318 V8 Project: 1966 Plymouth Sport Fury
In the 1960s, the Sport Fury was to Plymouth as the Impala SS was to Chevrolet or the Galaxie 500/XL was to Ford. It was a sportier full-size car available in hardtop and convertible body styles to appeal to the family man who wanted some style in his ride. This 1966 Sport Fury looks to have been left to fend for itself and will need a complete restoration or be used as parts for another project. From its perch on a trailer in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, this barn find is available here on eBay for $3,500 (Buy It Now). Thanks, Larry D, for bringing this Mopar to our attention!
The third generation of the Plymouth Fury was built between 1965-68. There were no less than five trim versions of the car offered, from the basic Fury I and Fury II to the mainstream Fury III, then the Sport Fury, and finally the Fury VIP for those who wanted Chrysler-like luxury. With a redesign in 1965, the cars were little changed for 1966 and the Sport Fury saw a production of 32,523 2-door hardtops and 3,418 convertibles.
It appears the seller rescued this car from an outdoor resting spot it may have occupied for years. We don’t know why it was parked and left, but it’s logical to assume something went amiss with either the 318 cubic inch V8 or TorqueFlite automatic transmission at 70,000 miles. No photos of the heart of the automobile are provided, but the seller believes it to be a complete Chrysler product.
Rust doesn’t seem to be a big issue except on the passenger side where surface rust has formed where paint once was. We’re told the frame is solid and the yellow paint and the remainder of the vinyl top are original to the automobile. The interior is by no means a total loss, with the upholstery looking okay while a new headliner and carpeting will need to be sourced. If you were looking for a Plymouth of this vintage to restore, this one might be better than others you’d turn up, if you can find one at all. The Sport Fury was a distant third in sales to Chevy and Ford in the sporty full-size car market.
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Comments
Love it! Wish I still had mine.
Still wish I had my 1965 Plymouth Sport Fury. It had a 2bbl carb with 383 engine. It was a great vehicle.
I have always liked the 1965 Plymouth Fury. It had a nice rear end. In 1966 they ruined the rear by pushing everything up. Looks weird to me
I had a ’65 Fury II convertible and gave up on it after ten years. Couldn’t find sheetmetal for the rear quarters anywhere. Loved the 383 & TF.
The thousands of foam bits indicate that this interior has been a rodent condo for quite awhile. The smell must be amazing. Check all of the wiring before hooking up a battery.
Bob,
You are correct about the rodent problem, you can see the front door into the rodent condos, in the lower section of the passenger front seat back!
As for the Fury II convertible, is it possible you missed a keystroke and your convertible was a Fury III? They didn’t offer a convertible in Fury I or II formats.
In the first week of September, 1970l my dad and I visited the local Chrysler-Plymouth dealer to look at a newer car for me, as I was heading to college and my dad didn’t like the thought of me driving my 1957 Packard Clipper, he felt it was simply too old!
So we looked at 2 cars on the lot; One that I liked – a 1964 New Yorker wagon, loaded with all the options, including dual A/C. Then dad saw something that he liked: A 1966 Fury III Convertible, a late year version with the rare 440 engine! It was red with black interior, bench seat [great for cuddlin’ with a girl] and it had the rare Sport Fury turbine wheel covers. Plus, it had the very rare tilt/telescope steering column.
The wagon was in my price range [$500 or less, “out the door”], but the convertible was $900. As the weather was already starting to change, the dealer wanted to sell the Fury and came down to $700. Dad said he’d cover the $200, so I said my good-by to the Packard, driving home in the Fury III convertible.
A few blocks from home, I’m cruisin’ with the top down, and got pulled over for speeding [35 in a 25]. The cop looks at my license and sees where I live, and says “Don’t you have that supercharged Packard Clipper?” I said “Yes, but I just traded it on this Plymouth”. He walks around the car, and upon seeing the 440 on the hood ornament, he asked me if I know what engine is under the hood.
“Yeah, it’s a 440 four barrel” I enthusiastically answer. He tells me it’s a lot more power than the old Packard and to be careful, as he hands me my paperwork back, explaining that it wouldn’t be right to give me a ticket on my first drive home, but he did let me know that he would be keeping an eye out for me around town!
The car had only about 15,000 miles on it, and it looked brand new. I still miss that car, it was 100% reliable, never let me down. But since I was starting to sell antique car parts, I needed a different vehicle, so I traded it in on a new Dodge B-200 LWB Tradesman van.