Text by Patrick Bell.
Plymouth was Chrysler Corporation’s low priced line for much of the last century. They built a fine product for the most part, but usually ran third in the Big 3 sales race. For today, we have a nice gallery of examples from the 1960’s. Let’s take a look.
We begin with the top of the line for 1965, a Sport Fury convertible, the most expensive Plymouth for the year with a base list price of $3209. 6272 of these were produced that year, along with 5524 Fury III convertibles that were about $160 less expensive.
This one was equipped with one of the Commando V8’s, which were two versions of the 383 cubic inch, and a 426 ci. It also had the optional front bumper guard, and the spinner wheel covers and fender skirts were standard fare on the Sport Fury. The front license plate probably reflected the owner’s initials.
The 1960 Valiant was Chrysler Corporation’s new compact model, but for the first year it was not officially a Plymouth. That came the next year in 1961.
The car above was a 1960 Valiant V-100 sedan, the entry level unit that year, as no 2 door models were available until 1961. This one looked very basic with no visible outside options. It had a base list price of $2053, and was wearing a same-year Virginia license plate.
And here was the entry level full size Plymouth for 1960, the Savoy 2 door sedan. If you liked more room on the inside, it would cost you $207 over the Valiant in the previous image.
The new Slant Six debuted this year and replaced the old flathead six that had been around for over 25 years. It and three V8’s were available to choose from for the new “Solid Plymouth”, as described in the sales brochure.
Here was a 1961 Valiant V-200 2 door hardtop, a new style for the year, along with a 2 door sedan in the V-100 series. Otherwise, some minor trim updates were the main changes for the year.
The man in the photo did not look happy to be there.
This one was a 1963 Belvedere 4 door sedan, and if you squint, you can see the Cleaver family inside. The 1963 model was a reskin of the disappointing 1962 downsized restyle. It was much better looking and was in keeping with the slab sided styles of that time. Belvedere was the second level trim series out of four, and this one was equipped with the optional bumper guards, full wheel covers, and aftermarket curb feelers.
The second image showed the Oklahoma license plate from either 1963 or 1965 that was issued in Kay County, where the seat is Newkirk.
And a 1964 Belvedere 4 door sedan from Oregon that showed the restyled front end. This one had the standard hubcaps and the wheels had been painted black, which really changed the appearance of the whole car. It was Plymouth’s most popular full size model for the year.
Plymouth was honest with the first year 1964 Barracuda, as it was part of the Valiant line. It became its own line in 1965 and with each new generation it became less like its Valiant roots. There was little difference between the first two years, but I will call the one shown a 1964 model because of the “Another 1964 Valiant” dealer license plate filler you can see. I think I see a V8 emblem on the fender, and it did have the “Magnesium-style sport wheel covers” as well.
A couple of youngsters were ready for some swimming and were leaning against the family 1966 Fury II 4 door sedan. As its name suggested, it was the second of four trim series, and was the most popular Plymouth for 1966. The absence of an engine call out indicated it had either the 225 ci Slant Six or the 318 ci V8 for power. It was a basic, solid full size sedan.
The intermediate line was restyled for the 1966 model year, and featured here was a 1966 Belvedere Satellite 2 door hardtop, the top of the line for the year. It was also available in a convertible, and a bucket seat interior was standard, along with the “Knock-off wheel covers”. The standard engine was a 273 ci V8, with three larger V8’s for options.
This 1967 Fury III 4 door hardtop had been out playing in the mud. A reskin updated the line this year and gave it about 3 inches more length and 1 inch less width, probably because of the flatter sides. It was equipped with the 318 V8, a vinyl roof, remote control outside mirror, and deluxe wheel covers.
The 1965 Ford Country Sedan in the background was much cleaner.
We are off to the slopes in a 1968 Barracuda Formula S convertible with a same-year Ontario license plate. The Formula S package included either a 340 or 383 ci V8 for power, along with heavy duty suspension and other high performance oriented bits. This one also had aftermarket driving/fog lamps, bumper guards, snow tires all the way around, a ski rack, and deluxe wheel covers. Just 2840 convertibles were produced that year.
1967 brought the restyled second generation Barracuda online, and was offered in three body styles; coupe, convertible, and fastback. The new style was much improved, and it lost its Valiant look, at least until you peeked inside. Sales improved over the previous year, but fell off after that, and it ran dead last in the newly crowded pony car sales race.
Two guys were hanging around a 1967 Belvedere GTX hardtop, Plymouth’s new muscle car. The Super Commando 440 V8 was standard equipment, and the 426 ci Street Hemi was optional. It was also available in a convertible model.
The featured car had aftermarket tailpipes that exited ahead of the rear wheels, and likely other exhaust modifications. Also the Sport wheel covers, white wall tires, and a license plate that I can’t read the details on.
Parked in the garage was a Volvo 140 series.
Here was a lady posing (at a distance) with a 1968 Fury III 2 door hardtop that shows the updated grille for the 1968 model year. It had a decal on the bumper (parking permit?), and another one on the windshield.
The Furys had two 2 door hardtop models available during this and the next generation. The new style was called the Fast Top, and had a reverse-canted “C” pillar that gave it a more formal look.
In 1968 Plymouth introduced another muscle car, the Belvedere Road Runner. The GTX was based on the high end Satellite model, and the Road Runner tried something different by using the low line Belvedere coupe as its base. A special 383 ci V8 with a 4 speed manual transmission was standard equipment, and the Street Hemi was optional. It was low priced, had plenty of power, and had a cutesy name. It was an instant hit and became a legend.
The car above was a 1969 Belvedere Road Runner Coupe from Connecticut that had a set of what appeared to be Cragar SS wheels. Passing by in the background was a 1967 or 1968 Pontiac Bonneville 4 door hardtop.
Thanks for joining us and have a great day!
When I was a kid, my family lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I remember the next door neighbors had two 1966 Plymouth Fury two door hardtops; one bright red, other one dark turquoise. We never spoke to them in the five years we lived there. My dad drove a 1962 bronze Ford ranch wagon.
Regarding the mystery license plate on the 1967 GTX, my best guess is that it’s a 1973 Arizona issue. These plates were issued from 1973-81, and were still re-validated until about 1991 (after Arizona switched to the white-on-red plates).
The green letters may appear darker in the photo just because of the picture’s coloration, but also I think there was a good amount of variation in the green that Arizona used, and some of these plates ended up looking more like brown letters as opposed to green. The dash in the featured photo seems smaller than the dash used on these plates, but it might be just due to the camera angle. Everything else appears to match. West Virginia also used similar-looking plates in the early 1970s (and with a smaller dash), but WV never used the ABC-123 format shown here. Plus, it looks like there might be validation stickers in the upper left and right on the plate, which is where Arizona placed them.
Not to mention the photo was probably taken with a Kodak Instamatic given the poor focus. Then Kodacolor leans towards warm red and bright yellows. Fuji, OTOH, leans towards greens and blue.
Good catch, Eric, thanks.
I was leaning the same direction, except on the earlier 1969-72 issue with the black letters. But Wikipedia indicated they were only issued through the MZZ prefix, so I blew it off. I don’t recall why I did not think of the later plates. It could have been the letter color, or the condition of the GTX. Not many muscle cars were that nice after six years of life.
More license plate trivia here. The Ontario Barracuda convertible in the snow has “Doctor” license plates (that’s what the “D” prefix represented).
As far as I know, Ontario was the only province that issued special license plates to Doctors. A few US states did as well (New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and South Dakota… maybe others that I’m not aware of).
I think Ontario is the only jurisdiction that just used a “D” prefix instead of “MD” (for Medical Doctor), though they did switch to MD sometime in the 1970s.
Some of these jurisdictions still issue doctor plates, but they’ve become much less common. I think at a certain point, Doctors started wanting to keep a lower public profile, and demand for these types of plates dwindled.
Saskatchewan issued MD plates to doctors at one time. I am guessing prior to 1976 when the format of the plates changed.
Thanks. And looking into this further, it seems that Quebec issued MD plates as well. As did Washington, DC on the US side, so I jumped the gun a bit there.
Saskatchewan seems to have issued MD plates on the wheat plate too, though the MD prefix didn’t stand out much and it looked just like a regular plate.
Can anyone get the pic big enough to read the banner behind the “69, Roadrunner”? Liking that silver, “Valiant” and the “64, V, Barracuda”!
To me, the banner looks like “DOUBLE S&H STAMPS WITH FILL-UPS”.
the snow tires on the 1968 Barracuda Formula S with the ski rack on the back are the same one’s my parents had on their 1972 Chevy Nova.
Dad got those from Sears, but I believe they were made by Armstrong.
The tread pattern, while having excellent grip in the snow and mud, was noisy.
It made the car sound like it had a race motor in it.
9 year old me loved it. =)
Going skiing with the top down; now that’s not exactly a common sight.
Looking at that 1960 Savoy, Plymouth “narrow track” counterpoint to Pontiac “wide track”. Overall, that is an ugly car, maybe the color?
What I like about these photos is the simpler times in the backgrounds and normal size homes. I say normal size given what is built now, out my way, which are two story monsters at 4000 sq. ft. for a family of four, which is why housing is unaffordable for many. Small profit in a 1500 sq. ft. house which I live in.
I miss my ’67 GTX. It was boss.
GTX is the only car in this group that speaks to me. Love the color. I’ll take mine with the standard 440, Torqueflite, Sure-grip, front disc brakes and power steering.
I am loving these pictures and understanding why older folks seemed to be most MoPar buyers back then .
The ’64 Barracuda is a dream car for me .
-Nate
The last car my paternal grandfather drove was a ’65 Belvedere. A generation later is was Buick.
My Dad’s family were mainly MoPar folk. Nothing fancy, until my granddad bought a *new* 1967 Chrysler Newport sedan. Very pushy for us.
I still own and drive a 1966 Plymouth VIP, which was the top of the line Plymouth in 1966. Mine is a 2dr no post hardtop, rescued from Wildcat Auto Wrecking in Sandy, Oregon. Chrysler decided to use the Fury body, offered front disc brakes, and tilt/ telescoping steering wheel as options. Many options were standard on the VIP, and Plymouth did not call it a Fury. They introduced it as the ” new ” Plymouth model VIP.
My dad was a Plymouth guy. We had a white ’64 base Belvedere with blue interior, which was his car, and a red ’65 Satellite with black interior, which was my Mom’s. I learned how to drive in the Belvedere, which had a push button automatic transmission we called “trash on the dash”. That car got totaled when we tried to make donuts and slammed into the curb.
This is incentive to get going on my ’66 Fury III hardtop that I accidentally bought in Carlisle last summer.