1966 Plymouth Fury - Insanely Good

Here's the definition of "cool" if you look it up in the dictionary - "fairly low temperature but not cold" or "showing no friendliness of indifference towards someone or something". Meh. Doesn't cut to the quick of how I feel about this 1966 Plymouth Fury III I found on Facebook Marketplace recently. Urban dictionary is far more apropos: "insanely good". Yeah...that's more like it. 

1965 was a unique model year in that GM, Ford and Chrysler all had new full-size models. If I was to declare a winner amongst the "low-priced three", between the new-for-'65 Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth, the Plymouth gets my vote. By a wide margin over the Chevrolet too. Your mileage may vary, see dealer for details. There are subtle if minute differences between this '66 and a '65 but for the purpose of today's soliloquy, there' all but identical. 

Big Plymouth's for '65 rode on a new full-perimeter frame, Plymouth's (and Dodge's) first new full-size chassis since the abortive 1962 downsizing. They kept the old "'62" full-sizers around making them the underpinning for a defacto mid-size line that was freshly fanciful at GM and Ford. 

That, to a large extent, explains why Chrysler intermediates were always a bit bigger than GM and Ford's middle-children meanwhile these new full-size Plymouths were slightly smaller  than "their" big boys. They're sized right if you ask me. 

 

You wouldn't be alone thinking what were marketed as intermediates at Plymouth (and Dodge) were full-size makes and models as well. Back then it was like Plymouth and Dodge had two separate lines of full-size cars. 

The first Plymouth to wear a "Fury" badge was a sub-model of Plymouth's then top-of-the-line "Belvedere" in 1955. Fury became its own series above the "Belvedere" in 1959. In 1965, the "Belvedere" moniker, which I've always thought was a simply gawd-awful name for a car, remained on the aft-forementioned 1962 circa platform officially becoming an intermediate what with the Fury now riding on the new and larger platform or chassis. The Belvedere nameplate finally swam with the fishes after MY 1969. 

Fury came in five different trim levels. For 1966, there was the rental grade, bone-stripper Fury "I" bought by rental car companies and municipalities. Then there were the Fury II's and III's that were better appointed with niceties like power steering and brakes, automatic transmission, air conditioning and 17 different exterior color schemes; Fury I's only had 9. 

Slotted above the "III" was the coupe only Fury "Sport" and lastly and leastly if you ask me, akin to Ford's "LTD" and Chevrolet's Caprice, the Fury "VIP" that was all but a luxury car with plush interiors, fake-wood trim and, of course, that bastion of luxury car denotation, fender skirts. Even on VIP-coupes. Well, no one's perfect. 

Unfortunately, there's a lack of details about this car in the Facebook Marketplace ad and while I was surprised to find it still posted when I searched for it again this morning, that could be an indication of trouble. Or someone looking to flip something they bought and quickly realized there was a whole lot to do on it they didn't anticipate. Been there done that. Note that big blob of blue paint on the hood - this oldie but goodie got resprayed a long time ago. 

Only 57,000-miles on her 57-year-old ticker but low mileage on an old car and $2.75 will buy you a ride on a New York City subway; in other words, in general, it doesn't matter.

Lack of photos of the front seat and the dash is disconcerting. Along with the resprayed paint failing there's some trim falling off but all-in, based on the pictures, not a bad looking Fury III. Especially up near Detroit where the tin-worm is as popular as it is down here in Cleveland. 

These things can be bought in even better shape for around $12,000 these days which tells me as well that the used car market is coming back down to earth. A year or so ago this would have been priced around ten-grand if not more; makes me feel a little bad for anyone who overpaid for a car during the height of the Pandemic-driven, hyper-price inflated days. 

Much of the credit for 1960's Chrysler's I appreciate goes to the famed designer Elwood Engel who his staff said had an uncanny eye for "commercial viability" of designs. I'd say he was insanely good at it.