Lawrence Street Sighting: Plymouth Fury

Lawrence is home to plenty of oddball classic cars--if one knows where to look; fortunately my dad's neighborhood is mostly comprised of college students who drive old cars because they harbor the idea that having an old car will make them cool, and older people who never bothered to trade in their vehicle after the normal six year period is up. Living close to the University of Kansas has its perks, too; cars change on a semester basis, so chance are, if you scout that area in a school year, you have a chance to see four sets of classic cars.

Mopars are an odd thing with me; I love them, but I don't know very much about them in general, save for the obvious race cars and muscle cars. I know the basics, like Darts, Valiants, Challengers, and stuff like that, but I am horrible at identifying anything other than the basic cars.  I do think the styling is cool, and because of this, it is my goal to learn more about old-school Mopars.

The Fury name started in 1957, where it was the star of the book "Christine", and then in 1962 got redesigned to what you see here; apparently, buyers didn't associate the full-size "Fury" name with a smaller car; ironically, this happened nearly twenty years later, when the Chrysler group introduced its famous "Charger" nameplate on a front-wheel-drive hatchback. Sales slipped for the 1962, and it was reintroduced for 1965 as a proper full-size car. Apparently the 1962-1964 Furys are so unloved that most of them look like this one.
 

 This is the first Fury of this vintage I've seen; probably the first Mopar other than a Dart or Valiant that I took notice of, really. I shot this back in 2008 or 2009, and this house seems to go through "project cars" like mad; as of winter 2012/2013, there is a beater yellow fastback Barracuda and a mid 1950s Ford four-door in sorry shape at the residence.

Like most Kansas classics, the poor Fury exhibits no real rust, just shot paint and  chrome that needs a redo; the trim is still there, as are all the badges. Like the white C-10 pickup I posted earlier this week, this Fury would be a great candidate for a restoration--if it were still at this location. I haven't seen the car for a couple years now, so I have no idea what its fate is.

I think this is one of my better spots, even with a crappy camera and even worse photography skills; I would love to find something of this caliber again, but I worry I would be filled with fury and disappointment.