Plymouth Fury Guides, Photos and Videos

The Plymouth Fury is a model of automobile which was produced by Plymouth from 1955 to 1989. It was introduced for the 1956 model year as a sub-series of the Plymouth Belvedere, becoming a separate series one level above the contemporary Belvedere for 1959. The Fury was a full-size car from 1959 to 1961, then a mid-size car from 1962 to 1964, again a full-size car from 1965 to 1974, and again a mid-size car from 1975 to 1978. From 1975 to 1977 the Fury was sold alongside the full-size Plymouth Gran Fury. In 1978, the B-body Fury was the largest Plymouth, and by 1979, there was no large Plymouth. This was rectified in 1980 with the R-body Gran Fury, followed by the M-body Fury in 1982. Production of the last V8, RWD Plymouth Fury ended at Kenosha, WI, on December 23, 1988. Unlike its sibling brand, Dodge, Plymouth would not live to see the resurgence of the large, V8/RWD sedan. The last Plymouth rolled off the Belvedere assembly line in 2001.

The word "fury" denotes a type of anger, inspired by the Furies, mythological creatures in Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman mythology.

The model appears in popular culture as the subject of interest in the 1983 New York Times best-selling novel Christine by Stephen King about a 1958 custom red and ivory Plymouth Fury that is part of a frightening love triangle. It was later adapted into a movie.

The Fury was a sub-series of the Plymouth Belvedere from 1956 through 1958. It was sold only as a sandstone white two-door hardtop with gold anodized aluminum trim, in 1956 and 1957. In 1958 it was only available in buckskin beige with gold anodized aluminum trim. These Furys had special interiors, bumper wing-guards and V8 engines with twin four-barrel carburetors. The 1957 and 1958 318 cu in (5.2 L)-engine produced 290 hp (216 kW).

The 1957 models were restyled; longer, wider, with very large vertical tailfins and a new torsion bar front suspension replacing the previous coil springs. While the new styling boosted sales, quality control suffered for all Chrysler products as they were brought quickly to market before their design and construction weaknesses could be fully addressed by engineering.

In 1958, the optional engine was a 350 cu in (5.7 L) called the "Golden Commando" with two four-barrel carburetors producing 305 hp (227 kW). A 315 hp (235 kW) option with fuel injection was available, but the Bendix electronic fuel-injection system was recalled by the factory and owners were given a conventional dual four-barrel setup. The Golden Commando engine was optional on any Plymouth Plaza, Savoy, Belvedere, Suburban, and Fury, as was the dual four-barrel 318 cu in (5.2 L) (dubbed the "V-800 Dual Fury"; four- and two-barrel 318s also arrived for 1958 and were simply called "V-800s").

In 1959, Plymouth introduced the Sport Fury as its top model, and the Fury as its second from the top model to replace the Plymouth Belvedere at the top of the Plymouth line-up. The Fury range was now available as a four-door sedan and station wagon, as well as a two-door hardtop and sedan. The Sport Fury series had only a two-door hardtop and convertible. The Sport Fury was dropped at the end of 1959, but was reintroduced in mid-1962 and discontinued in 1971.

In 1959, the 350 was replaced with a 361 cu in (5.92 L) version of the Golden Commando with a two- or four-barrel carburetor. The dual four-barrel version of the 318 was also dropped that year, with the four-barrel available on this engine through the 1962 model year.

The Dodge Viscount was an automobile built by Chrysler Canada for the 1959 model year only. It was based on the contemporary Plymouth Fury, but featured a 1959 Dodge front clip assembled to the Plymouth Fury body. However, there was no sport model counterpart to the Sport Fury sold in the U.S.

Nineteen-sixty was the first year for unibody construction, the first year for Chrysler's ram induction system, and the first year for Chrysler's new slant-six engine. The original 318 and 383 were available, along with a 361. The 225 cu in (3.69 L) slant-six produced 145 hp (108 kW) at 4,000 rpm. The 383 produced 330 hp (250 kW).

The Fury remained Plymouth's leading sales volume model through the early 1960s. Tailfins were removed for 1961.

The 1962 Fury emerged as a downsized model riding on the new Chrysler B-body unibody platform, the product of a Chrysler Corporation embroiled in multiple corporate controversies at the time. Sales of the new model were slow, prompting the reintroduction of the Sport Fury trim package, offered as a hardtop coupe or a convertible.

Chrysler Corporation began to restyle and enlarge the Plymouths and Dodges, which improved sales in 1963 and 1964. The 1964 models saw an improvement in sales, especially the two-door hardtop, which featured a new slanted roofline. Engine choices remained the same throughout this three-year cycle.

In 1965, Chrysler returned the Fury to the new, full-size Chrysler C-body platform. The new 1965 Plymouth line included three special Furys: the Fury I, Fury II, and Fury III. The Fury I was the basic model, while the Fury II and Fury III offered more trim and features. Full size Furys had options such as automatic transmissions, power steering, white sidewall tires (along with full wheel covers), stereo radios, vinyl tops, and air conditioning. The Sport Fury was the highest trim and feature model, positioned to compete with the Chevrolet Impala Super Sport and Ford Galaxie 500/XL. It offered a sportier interior and exterior trim package. The Fury II was available as a two-door hardtop in Canada only; in the U.S. it was only available as a two- or four-door sedan, and a station wagon.

The overall design changed, with the grille losing chrome but gaining two vertical stacked headlights on each side. All rode on new 119 in (3,000 mm) wheelbases (121 in (3,100 mm) for the wagons)—1 in (25 mm) longer than before. The 426 "street wedge" V8 was introduced, rated at 385 hp (287 kW) and finally street-legal.

The 1966 Furys kept the same profile as the 1965s, with a split front and rear grill motif. For 1967, the body was restyled with a sharp, angular profile. The stacked quad headlight bezels were curvier and set more deeply into the body, giving the car a more muscular look. The roofline had sharper angles and gave the car a longer, more luxurious appearance. A new, formal two-door hardtop body style appeared which featured smaller rear quarter windows and a wider, back-slanted "C" pillar. Called the "fast top", it was offered alongside the restyled thin "C" pillar hardtop in both VIP and Sport Fury series (as well as on corresponding big Dodge models). The 1967 model year introduced new safety regulations, which meant that for the first time, all Plymouths included dual-circuit brake master cylinders, energy-absorbing steering columns and wheels, recessed instrument panel controls, and shoulder belt mounting points for outboard front seat occupants.

The 1968 Furys received only minor grille and taillight trim updates, along with side marker lights and shoulder belts for front outboard occupants (except the convertibles).

From 1966 to 1969, a luxury version of the Fury, called the "Plymouth VIP" (marketed as the "very important Plymouth" in 1966) was fielded, in response to the Ford LTD, Chevrolet Caprice, and the AMC Ambassador DPL. These models came with standards such as full wheel covers, vinyl tops, luxuriously upholstered interiors with walnut dashboards and door-panel trim, a thicker grade of carpeting, more sound insulation, and full courtesy lighting.

In Australia, the full size Dodge Phoenix was based on the Dodge Dart and 440 until 1965, when it became a right-hand drive version of the contemporary Fury. The Phoenix continued in production in Australia until 1972, each based on that year's North American Plymouth Fury.

The 1969 models featured Chrysler's new round-sided "Fuselage Look" styling. The Fury was again available as a 2-door hardtop, 2-door convertible, 4-door hardtop, 4-door sedan, and 4-door station wagon. For 1970, the VIP was discontinued and a 4-door hardtop was added to the Sport Fury range, which also gained a new hardtop coupe. This was available in "GT" trim; 1970–71 Sport Fury GTs were powered by the 440 cu in (7.2 L) engine, which in 1970 could be ordered with three 2-barrel (twin-choke) carburetors (the "6-Pak").

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