1959 Plymouth Fury

The Fury was a premium-priced vehicle that showcased the capabilities and talents of the Plymouth company. It was introduced in 1956 and came standard with a 303 cubic-inch V8 engine. In keeping with design trends of the era, the Fury featured tail fins and a logo that was similar to Cadillacs.

From 1956 through 1958, the Fury was sold only as a Sand Dune White hardtop coupe with gold anodized aluminum trim. In 1957, the Fury gained the new 318 cubic-inch V8 engine, along with two four-barrel carburetors, bringing horsepower to nearly 300 horsepower. Its styling reflected the growing trends of the era and was now longer and wider than the previous year, wearing large vertical tailfins. The previous coil spring suspension was replaced with Torsion-Aire Torsion bars at the front (a feature shared with all Chrysler productions beginning in 1957).

For 1958, along with the DeSoto Adventurer, the Fury came equipped with the 1958-only 350 cubic-inch which had 305 horsepower and twin four-barrel carburetors.

The 1959 Plymouth
All 1959 Plymouth passenger cars rested on a 118-inch wheelbase and had an overall length of 210 inches. The Suburbans were larger with a 122-inch wheelbase and a length of 214.5 inches. The styling was similar from the entry-level Savoy to the mid-level Belvedere to the range-topping Fury/Sport Fury. The Savory and Belvedere came standard with an inline-6, while the Fury/Sporty Fury came with V8 engines. The Savoy had less chrome trim and fewer amenities than the Belvedere, and stepping up to the Fury added even more.

The Plaza which had previous served as Plymouth's entry-level model was no longer available, replaced by the Savoy. Styling features across the board included a dart-shaped body profile, wrap-around front bumper, anodized aluminum eggcrate grille, oval-shaped horizontal taillights, four-beam headlamps, and tower-type tailfin rear fenders.

Savoy/Deluxe Suburban
- $2145 to $2760
- total production: 182,464
- most popular body style: sedan (67,980)
- standard engine: 230.2 CID inline-6
- body styles: sedan, club sedan, business coupe, 2- and 4-door Deluxe Suburban

Belvedere/Custom Suburban
- $2390 to $3000
- total production: 169,910
- most popular body style: sedan (67,980)
- standard engine: 230.2 CID inline-6
- body styles: sedan, hardtop sedan, hardtop sport coupe, club sedan, convertible, 2- and 4-door Custom Suburban, 9-passenger, 4-door Custom Suburban

Fury/Sport Suburban
- $2690 to $3130
- total production: 80,030
- most popular body style: sedan (30,149)
- standard engine: 317.6 CID two-barrel V8
- body styles: sedan, hardtop sedan, hardtop coupe, 4-door, 6- and 9-passenger sport suburban

Sport Fury
- The hardtop coupe was $2930 and 17,867 examples were produced
- The convertible was $3,125 and 5,990 were built
- total production: 23,857
- standard engine: 317.6 CID four-barrel V8

Fury and Sport Fury
The styling of the Fury was modern, elegant, and extravagant with an eggcrate-style grille, hooded headlamps, and towering tailfins. Distinguishable styling elements that segregated it from its lower-priced siblings included 'Fury' signature script located high on the tailfins and 'Plymouth' signature in chrome on the left-hand corner of the deck lid. There were dual molding side chrome (beginning as a spear at the front of the car, behind the headlamps, and grew larger behind the front wheel opening, then tapered to a point when it reached the rear of the vehicle). The rear deck of the Fury had a single molding strip that wrapped around the sides, connecting with the body side trim. The bumper was located below the horizontal taillights and wrapped around (slightly) the body corners.

The sedan was priced at $2,690 and a total of 30,149 examples were built. The hardtop sedan listed at $2,770 and 13,814 were built. The hardtop coupe was slightly less at $2,715 and 21,494 examples were built. The 9-passenger Sport Suburban was more expensive than the 6-passenger version, at $3,130 for the former and $3,020 of the latter. It also proved to be the more popular with 9,549 of the 9-passenger and 7,224 of the 6-passenger.

Sport Fury
The Sport Fury replaced the Fury in 1959 as Plymouth's top series and was solely offered in sporty 2-door hardtop and new convertible configurations. The hardtop coupe was $2,930 and the convertible was $3,125. A total of 17,867 examples were built of the hardtop coupe and 5,990 were convertibles.

The interior of the Sport Fury was comfortable and futuristic with a padded steering wheel and bucket-style front seats that swiveled when the doors opened. They had a sport deck lid tire cover stamping, dual side spears with the upper portion curving upward on the rear fenders, and the lower portion wrapping around the rear body corners and traversing the length of the duck lid. The 'Fury' signature script was located inside the dual moldings at the rear tailfin.

Amenities
Standard features on the Fury included a cigar lighter, lockable glove compartment, disc wheel covers, electric clock, and deluxe steering wheel. The extensive list of optional amenities and performance equipment included dual exhausts, various rear axle gear ratios, bumper guards, power brakes, power steering, air conditioning, push-button radio, rear seat speaker, tinted glass, windshield washer, variable speed wipers, rear window defogger, padded sun visor, padded steering wheel (standard on the Sport Fury), and more.

Mechanical Specification
The standard 318 cubic-inch V8 engine powered the Savoy, Belvedere, Fury, and station wagons (the 318 CID V8 was optional in Belvedere and Savoy as their standard engine was a 230.2 CID inline-6). It had overhead valves, a cast iron block, 9.0:1 compression, a two-barrel carburetor, solid valve lifters, and five main bearings and produced 230 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The Sport Fury came standard with a higher specification of this engine, with a four-barrel carburetor and 260 horsepower at 4,400 RPM.

The 'Golden Commando 395' engine had a 360.8 cubic-inch displacement, 10.0:1 compression, hydraulic valve lifters, five main bearings, and a four-barrel Carter carburetor. It developed 305 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. The '395' in the engine's name did not reference its displacement size or horsepower output, but rather its pound-feet of torque - at 3,000 RPM.

The Fury came standard with a three-speed manual transmission. An overdrive transmission added $84 to the base price of the vehicle. The PowerFlite automatic was a $189 optional on all engines except the Golden Commando. The TorqueFlite automatic transmission was the most expensive at $227.

The Plymouth Fury
Plymouth would use the Fury name from the mid-1950s through 1989. From 1956 to 1958, it was a 'sub-series' of the Plymouth Belvedere. The 'second generation' of styling arrived in 1960, the first year the Fury used unibody construction, the first year for Chrysler's ram induction system, and the first year of a new slant-six engine. The 1962 'third generation' Fury now rested on the new Chrysler B-body unibody platform and its wheelbase shrunk from 118- to 116-inches. The Fury returned to a full-size platform in 1965 (the C-body) with a wheelbase size of 119 inches. The list of Fury trim levels grew to three - the Fury I, Fury II, and Fury III, with the higher designation offering more trim and accouterments.

The 1969 to 1973 Fury wore the 'fifth generation of styling and wore a new round-sided 'Fuselage Look' appearance. The wheelbase size was 120 inches.

The 1974 'Sixth Generation' Fury rested on Chrysler's all-new full-size C-body platform with a wheelbase size of 121.5 inches. Standard amenities included power steering, power front disc brakes, a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, and a 360 cubic-inch two-barrel carbureted V8 engine.

After a decade of using the C-body platform, the Fury moved to the restyled mid-size B-body line in 1975. The sedan at a 117.5 inch wheelbase and the coupes measured 115-inches.

The Fury name disappeared in 1979, returning in 1980 as the Gran Fury on Chrysler's R-body full-size chassis. The R-body was discontinued halfway through the 1981 model year, so the Gran Fury was given the M-body 'full-size' platform for 1982. The M-body cars were available through the 1989 model year.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2018