Vehicle Description
We don't really know why, but the survival rate of late-50s Mopars
like this 1959 Plymouth 2-door hardtop is far, far lower than for
its Blue Oval and Bowtie competition down the road. It's puzzling
because these are handsome, comfortable, road-worthy cars with an
incredibly distinctive look that captures the spirit of the 1950s,
and all of the era's Art Deco, space-age goodness.
Plymouth fully embraced the big tailfin movement, and in 1959 when
the popularity of the shark-fin rear-ends reached its peak, the
Fury stood alone with Virgil Exner's unique "Forward Look" design
cues. And for many of us, cars like this 1959-only design perfectly
encapsulates the era. Of course, anything painted Flame Red will
stand out, and the two-door hardtop has a clean look and lots of
interesting details that echoed throughout the Mayflower marque's
lineup. Up front, an anodized aluminum egg crate grille hangs on
the forward-facing design between dual headlights and wrap-around
parking lights, and out back, space-age styling arrived in the form
of Exner's infamous "sport-deck" trunk lid, the fluted trim on
those fantastically exaggerated fins, and one-of-a-kind taillights.
Finish quality is quite nice, with a repaint completed several
years ago showing off a very presentable, driver-quality finish
with solid sheetmetal underneath that looks to have always been in
good shape. And yes, there's plenty of jewelry and chrome to play
off the red finish, including the "jet-intake" front bumper and its
rear companion, the Fury-exclusive side trim filled with white
painted inserts that add a bit of contrast, all the shiny bright
work surrounding the Jetson's-style hardtop, and the "Plymouth" and
"Fury" script that adorn the car and let everyone know that a rare
bird is passing by. This '59 really has a great look.
You'll smile when you see the beautifully restored interior, which
currently wears newer seats, carpet, door panels, and headliner.
You can credit those detailed seat covers for doing such a
beautiful job of keeping the two-tone interior in such great shape,
and the intricate tri-tone door panels display a prominent '50s
design theme. The plush carpets are in great shape and provide good
insulation and noise control, and the dash was refinished to match
the interior and features bright anodized accents and an incredibly
cool, jet-age driver control center framed by the deluxe steering
wheel replete with chrome horn ring. Original gauges are in good
condition and have been augmented with a vintage tachometer mounted
to the steering column and a pair of matching auxiliary units below
the dash. Pushbuttons control both the transmission and original AM
radio, both awesome features of this era's Mopar, and you also get
a giant trunk that comes complete with a full-sized spare wrapped
with a whitewall bias-ply tire.
All that high-class Mopar metal is moved by 318 cubic inch V8
Polysphere V8 that is rated at an ample 260HP and is stamped in a
correct 1737929 casting number on the block. That Chrysler
solid-lifer A-block means smooth performance and plenty of torque
to scoot the big coupe without working very hard. The big red,
snorkeled air cleaner up top matches the valve covers, so it has a
period look and the entire engine was bathed in correct aluminum
engine enamel some years ago, so it could almost pass for original.
Thankfully, this well-proportioned car offers both power steering
and power brakes, which are a must-have for those of us that enjoy
laid-back, two-fingers on the wheel cruising. The 3-speed A727
Torqueflight automatic transmission shifts very smoothly and there
are highway-frienfly gears out back in the original rear end to
make it a very pleasant cruiser. A recent dual exhaust system with
Thrush mufflers gives it a somewhat surprising exhaust note that is
baritone and civilized. Cragar SS wheels are a nice update,
especially with those 215/70/14 Goodyear blackwall radials that
finish off the look.
Rare and nicely sorted, this big Plymouth Fury is the Blue Oval and
Bowtie alternative that delivers a quintessential '50s look with
the over-the-top styling the era was known for. Call today!
