1958 Plymouth Fury

Before the existence of the Chrysler Company, there was an ailing Maxwell-Chalmers Company rescued by Walter P. Chrysler. Having done the same for the Willys-Overland company, changes came swiftly, and in 1923, production of the Chalmers ceased, and the following year the first Chrysler arrived. The Maxwell brand ended in 1925, and in 1928, Plymouth was introduced as an entry-level model designed to compete with Ford and Chevrolet. Although priced higher than the competition, they were equipped with a longer list of standard features not found on comparable models. Until the late 1990s, Plymouth was Chrysler's volume seller and was discontinued in 2001.

The Plymouth Fury
Plymouth was an 'entry-level,' low-priced automobile manufacturer but the Fury was anything but 'entry-level,' with elegant styling, a gold anodized aluminum side trim, a gold-finished aluminum grille, a generous list of standard amenities, and a high-performance powertrain. Introduced midyear in 1956 and launched at the Chicago Auto Show that year, the first version was priced at $2,599. All 1956 Plymouths resided on a 115-inch wheelbase platform and had an overall length of 204.8 inches. It was part of the Belvedere V-8 Series and offered solely as a sport coupe. Rather than installing Plymouth's 276.1 cubic-inch engine, the engineers opted for the Canadian 303 cubic-inch displacement V8 with 9.25:1 compression domed pistons, beefier valve springs, solid lifter cam, five main bearings, four-barrel carburetor, and dual exhausts. Plymouth's 276.1 CID V8 produced 187 horsepower, while the larger 303 CID V8 powering the Fury offered 240 hp at 4,800 RPM.

Before the Fury's introduction, a pre-production coupe set class records at Daytona Beach for both the flying and standing mile, at 124.01 and 82.54 miles per hour, respectively.

Production
The Plymouth Fury would remain a 'sub-series' of the Belvedere through 1958, becoming its own full-size model from 1959 through 1961. It was a mid-size car from 1962 until 1964, a full-size car from 1965 through 1974, and then a mid-size car from 1975 through 1978. The B-Body Fury was the largest Plymouth in 1978, and by 1979, there was no large Plymouth. The R-body Gran Fury arrived in 1980 and the M-body Fury in 1982.

Yearly production figures for the Sub-Series Fury:
1956: 4,485
1957: 7,438
1958: 5,303

When the Fury became its own model in 1959, its production figures increased dramatically, with 17,867 of the hardtop coupe and 5,990 of the convertible (in 1959 alone). Adding 2- and 4-door hardtop sedan body styles in 1960 brought output to over 55,000.

Yearly Prices
1956: $2,800
1957: $2,900
1958: $3,030

The 1956 to 1958 Fury
Exclusive. Elegant. Powerful. The 1956 and 1957 Fury were sold only as a sandstone white two-door hardtop with gold anodized aluminum trim, and the 1958 was only available in buckskin beige with gold anodized aluminum trim. The styling evolution of the Fury, like many cars built during the mid-1950s, evolved dramatically from year-to-year. The 1957 models became longer and wider, gaining large vertical tailfins in keeping with Virgil Exner's '100-Million Dollar Look' and 'Forward Look' design themes.

The 1956 Fury came with the 303 CID V8, and the 1957 and 1958 received a 318 CID V8 with 290 horsepower - an engine it shared with the Dodge Coronet. An optional 'big block' 350 cubic-inch (5.7 liter) V8, known as the 'Golden Commando,' had two four-barrel carburetors and offered 305 horsepower. With the optional fuel injection system installed, output rose to 315 horsepower. The Bendix electronic fuel-injection system was a short-lived option and was quickly recalled by the factory and replaced with the conventional dual four-barrel setup.

The 1957 Fury was offered with the new three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission (only available in the Belvedere and Fury lines), adding $220 to the base price. The standard transmission was the three-speed manual.

The 1958 Plymouth Fury
1958 was the final year that the Fury was a 'sub series' of the Belvedere, and along with the Sport Suburban, represented the top-of-the-line full-size Plymouths. The Sport Suburban was a well-equipped station wagon, the Fury was a high-performance two-door hardtop coupe, and the Belvedere was offered in a range of body styles, including a convertible, 2-door club sedan, hardtop sedan, sedan, and a hardtop coupe. Prices for the 1958 Belvedere ranged from $2,350 to $2,730 and the Sport Suburban from $2,725 to $2,975. Both of these came standard with a 230.2 cubic-inch inline six-cylinder L-head engine or an optional 317.6 CID V8 with a two-barrel carburetor. The Fury, priced at $3,030, came standard with the 317.6 CID V8 with two Carter four-barrel carburetors. It was Plymouth's most expensive vehicle in 1958, but it did not stop the company from boasting of a 'Broadway Looka t a Main Street Price.'

The 1958 Plymouth Fury had its nameplates located on the rear fender and was only available as a Buck-skin beige two-door hardtop with gold anodized aluminum inserts. It had back-up lights, dual outside rearview mirrors, and bumper wing guards. There were front and rear foam seats and a padded interior.

A total of 5,303 examples of the Fury were built in 1958, down from 7,438 built the prior year.

Engines
The overhead valve 317.6 cubic-inch V8 had a cast iron block, 9.25:1 compression, five main bearings, solid valve lifters, two Carter four-barrel carburetors, and produced 290 horsepower at 5,200 RPM. The optional Golden Commando V8 ($325 with the carb setup and $500 with the EFI) had overhead valves, a 350 cubic-inch displacement size, five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and produced 305 hp at 5,000 RPM with two Carter four-barrel carburetors. With the optional electronic fuel injection system installed, output rose to 315 hp. The EFI engines, only offered on the Fury, began life as a 'Dual Fury' before being converted to EFI at the DeSoto factory in Detroit on a special assembly line. Most of the cars were returned during the recall and retrofitted with the 'Dual Fury' configuration.

Mechanical Specification
A three-speed manual transmission was standard, and an overdrive transmission added $108. A PowerFlite automatic transmission was available with the 317.6 CID V8 but not on the Golden Commando, and was priced at $180. The TorqueFlite automatic transmission cost $220. Standard tires measured 8.00 x 14. The front track measured 60.9 inches and the rear track measured 59.6 inches. All Chrysler products were given Chrysler's Torsion-Aire Torsion bar suspension starting in 1957.

All of Plymouth's 1958 models resided on a 118-inch wheelbase platform, while the suburbans rested on a 122-inch wheelbase. The Fury had an overall length of 206 inches, the rest of the passenger cars measured 204.6 inches, and the Suburbans at 213.1 inches.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2023