Vehicle Description
1960 Plymouth Belvedere 2 Door Hardtop
"We like to think of our '60 Belvedere models, Plymouth's middle
line, in family situations. Mother behind the wheel taking the kids
to school. The family, in Sunday finery, enroute to church. Father
seeing daughter off to her first formal. The splendid cars are big
and roomy inside, supremely comfortable, very easy to handle and
most economical to run. Belvederes are designed to start fast,
travel as speedily as you wish and stop quickly and surely. A
family can be justifiably proud of its Belvedere for a long time."
From the 1960 Plymouth brochure.
For consignment, a 1960 Plymouth Belvedere 2 door hardtop with a
title verified 80,978 actual miles. Even as big fins were working
their way out of vogue, the design team at Chrysler were encouraged
to go over the top, and that's just what they did with the 1960
being described as everything from a roadgoing spaceship to a
jukebox on wheels.
Exterior
Let's start at the back where you'll find one of the most dramatic
set of fins ever produced on an American automobile. This is a good
12 years before the twin tailed F15 was developed but this bears a
strong resemblance with massive fins that are integrated into the
rear fender, itself a billboard sized panel with rocket like trim.
The edge of the fins hold the tail lights and reverse lenses, all
flanking a rear decklid that you probably land the F15 on. The
upslope of the fins is mirrored by the slope of the rear window on
its way to an enormous roof, here in Dark Blue Metallic over the
Sky Blue body. In classic Belvedere two tone style, the front coves
feature dark blue to the sides of quad headlights and heavily
grated grille. 15-inch Chevrolet Rally wheels look sharp in black
and carry staggered size tire with a late 2022 date code.
Brightwork and the two stage paint are quite good on the car with a
paint run and some low bubbling noted as the only
imperfections.
Interior
Three shades of blue make up the door panels which show plenty of
patina, especially the driver's that will likely need restoration.
The vinyl and cloth split bench fares much better and other than
some compression, present cleanly and mirrored in the back bench
where white bands border the ribbed dark blue cloth inserts. It
would be a few years before the Jetson's hit the TV airways, but we
have to think they may have been influenced by the epic steering
wheel and dashboard provided here. We're talking a squarish
steering wheel with hourglass shaped center and thick grips on the
side leading to a flat and wide horizontal speedometer and lots of
metal framed gauges, knobs, and push buttons on the mid panel
showing a good deal of patina. There's an AM radio on board and a
triple gauge unit added under the dash and a big tach perched on
top. A Mr. Gasket shifter rises from the floor, an automatic
disguised as a manual, over a nice blue carpet and under a football
field of headliner above showing some looseness. The trunk is lined
with a rubber floor covering and houses an air compressor.
Drivetrain
As wild as the exterior and interior is, the engine also ranks as a
visual treat. What we have here is a 383ci V8 with a long ram
intake spread to two four 4-barrel Carter carburetors. There's also
a Rattler camshaft inside and it's backed by a Hughes Performance
A727 Torqueflite 3-speed automatic transmission sending power to
the 8� inch rear in the next county! Drum brakes are supplied in
both front and rear wheels. The gold ram induction system mixed
with the red block and valve covers is a show stopper, even as
you've already stopped the show with your arrival. There's a new
charging system along with an aluminum radiator with electric fan
and new starter.
Undercarriage
Lots of clean elements underneath including the gas tank, exhaust,
and driveshaft, minimal surface rust, a drop or two of oil on the
flywheel cover, and some oil on the rear differential. Overall, a
very nice underside where the dual exhaust meets FlowMaster
mufflers before exiting out back and suspension consists of torsion
bars up front and leaf springs in back.
Drive-Ability
Where's our sailor hat and our boy, Elroy? This is where a flying
car meets a land yacht. We crank up the 383 and shift this 209 inch
blue beauty into drive and onto the test loop and with a massive
windshield and plenty of glass elsewhere, we enjoy great
visibility. The 383 dual carb engine is up to the task of moving
this steel beast which tracks straight, although we don't know how
fast we're going because the speedometer is inoperable. We also
note the heater blower, wipers, and radio not working. And perhaps
most important, it takes some effort to stop this car as the brakes
will need some attention. Beyond those things, all remaining
functions operate as they should. While Classic Auto Mall
represents that these functions were working at the time of our
test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at
the time of your purchase.
Big, bold, bodacious. Perhaps the most extroverted car we've had
the pleasure of representing, this will impress onlookers aged 5 to
85. It's gloriously over the top, a big fat exclamation mark on the
finned 50's and a big blue middle finger to the streamlining that
was about to take place in automotive trends. People saw it coming
and so the following year's sales were dismal in comparison and the
1962, while still full of interesting body lines, was tamed like a
circus elephant. Get your hands on this special car!
3207113717
3-Plymouth V8
2-Belvedere
0-1960
7-St. Louis, MO Assy Plant
113717-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
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