1964 Plymouth Fury

The Plymouth Fury was in production for over two decades, through seven generations of styling, and served many different roles during its existence. It began as a sub-series of the Plymouth Belvedere before moving above the Belvedere for 1959. In 1956 and 1957, it was a unique sandstone white two-door hardtop with gold anodized aluminum trim, and for 1958 it was offered solely in buckskin beige with gold anodized aluminum trim. The 1959 Fury was positioned slightly below the newly introduced Sport Fury and offered in a wider range of body styles that included a four-door sedan, and two- and four-door hardtop. The Sport Fury was available as a convertible and a two-door hardtop, and the station wagon version of the Fury was called the Sport Suburban.

The Fury received all-new styling for 1960, unibody construction, and Chrysler's new ram induction system. Additionally, it was the first year of the new slant-six engine. Engine options included the 318, 383, and 361. The base 225 cubic-inch slant-six offered 145 horsepower and the 383 produced 330 hp.

The Fury was popular during the early 1960s and the leading sales volume model for Plymouth. That trend changed when new styling was introduced in 1962 and the Fury became a downsized model resting on the new Chrysler B-body unibody platform. To help revitalize sales, Plymouth re-introduced the Sport Fury trim package, offered as a convertible or hardtop coupe.

The Plymouth and Dodge vehicles received styling updates and began to grow larger for 1963 and 1964, as the Chrysler Corporation worked aggressively to recapture the buyer's hearts. Sales began to improve for 1964, especially with the two-door hardtop which wore a new slanted roofline.

1964 Plymouth Fury

The world was introduced to the Plymouth Barracuda in April of 1964, joining a lineup that consisted of the Valiant in several different trim levels including the Savoy, Belvedere, and the Fury. The Fury was the top-of-the-line Plymouth and available with a Slant Six or V-8 engines. They were well-equipped with all the features found on the Belvedere line and added a padded dashboard, electric clock, and back-up lamps. Fury lettering could be found throughout the vehicle.

Body styles on the Plymouth Fury included a sedan, convertible, hardtop coupe, and hardtop sedan. Additionally, buyers could purchase the Fury as a 6- or 9-passenger station wagon. The sedan and two-door hardtop coupe be equipped with a six- or eight-cylinder engine while the rest of the body styles came solely with eight-cylinder power.

The Plymouth Sport Fury was again a two-door hardtop coupe or a convertible, wearing wide body-side molding with color insert, Sport Fury lettering and script, Special wheel covers with simulated knock-off hubs, and bucket seats. V8 engines were standard and buyers seeking additional power could equip the Sport Fury with the 426 Super Sport 'Max-Wedge Stage III' V8.

The most popular body style was the sedan with 34,901 examples produced, followed by 26,303 of the two-door hardtop, 13,713 of the hardtop sedan, and 5,173 of the convertible. The combined station wagon production was 8,128 units. The hardtop coupe was the more popular of the two Sport Fury body styles with 23,695 examples built compared to 3,858 of the convertible.

by Dan Vaughan

The Plymouth Fury was introduced in 1956 and continued in production as a model and/or series until 1989. Plymouth had been using the name Fury as the high-performance version of its standard vehicle and in 1956 made its own model designation. The initial desire of the Fury was to highlight the abilities of the Plymouth division and to create a stunning automobile that would capture the attention of consumers and bring that crowd into their showrooms. The styling was typical of the era with the most notable feature being the tail-fins which grew in size during the 1959 model year. It was a popular favorite with many police forces because of its reliability and performance.

In 1959 Plymouth introduced a performance and luxury package called the Sport Fury which featured a larger engine, performance upgrades, and a transmission that could handle the extra torque. This was the only year that it was offered.

1960 marked the beginning of the second generation Fury which continued until 1964. The Fury now sat atop a unit-body construction with a bolted-on subframe which improved rigidity. The tail fins were removed and the styling was updated to give it a modern appeal. The base engine was a slant six power-plant capable of producing over 145 horsepower. A 318 or 383 cubic-inch eight-cylinder in various configurations could be purchased as optional equipment.

Styling and mechanical changes continued in 1961. The Fury was given a new grille which gave it the impression of a 'frowning face'. The performance was increased with the 375 horsepower, 413 cubic-inch engine. A limited-edition turbocharged engine was offered in 1962. A new unitized body and chassis construction was implemented which greatly decreased the overall weight while still maintaining rigidity and interior room. Weight was further reduced with the adaptation of the TorqueFlite transmission replacing the cast-iron, two-speed PowerFlite. The 383 engine was no longer offered but a 413 8-cylinder engine became available half-way through the year.

For 1963, the grille and rear once again received styling updates. The reliability was reinforced by the company with the introduction of a five-year or fifty-thousand-mile warranty. Not much changed the following year. A limited amount of 426 Wedge 'Super Stock' engines were planted into the engine bays with the purpose of being raced and not legal on the streets.

1965 brought the third generation of the Fury. The sedans sat atop a 119-inch wheelbase while the wagons were given a 121-inch platform. A street-legal, 426 'Street Wedge' was now available, promising nearly 400 horsepower. This year also began the Fury I, Fury II, and Fury III naming scheme. In 1966 the VIP name was added to the Fury model line-up. The VIP was an economical, luxury sedan with aluminum taillight panels, wood-grained inserts, and special badging and colors. A popular option on the VIP was the vinyl roof. Luxury could be found on the interior, with its soft carpet, padded dash, individual reading lamps, walnut grain trim, fold-down armrests, and more. Under the hood was a 318 eight-cylinder engine as standard. The VIP name was short-lived, enduring until 1969 when the decision was made to cease production.

The 1965 Fury had changed aesthetically with horizontal bars on the grille and rearranged rear taillights. The interior had undergone very mild changes. The most drastic change was on the Sport Fury which was given a new console, replacing the console that had been introduced in 1964. The Hurst shifter was no longer offered; rather, a willowy Inland unit with a reverse lockout button was offered as optional equipment.

In 1966, a Silver Special edition was offered which featured silver metallic paint with blue upholstery. Window moldings, whitewall, and wheel-covers were included.

The Fury grew slightly in size in 1967. The body panels were all-new but the grille and headlights were carried over from the previous body-style. The 225 slant-six engine was standard and a 318, 383, and 440 were offered in various configurations. Offered as a two and four-door, convertible, sedan, wagon, hardtop, and convertible, there were nearly twenty-five different configurations to select from.

1968 continued the styling changes with it's horizontally split grille, updated rear, and a slight dip in the body-line which mimicked the front vent windows.

The fourth-generation began in 1969. The wheelbase of the vehicle increased offering more interior room for the passengers. The boxy-appearance of third-generation Fury was abandoned with a slight shift toward curvy appearance. Concealed headlamps were added in 1970.

In 1972 Plymouth added the Gran Fury sedan and coupe, equipped with a 383 cubic-inch engine bored out to 400 CID. Two separate blackened grilles with the word 'Fury' in the middle helped distinguish these models.

Styling changes continued in 1973 which saw many improvements to its exterior design. For 1974, the Fury sat atop a new C-body platform which was larger in size to its predecessor. A new grille and bumper made its way onto the standard Fury.

The fifth series of the Fury was introduced in 1975. Plymouth once again restyled the Fury and placed it atop a smaller, redesigned C-body chassis.

The Fury line was dropped in 1979 but a year later, in 1980, Plymouth revitalized the Gran Fury name. It shared a platform and similar body design to the Chrysler Newport and Dodge St. Regis and was available only as a four-door sedan. Sales were never strong and the Fury name was once again abandoned in 1981.

A smaller version was introduced in 1982 and stayed in production until 1989. Minor aesthetic and mechanical changes were applied during this time, but it basically stayed unchanged.

by Dan Vaughan