Vehicle Description
Few cars scream horsepower better than the '60s-era Mopars. Taking
a big 4-door hardtop like this dazzling 1962 Plymouth Savoy and
turning it into a Pro Street machine took some cojones even by
Mopar standards, but the builders absolutely pulled it off with
this redlight-to-redlight banger. Dropping a date-code correct 440
V8 big block under that massive scoop hood certainly helped, as did
the red-hot burgundy paint, caged interior, and fat Mickey Thompson
meats, resulting in a one-of-a-kind muscle car with off-the-charts
curb appeal. Satellite-era Mopars were already some of the coolest
cars ever made, and when it's armed to the teeth like this Savoy,
it looks ready to blast off into space.
Colors like this particular shade of burgundy (the '62 Savoy was
offered in a color called Cherry Red in 1962, and this is
essentially that exact shade) were very popular in the '60s, and
the big, mid-sized cars like this Savoy 4-door hardtop seem to wear
it best. Of course, the giant scoop and pins on the hood and that
kicked-up rake make it look far more aggressive than when it was
just Grandpa's daily driver, but even though it's a Pro Street
that's meant to go FAST, this one has a very polished and grown-up
look. The paint is in very good shape, above average (especially
for a Pro Street) and showing a deep shine that comes from modern
materials, so if you're used to seeing dusty-looking vintage enamel
on these cars, this one will come as a very pleasant surprise. It's
not perfect, a few signs of age and other imperfections are present
upon close examinations, but when this Mopar is at full throttle
zipping by, who's going to notice? The Savoy was in the entry-level
sedan of the lineup, but regardless of the pecking order Plymouth
was never cheap on style and flair, and after the '61 models were
widely known in the industry to have been "beaten with the ugly
stick", the redesigned '62 was a breath of fresh air that sold much
better. With that being said, even this final generation still
takes some very bold risks in the design area that probably aren't
for everyone, but no one will ever argue that the Savoy was
conservative or run-of-the-mill. Between the concaved grille and
quad headlights up front, the sharp creases on the hood, fenders,
and profile, and that wide, ornate rear end, the 1962 Savoy has a
lot of character to take in. Your eyes bounce from one angle to the
next, as they scan from smooth curves to sharp contrasts, and
that's before you even notice that this 4-door was built to get
into a street fight and win. Tidy panel gaps, nice detailing around
the glass and doors, and, of course, the giant hood scoop all give
this car a very dramatic look that preview the performance, and the
'Old Styles' wrapped in those giant Mickey Thompson rubbers are the
perfect endcaps. The chrome and stainless trim is quite nice as
well, adding just the right amount of bling to the deep red
finish.
The two-tone gray vinyl interior is all business, and that business
is all about keeping the passengers safe and comfortable while
traveling at darn near the speed of light. With bench seats fore
and aft you know the original buyer's priorities were horsepower,
not luxury, but they didn't skimp on the materials inside at all.
The seat covers are newer, with contrasting grays that work really
well against the red exterior, the door panels match exactly, the
carpets insulate the cabin, and the headliner is taut. That's
right, this isn't just some stripped down racer. It does have
plenty of performance goodies, the most obvious being the roll cage
that was neatly installed to stay out of the way, along with the
Turbo Action Cheetah SCS shifter in the floor and the vast array of
AutoMeter gauges in the center of the dash. There's also a
wood-rimmed Grant steering wheel that man's the driver's cockpit,
stock Plymouth gauges beyond it, and a big tachometer that was
mounted up to keep an eye on the revs. Racing seatbelts were added
up front, the back seat looks barely used (nobody's been brave
enough to get back there yet), while the cavernous trunk is now
filled with a relocated battery and fuel cell, as is the Pro Street
style.
The 440 cubic inch V8 makes the kind of fat torque that makes even
a big car like this feel fast. It starts easily and idles with a
healthy lope that suggests unbridled horsepower, not luxury, and
it's very cleanly detailed. There's Hemi Orange paint on the block
itself, which is topped by a set of chrome valve covers and an
open-element air cleaner. A Holley 4-barrel carburetor and an
air-gap manifold handle intake duties, and a set of long-tube
headers dump into a custom H-pipe dual exhaust system with electric
cutouts and a dual exits that dump under the rear bumper. And yeah,
it's very loud. You know it's built for combat with the extra deep
groove large-diameter pulleys on the accessory drive and there's a
big aluminum radiator up front to keep the whole show nice and
cool. The transmission is a bulletproof 727 TorqueFlite 3-speed
automatic feeding a heavy-duty narrow rear end, so the driveline is
a known quantity that's ready to play. The pans are undercoated and
there are newer suspension components throughout, and although it's
not all shiny and perfect anyone would be proud to show off the
undercarriage because it's very solid and clean. Legendary American
Racing 'Old Style' Torque Thrust wheels look amazing on just about
any classic, and these beauties are wearing thick 225/70/15 front
and 315/60/15 rear Mickey Thompson Sportsman radials that perfectly
complete the vintage performance look.
We love these cars and this one nails the attitude and performance
of Mopar in the '60s perfectly. Call today!
