1963 Plymouth Savoy

The Savoy nameplate was part of the Plymouth lineup since the 1950s, originally used on a station wagon. Beginning in 1954, it became a full-sized model and remained in production through 1964. In 1962, it was downsized slightly, with two-inches removed from the 118-inch wheelbase and 7.5-inches from its length. Since the Valiant had proven very popular with the public, Plymouth adapted its appearance to other Plymouth models. The full-size Savoy and Fleet Special were priced below the mid-priced Belvedere and the top-of-the-line Fury. Plymouth's premium offering was the Sport Fury, available as either a convertible or a two-door hardtop.

The 1963 Plymouth Savoy gained three inches to its length, an inch to its width, and a flat roofline, and a flatter rear deck. The styling was more conventional, with a square appearance in the front, a stand-up hood ornament, and a feature line that traversed the entire length of the body side. Standard equipment included electric wipers, turn signals, front armrests, dual sun visors, and a lockable glovebox. The inline-6 had overhead valves, a 225.5 cubic-inch displacement, four main bearings, solid valve lifters, and delivered 145 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. Low demand and high production costs for the cast aluminum six meant it was discontinued early in the 1963 model year, replaced by a cast-iron version.

The optional overhead-valve, V8 had a 317.6 cubic-inch displacement, five main bearings, solid valve lifters, a two-barrel carburetor, and delivered 230 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, and an automatic transmission was a $192 option with the six-cylinder engine. Mid-season, a four-speed manual with floor shift controls became available. Additional engine options included the 'Commando' 361 CID V8 with 265 horsepower, the 'Golden Commando' 383 CID V8 with a four-barrel carburetor and delivering 330 horsepower. The 'Super Stock' 426 CID V8 produced 415 horsepower with the four-barrel configuration or 425 hp when fitted with the dual four-barrel setup.

The Savoy body styles included a two- and four-door sedan, and a 6- and 9-passenger station wagon. The two-door sedan with the six-cylinder engine was priced at $2,200, and the four-door at $2,260. The station wagon had a factory base price of $2,600 for the six- and $2,710 for the 9-passenger version. The 9-passenger wagon had a power rear window and cargo light. Savoy standard equipment included front armrests, dual sun visors, electric wipers, two-ply tires on passenger cars, four-ply tires on station wagons, and an oil filter.

The most popular body style was the sedan, with 56,313 examples sold. Next came the two-door version with 20,281 sales, followed by 12,874 of the 6-passenger wagon, and 4,342 of the 9-passenger wagon. The combined 93,810 sales accounted for approximately twenty-percent of Plymouths total 1963 production and nearly 12,500 more than the 1962 Savoy.

The Chrysler Corporation was on the rebound following miscues at the turn of the decade that had left upper management in turmoil. As a result, Lynn Townsend had ascended to the presidency and worked quickly to regain the company's performance image. To this end, Dodge and Plymouth both released racing-focused 413 CID packages in 1962. The Maximum Performance engine (or Max Wedge for short) featured redesigned heads and valvetrain, a special intake that used Chrysler's clandestine 'ram tuning' technology and dual 4-barrel carburetors, along with beefier driveline equipment.

A number of significant changes were implemented for the 1963 racing season, the most important being a new rule that limited stock-bodied competition engines to seven liters. This new rule went into effect worldwide following a meeting with the organizations ACCUS/FIA the previous year, which oversaw global auto racing. NASCAR and NHRA complied with these standards, meaning Detroit companies that wanted to compete were forced to move quickly to accommodate the displacement restrictions. Chrysler's 413 cubic-inch for the RB block design was increased to 426 CID, a number that would be synonymous with the company for the remainder of the performance era. The higher-compression race-oriented examples were known as the 'Max Wedge.'

The factory's 'Ramchargers' drag racing team was influential in the publically available 'special' options built for serious Mopar contenders. Along with special high output engines, the factory offered quick-shifting automatic transmissions, lightweight kits, and many other competition components. The lightweight package included aluminum front fenders, hood, and front bumper. The all-aluminum hood featured an air scoop to feed cooler, denser, outside air to the carburetors.

Although available for purchase by the public, these factory racers were delivered without a warranty, as declared by the disclaimer label inside the glovebox.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2021