Minneapolis Street Sighting: Plymouth Fury III

While out shooting, I see hoards and hoards of GM products, and a slightly lower number of Ford products; for whatever reason, a vast majority of the Mopar products I see often seem to be around when I do not have a camera present. To be perfectly fair, I haven't really tried to shoot many Mopars because more often than not, they're Diplomats or Gran Furys, and the occasional Fifth Avenue--honestly, those cars, while I do like them, aren't quite what I'm looking for under the Mopar banner.

I am aware of the multitude of Mopar muscle cars--I quite like them, but honestly I don't see them around--at least outside of shows. Heck, even the more common Barracudas, Coronets, and Chargers are even rare spots here. What I do see are the big cruisers, and the luxury-oriented vehicles. That's where the Fury lineup fits in. According to wikipedia, the base model (so-to-speak) Fury I was marketed at fleets, rental agencies, taxi drivers, and police officers. As the number designation climbed, the vehicle became nicer, with the Fury III being the top of the line.

Apparently, this was the answer to vehicles like the Pontiac Bonneville, and Buick Electra, and Ford Galaxie? Not an overly expensive vehicle, and not quite up to Imperial, Cadillac, or Lincoln standards, but still, a very nice vehicle aimed at people who had more than average money to drop on a new car. I would equate to a Chrysler 300C or Cadillac CTS of today?

First off, I don't see many Mopars around here so this is a nice change; second of all, this is a very clean car, especially considering where it lives. I see this car now once or twice a day, shopping at the SuperAmerica just down the block from where I spotted it for these pictures.

Yes, it really is this immaculate. The paint is absolutely stunning, and if original, this Fury sure is holding up well. I don't think I can recall seeing any this nice, even in Lawrence; not only is the paint in awesome shape but the chrome bumpers are as well. Ditto the hubcaps.

I am impressed with this well-kept Fury III, and being a fairly upscale domestic car when it was new probably sealed its fate as a keeper. I doubt a base model (Fury I) would ever be saved, much less kept in this condition.  I applaud the owner for keeping such a wonderful piece of non-muscle Mopar history alive and well.