternoon, mommy was being crazy again!”. Her ex heard it and said, “She’s great looking, isn’t she? But she’s totally nuts!”. I was kind of surprised when the kid laughed and said, “Oh yeah, mommy’s a whackjob!”. Later on, she would be fired after she did some very strange things at her job. Strange enough to get on the news that night. I wonder sometimes if she is still having her mental issues or not. She would be about 70 now..and that kid would be about 50. Yikes.
Ah, memories. My 2nd car, after the Buick, was a ‘71 Fury I wagon (may have been a Fury II, I don’t remember). Pretty strippo, white, with poverty caps; an ex-Florida DOT car. Had the 318 and a 2:74 gear; it was a slug off the line, but once on the highway, it had wings. Fastest car I ever drove at 122 mph. In the rain. On bald tires. Being an ex-state car, it was equipped with the police package, evidenced by the original “police duty” spare and a certified 140 mph speedometer. All that aft weight made it easy to fishtail around. Unfortunately, back in ‘81 it already had 120k miles. Ran great, and the body was straight, but it was always breaking down. Should’ve known for $300 cash i was getting trouble. Wound up sending it to the junkyard over a water pump; after replacing the timing chain, I was over it. My first taste of Chrysler Corp., and it was bad.
I go along with others who have said the ’71 Fury was the best of the Plymouth fuselages. Personally, there are Dodges and Chryslers I like better but, for a Plymouth, it’s the ’71.
Speaking of which, did anyone else notice the very discreet engine call-outs located underneath the low, front-fender side lights? That’s class, reminiscent of the small 426 Hemi emblems on the front fenders of ’66-’67 Mopars, and particularly noteworthy since, by 1971, other Plymouths had some wild engine call-outs, with the most outrageous being the infamous ‘Cuda quarter panel billboard stripes.
Yup! Like the top of the fender mounted turn signals, a Mopar trait!
The “340” discreet front fender call-out on my ’73 Dodge Dart was overlooked by more-than-a-few Mustang, Camaro and GTO owners.
Their slack jawed, wide eyed expressions of bemusement and disgust (viewed in the Dart’s rear view mirror) provided me with much amusement, in the early/mid 1970’s, as the Dart and I sucked their headlights out.
Front fender mounted, between the tire and front door area.
My bachelor social studies/8th grade homeroom teacher, Evan Ricketts was a loyal Plymouth man. His first in my recollection was a white ’60 Fury hardtop coupe with maroon accent and top. It was traded for a solid maroon ’65 Fury III hardtop coupe after the ’60 was rear-ended.
His Plymouths were always garaged and meticulously clean. The school was only a couple tenths of a mile from his home, so they accumulated little mileage, he traded only every five-six years. The ’65 was replaced with a solid maroon ’71 Sport Fury hardtop coupe which he kept, now retired in the mid-’70’s.
It was replaced by his last car, a maroon ’80-’81 Chrysler LeBaron coupe. A Chrysler was because there were no more full-sized Plymouth coupes to buy, and it was the other make his dealer sold.
The garage owner can get as annoyed as he likes, but you don’t need permission to take photos on a public street. Nor does anyone owe him an explanation for doing so.
So take that, 2013 guy.
In the 80s I drove a ’71 F III sedan, Dark Sherwood Green, 318V8/904 for 6 years, from 40 miles outside Baltimore into the city and back every day. It was one of, if not THE, best cars I’ve ever owned. Tires, muffler, oil, battery, that was it. After alost 100k miles I sold it for what I paid for it. I’d love another!
My Decommissioned 1971 Fury Tennessee State Patrol. Given to Lt Eldridge when he retired after 25 years service.
Always fun
I have one 1971 police car for sell!
My Dad had the same exact 1971 Fury – same color, vinyl top. Many car sick days….