Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Crisply styled and riding on a 116-inch wheelbase, Chrysler's new B-Body midsize cars for 1966 were an instant success. While Chrysler brought the fabled Hemi engine back for '65 in some of its intermediate models, the 426-cubic inch power plant was barely drivable on the street and strictly limited in number. Chrysler management understood the importance of street performance, so the Hemi was civilized - somewhat - for 1966 while retaining much of its pavement-melting performance.
Main Street Hemi features included cast-iron cylinder heads, aluminum intake manifold, dual Carter four-barrel carburetors, a lower 10.25:1 compression ratio, a milder camshaft profile, and cast-iron exhaust headers, plus a choke and manifold heating for easier starts. Plymouth's handsome Satellite was a particularly appealing home for the new 425-horsepower Street Hemi, with its remarkably restrained use of bright trim and decoration. Only a small pair of "426 Hemi" emblems indicated the mechanical mayhem lurking under the hood of this "sleeper". A carefully engineered and integrated package, the Hemi Satellite was also equipped with a heavy-duty cooling system, Police-spec power drum brakes, and a complete heavy-duty suspension with specific torsion bars, shock absorbers, and springs. A heavy-duty TorqueFlite automatic or A833 New Process four-speed and a tough Dana rear end delivered the power to the pavement.
This 1966 Plymouth Belvedere 426 Hemi/4-speed is quite likely one of the finest examples known today. The outstanding product of a full nut-and-bolt restoration, it was completed for the Consoignor's personal collection, but the hard decision was made now to let it go. This quality vehicle is truly investment grade. Upon completion of the restoration, renowned Mopar expert Galen Govier was contacted to inspect the Belvedere at the Consignor's facility. He was very pleased to say the least and his full report is on file. Outstanding documentation includes 3 build sheets found during the restoration - an almost unheard-of find! Crucially, the Belvedere is an extremely rare find retaining its original 426 Hemi engine and 4-speed manual transmission. Currently, this incredible musclecar is 1 of 1 Bronze Metallic (Code YY1) 1966 Plymouth Belvedere 426 Hemi 4-speed cars listed in Galen's Registry! Few classic American musclecars can lay claim to such rarity and quality, raising this 1966 Hemi/4-speed Belvedere to a whole other level. As such, it stands worthy of the finest collections anywhere! Garage kept, fully detailed, dealer-inspected, and simply outstanding on all counts, it also comes with service records and the original keys and manuals.
