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18k Mile Survivor: 1955 Plymouth Belvedere

'55 Plymouth

In 1955 Plymouth came out with new “forward styling” for the Belvedere. This survivor is listed here on eBay, parked in Lakeland, Florida with a BIN of $8K. The seller apparently talked to the previous owner who thought the reported 18,010 miles on the odometer are the total miles on the car, but we aren’t sure we would take that as proof.

'55 Plymouth engine

According to the owner the car has been off the road for over 40 years.  The engine does turn and if you put gas in the carburetor it does run. You will want to get the fuel system cleaned out and at this point it may need a new tank and some fresh fuel lines.

'55 Plymouth int.

The windshield is cracked and it appears there is a new one sitting on the front seat in another photo. You could check to see if it is included with the BIN.

'55 Plymouth under

This car has never been restored and is all original.  The seller states that the floors, trunk and frame are solid.

'55 Plymouth trunk

Clearly, all that lovely chrome is going to need work. A good cleaning and polishing should bring them back to life and will really make this car pop!

'55 Plymouth front left side

The car will be sold “exempt” for the title mileage. The doors open and close as they should. There is some fender damage and other images in the ad that you might want to take a closer look at. This Belvedere appears to be a nice survivor and could be a great project, do you have an interest in this one? If you contact the owner, you might want to find out what the story is to all the other cars parked in this Lakeland, Florida warehouse. Perhaps there will be more barn finds available for purchase!

Motor-on,

Robert

Comments

  1. Avatar randy

    I spy a ’66 Galaxie
    He’s got a bunch of cars on ebay.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Davnkatz

      I was drawn to that white Studebaker (1956?)

      Like 0
      • Avatar Jason Houston

        I think it’s more likely a 63-64 Hawk.

        Like 0
    • Avatar David Member

      Stunning, but there’s been some restoration done.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Jason Houston

      Gorgeous… Could they come in any BETTER color combos!

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Mr. TKD

    I’d be tempted to restore it and put a modern Hemi in it.

    Like 0
  3. Avatar BradL

    Maybe 118k or even 218k, but there’s no way this is 18k miles.

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Vince Habel

    I like the 55 Plymouth. If is a 18k mile car it was a rough 18k.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Terry J

    I remember riding in old Plymouths like this in the 50s. Notice just to the right of the steering column – that’s the automatic transmission shift lever sticking out of the dash! COOL! :-) Terry

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Barry T

    18,010 miles?????????????? If that is true it sure was rode hard and put away wet.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jason Houston

      That’s bc there’s a BIG difference between a genuine 18M car and a dealer’s 18M car.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Dave at OldSchool Restorations

    Robert, This is NO “survivor”

    …. this is a rust laden project car that needs complete HEAVY restoration…..

    ………

    Like 0
    • Avatar Robert Member

      Dave at OldSchool Restorations,

      I believe that an unspoken policy at BF is that a reported low mileage car of “age” gets to be tagged with “survivor”. Now we know that everyone has a different definition for just about every word in many languages. “Survivor” is a noun and does refer to a person not a car. So, yes you are correct sir, this car is not a “survivor”.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Dave at OldSchool Restorations

        ok, I get it.

        You don’t want to accept the basic automotive Standard of ” Survivor ” ..

        But in the automotive world, ” survivor ” also DOES refer to a car, and like other terms such as NOS OER OEM Vintage Historic Winner etc actually conveys a reasonably accepted description of an item to carnuts around the World

        I won’t mention it again

        Like 0
      • Avatar Jason Houston

        I partly disagree. The common usage of ‘survivor’ to apply to an inanimate object (such as a car) has established itself in common, everyday English, the same way “xerox” established itself as a verb, as well as a proper name, or “spam” is a noun for Internet junk as well as a proper noun for a salty, greasy, inedible food product.

        I have always been perplexed by what type of car is considered “a survivor”. Any older-model car that’s still around is obviously a survivor. Does that mean only an old, dusty car that was sitting in a barn for 40 years, or also a restored high dollar car sitting in some slippery car dealer’s showroom?

        Or, what about a car that was about to be forklifted into the crusher, and saved at the last minute by a dedicated hobbyist? Isn’t THAT a survivor, if ever there was one?

        Like 0
  8. Avatar Marty Member

    While I’d put the odds at this being an 18,000 mile original at just above zero, I still think someone should restore what is clearly Christine’s older sister!

    Like 0
    • Avatar Mark S

      I agree with restoring it. there is a sure fire way of confirming the mileage, pull a cylinder head and inspect the cylinder wall. No matter how hard you beat on a car a low miler will still have the presence of cross hatching from a cylinder hone on the cylinder walls and there will be no taper or ridge at the top. I’m a fan of Mopar and I think this would be way cooler to show on car night compared to a blue bow tie.

      Like 0
    • Avatar Jason Houston

      I agree. In fact, I haven’t seen a 1955-1958 Chrysler product that wasn’t worthy of restoration, although I’m sure there are a few out there.

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Jose

    Like the Studebaker in the background.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Robert Member

    Dave at OldSchool Restorations,

    There is a 1975 Cadillac that you may see here soon that you may like more…

    Like 0
  11. Avatar 64 bonneville

    sellers other items. “classics by titus” has 7 other vehicles on e-bay, some have been bid on but all listings show reserve not met. closely looking at the odometer on the Plymouth shows 16,XXX miles. similar to several others he has listed. coincidence? I don’t know, but there is a 62 Buick electra 225 among the other vehicles listed. Also the 55 Chrysler New Yorker is listed which is parked behind the Plymouth, it also shows 16,XXX miles on odometer.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jason Houston

      I think all that proves is that some car dealers are also very good odometer barbers.

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Steve

    There may not have been any restoration work done, but someone has worked on it. The chrome trim on the sides is not original to the car. The trim is from a 1956 Plymouth. My dad had a 55 and my uncle had a 56 when I was a kid.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bob

      The trim is definitely correct for a 55 Belvedere.

      Like 0
  13. Avatar piper62j

    My dad had a 56 Belvedere 6 cyl.. 4dr… Two tone black and ivory.. My sister fell out the back door by accident on Rt-1… Looking back, that was funny, and the car was very roomy for the 6 of us. We kids were all about 5 or 6 years old and could stand up on the seats..

    I’ll take that Galaxie in the back row..

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Tundra/BMW Guy

    It sounds like pretty much everyone is on the same page with regard to the mileage. Although the whole car smacks “high mileage” all I needed was the one picture with brake pedal corner worn through the rubber all the way down to bare metal? I think the seller should take down all claims and disclaimers on the mileage to not give the appearance of any attempt at being shady.
    Just my 1/2¢ worth.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jason Houston

      If they did that, eBay would throw him out for not maintaining himself as a professional liar.

      Like 0
  15. Avatar krash

    Lakeland again…

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Vince Habel

    The Hawk is a 62

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Big Boy

    8K for a parts car??

    Don’t think so …. The speedo has to have rolled over a few times ….

    PASS

    Like 0

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