Vehicle Description
This 1958 Plymouth Savoy was treated to a meticulous frame-off
restoration with the goal of rebuilding it into a re-creation of
the 1958 Fury movie car "Christine". In addition to the correct
movie-car appearance, upgrades include the addition of a DeSoto
345ci HEMI engine with a factory 1957 Adventurer dual-carb intake
manifold (one of 1950 made). The overall appearance under the hood
has the same visual appeal as the movie car with the twin golden
oval air filters in addition to the movie-correct chrome valve
covers, chrome power brake reservoir and Quaker State decal. The
engine was rebuilt to exceed the original DeSoto 345 specifications
with custom headers and a mild performance camshaft. The headers
hook up to a mandrel-bent dual exhaust system tailored to closely
replicate the sound of the movie car, along with the correct chrome
pencil-tip ends out back. The rebuilt original 3-speed iron
TorqueFlite automatic transmission feeds the power into the stock
8.75-inch rear end sporting 3.55 gears and Sure-Grip differential.
Movie-correct silver powder-coated wheels are wrapped in Coker
whitewall bias-ply tires. The frame-off restoration adheres to many
factory specs, such as painting the floor pans in the factory gray
color with appropriate texture spray on the bottom. LizardSkin
sound-deadener and Dynamat are applied to the top side of the floor
pans. The suspension has safety upgrades with a front sway bar,
front disc brake conversion and KYB shocks on all four corners. H3
halogen headlights were added mainly as a safety measure but also
for the same visual appeal of the bright headlights for which the
movie car is well known. Factory options include power steering,
power brakes, Jiffy-Jet windshield washer with a 2-speed wiper
motor and a dual windswept antenna along with the OEM bumper wings.
The interior is a very close rendition of the movie car in colors
and patterns, right down to the correct padded sun visors. The
factory AM radio is functional, along with a modern 4-speaker
stereo system hidden behind the removable cover plate on the
under-dash tissue dispenser. The exterior is finished in
basecoat/clearcoat with movie-car-correct paint code 75 GM Spectre
Red with an Ivory White roof after the body was completely stripped
to bare metal, properly test-fitted for panel alignment, and the
body worked to a high level of fit and finish.
