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.

Lawrence Street Sighting: Plymouth Belvedere II

While finding classic cars is fairly hard in the Twin Cities, such cars are far more accessible in Lawrence; however, scouring through the cliched pickups and various Chevrolet and Ford four-doors from the late 1970s to present can be time consuming; in my trips back to the town I grew up in, I've begun to notice a slight extinction of non-mainstream classic cars.

When I was little, 1960s cars were quite a bit more common then they are now, and old Mopars were almost a once-per-two block occurance; now, spotting old Mopars is getting to be rather tricky, as they don't hold up as well as contemporary GMs and Fords; why I say that is because all the ones I see in Minnesota have extensive rust damage, whereas the Fords and GMs do not. 

I have trouble dating these cars, but the closest I can come up with is 1967, as it does not have the same front end treatment as a Roadrunner, but the front does look similar to the hotted-up GTX;  this car is a Belvedere II, a midrange model with probably a six cylinder or even a 318; when these were new, they probably didn't stand out, but now... I gawk at cars like this, not only because they're not common, but because these Plymouths look so much better than the crap churned out in the 1980s and 1990s.

This example, like the Rambler I posted yesterday is pretty clean. Oddly enough, styling of these two cars is quite similar towards the back; the rear fascias definitely look similar. Aside from that, though, the idea of preserving a four-door seems kind of odd--but more and more four-doors are popping up in good condition, but only in Kansas.

The paint of this example, for all I know, could be original and untouched; it's got no clearcoat, but it isn't faded beyond all repair; the minimal, chrome, too is in great shape, even on the often-ruined mirrors. The grille and front fascia is in impeccable shape, and shows no evidence of even meeting bugs or birds. The hubcaps, too, are in awesome shape; I've never seen a set of forty-plus year old base hubcaps on a car intact, much less still shiny.

I really liked shooting this old Plymouth, and this car is proof that Lawrence is still awash in old cars--I just need to find them.

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.