Minneapolis Street Sighting: Plymouth Fury III convertible

As most of you know, my Plymouth sightings are far and few between; however, most of Plymouths I do spot are Furys—and in turn, most of those are top-tier Fury IIIs. The basic car was sold primarily to taxi fleets and police agencies, and later would gain notoriety for use as film vehicles that would get blown up or crashed in 1970s and 1980s TV shows, like CHiPs and Dukes of Hazzard.

Stepping up a notch got you such conveniences as power steering, stereos, air conditioning, and on hardtops, a vinyl roof was available.  Since this car is a Fury III, its saddled with air, power steering, and it likely had whitewalls with styled hubcaps when it was new.

Power for these big Mopars came in a choice of engines, ranging from a meager 225 slant-six all the way up to the big-boss 440. Given that this is a top-tier model, I highly doubt this one is burdened by the 225, though I have no idea, since it lacks the corresponding badging.

As with the other Furys, this example is extremely well-kept. Unlike the last Fury III I wrote about, which was a sedan, this one sports a set of modern American-Racing wheels versus the stock hubcaps. On this car, the modern rolling stock works; despite my wanting to see more older cars on original rolling stock, these wheels work. I couldn't imagine this Fury with any other rolling stock.

On the outside, this car is very nice. I am usually not a fan of generic red or burgundy cars, but for some reason (probably the black interior and minimal chrome) the hue suits this car perfectly. The badges are nicely preserved too, and I'm glad the owner didn't go the typical route and shave them.  Based on my top two angles for front-quarter shots, the proportions make it seem like big Mopar is moving forward even when its stationary—and the modern wheels further enhance that illusion.

Inside, this thing is set up for modern life. Yes, the interior is mostly stock, but like a vast majority of classic cars, this one sports a modern head unit which likely has iPod capabilities. Quite useful for going about life now. Other than the headunit, nothing seems out of place in this interior, and I quite like that. My favorite part is the huge speedo; for some reason, it vaguely reminds me of the unit in the W110/W111 Benzes. I wonder if that's no accident?

I am glad I did shoot this Fury; while not my favorite car by a longshot, I am glad I did document it; sure beats shooting another cliched donk or generic beater classic with no hubcaps, no?

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.