1967 Plymouth Belvedere I

The Plymouth Belvedere, which included the Belvedere station wagon, Belvedere I and II, the Satellite, and GTX, were the mid-sized (intermediate), mid-priced Plymouth models for 1967, positioned above the Valiant, Signet, and Barracuda and below the Fury and VIP (in regards to price and size). This was the final year for the updates that had occurred in 1965, its sixth major update since its introduction in 1954. The Belvedere became the intermediate-size offering in 1965 when Plymouth moved the Fury up to full-size status. The Belvedere remained mostly unchanged from 1964, including its styling and dimensions, but the Fury grew larger. Styling elements included blackwall tires, dual round headlights resting below the hood line, above the wraparound chrome bumper, and between the grille which featured a vertical divider down the middle. In the back, the taillamps were restyled and the parking lamps were relocated into the bumper.

The standard engine was the 225 cubic-inch Slant-6 with four main bearings, solid valve lifters, a Carter one-barrel carburetor, 8.4:1 compression, and 145 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The standard V8 was a 273 CID unit with 8.8:1 compression, overhead valves, five main bearings, solid valve lifters, and 180 hp at 4,200 RPM with two-barrel carburetion. With four-barrel carburetors and 10.5:1 compression, the engine produced 235 hp at 5,200 RPM. The 318 CID OHV two-barrel carb V8 produced 230 bhp, and the 440 CID four-barrel V8 had 375 hp. A 'Street Hemi' 426 CID V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors developed 425 horsepower. The 440 CID V8 with 375 hp was standard in the GTX and the only optional V8 in the GTX was the 426 CID 'Street Hemi.' The standard transmission was the three-speed manual, with a TorqwueFlite automatic being optional. A four-speed manual floor shift manual was also available except in the GTX, or those equipped with six-cylinder engines or the 273 and 318 V8s.

A four-door station wagon, known simply as the Belvedere, was priced at $2,580 with six-cylinder power and $2,675 with the base V8. This wagon represented a low-cost option for buyers and it resided in the position with the lineup previously held by the Valiant station wagon. A total of 5,477 examples were built.

Both the Belvedere station wagon and the Belvedere I came standard with dual outside rearview mirrors, dual brake system, seat belts, Belvedere nameplates on the front fender tips, flashers, and an energy-absorbing steering column. Neither the station wagon nor the Belvedere I wore any bodyside moldings.

The Belvedere I was available as a two-door, six-passenger sedan priced at $2,320, a four-door sedan at $2,360, and a station wagon at $2,650. The addition of the base V8 boosted the price by approximately $100. The four-door sedan was the most popular with 13,988 units built, followed by 4,718 of the two-door sedan, and 3,172 of the station wagon. Additional standard accouterments found on the Belvedere I included 'Belvedere I' nameplates, a padded dash, two-speed wipers with washers, a cigar lighter, front and rear armrests, backup lights, rocker panel moldings, and a tailgate filler panel on the station wagon body styles.

The Belvedere II was a more upscale version of the Belvedere I, adding Belvedere II nameplates, parking brake warning lamp, wraparound taillights, carpeting, front foam seats, full-length side moldings, and wheel opening moldings. The station wagon body style had all-vinyl seats, two dome lamps, a rear bumper step, wall-to-wall carpeting, and a power tailgate window. The convertible body style had glass rear windows. The sedan was priced at $2,435, the hardtop coupe at $2,460, the convertible at $2,700, the six-passenger station wagon at $2,730, and the nine-passenger wagon at $2,840. The base V8 engine boosted the base price by approximately $100. The most popular body style was the sedan with 42,694 units built followed by 34,550 examples of the hardtop coupe, 5,583 of the six-passenger wagon, 3,968 of the nine-passenger wagon, and 1,552 of the convertible.

The Satellite had front bucket seats with console or center armrest, a glove box light, courtesy light, fender top turn signals, upper body accent stripe, and aluma-plate full-length lower body trim panels. Body styles included a hardtop coupe and a convertible, both only with V8 power, and priced at $2,750 for the coupe and $2,990 of the convertible. A total of 30,328 examples were coupes and 2,050 were convertibles (these totals include both Satellite and GTX models).

The high-performance GTX, offered as a hardtop coupe and convertible, came standard with the 440 CID V8 with 375 hp. The coupe was listed at $3,180 and the convertible at $3,420. Additional styling elements and accessories included Red Streak tires, a 'Pit-Stop' gas cap, heavy-duty three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission, dual-sport stripes, heavy-duty battery and suspension, and dual hood scoops.

Plymouth restyled its intermediate line in 1968, removing the economy station wagon and adding a high-performance, budget-friendly Road Runner model joining the Belvedere, Satellite, Sport Satellite, and GTX. The previous square styling was replaced by the so-called 'Coke bottle' appearance.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2022