Only one word comes to mind when I look at a car like this: WOW! Sure, it’s not a big word and means the same thing spelled backwards, but it describes this car to a tee. In the mid-60s, the Plymouth Belvedere I was your basic mid-size car with no frills. Not even a radio. But they could be ordered with a 426 Hemi engine, which happened just 136 times in 1966. And if you eliminate the ones with a 4-speed manual, the number drops to 57. This Mopar is one of those cars, having been restored cosmetically and mechanically at different times over its life. This Plymouth shares a magnetic attraction with the seller, as he’s owned it a total of four times! Available in Lincoln, Nebraska and here on eBay, the bidding has reached $51,000 but the reserve has not.
The Belvedere filled more than one role at Plymouth between 1954-70. It was the top model offered at first, became an intermediate in 1966, and was replaced by the Satellite after 1970. 1966 was also the first year of the 426 cubic inch Hemi engine, capable on nearly one horsepower per cube, which saw installations in 10,904 Chrysler cars through 1971. Some of them went to the local racetrack when new, and others to the dragstrip later on, so many of them didn’t survive. But the ones that kept to city streets and stayed on the prowl for other hot cars represent most of what you’ll find today. 55 years after their debut, anything with a Hemi in it is rare, desirable and expensive, especially if numbers-matching and as nice as this car is.
This Belvedere has quite a story in that it keeps finding its way back to the seller. The first time he owned it was about 20 years ago when he bought it from the original owner with 12,000 miles on it. The car had been spending most of its time at the local tracks in St. Louis. After taking possession, he stripped the outside of the Plymouth to bare metal and gave it a two-stage paint job and restored all the car’s brightwork. No mention of another repaint is made, so what we see has been babied.
Two trades later and the car was in his possession again around 2010. That sale didn’t take, so the next party who owned it in Wichita dropped the front and rear suspensions and pulled the engine and TorqueFlite automatic for a rebuild. The car was then put on a rotisserie and the undercarriage stripped and restored, components and all. Now he has it back again along with documentation to verify the originality of the mechanical parts and pieces. He says the Plymouth “runs like a top” and has been dressed up with a set of ET rims and Coker “Pie Crust” tires (wide in the back, narrow in the front), but he still has the steel wheels and dog dish hubcaps that came with the car new.
The car is stunning in appearance both inside and outside. If it has any flaws, I wasn’t able to find any worth mentioning. It even wears Hemi badging on the front fenders and a 426 hood ornament (was that stock with the Hemi engine?). The odometer reflects 12,356 miles, so the odometer has either turned over or was replaced when the last set of rebuilds took place.
The rarity of this automobile (1 of 57 or 1 of 136, depending how you look at it) is no doubt reflected in the seller’s reserve, but you have to wonder if owning it a fifth time may be in his future one day. 1966 would see the greatest number of Hemi installations at 3,350 and by 1971 they were down to 486. The shifting muscle car market and rising insurance premiums were changing the landscape.
Looks like a sleeper.
Definitely does not sound like a sleeper.
I don’t recall anyone buying a new car like this to use on the street as a sleeper. In the day, if you had the engine, you wanted to show it off and let others be in awe of you. This car was bought by someone wealthy to use at the drag strip, ,or so that is my belief.
Beautiful car! Would be nice to be able to afford it.
I agree, totally WOW! It costs more to go first class, because it’s worth it.
These are legendary among Hemi Enthusiasts. There weren’t many made; there were even a few 4 door Belvedere I’s built with the 426. This car is probably closer to $100K, and I can understand why. Especially if it’s numbers matching..
Russ, I learned a lot in your write up, thank you!
butt ugly car–what a waste of a good engine
Opinions, meh.
Lightest body style Mopar had at the time. Lighter=Faster!
Bevis….is that what you say about other people’s wives that don’t meet your lofty standards?
Think what you’re saying before you say it.
didn’t mean to upset anybody, but we all have our own likes & dislikes. after a six pack, she’s not so ugly, but now she has a “nice personality”
12,000 miles = 48,000 trips through the traps :) Stunning car
That would be 24,000 trips down the strip, you also have to get from the end of the track back to the pits.
Beautiful car, excellent choice in color, the choice of a bench seat and in Plymouth”s and Dodge’s of those years prefer the torqueflite over the 4 speed. As far as it gets from “butt ugly” but that’s why so many designs and styles were offered because of varying tastes of the consumer.
Reminds me of this car, one of the most famous I’m Woodward Avenue:
https://www.dodgegarage.com/news/article/heritage/2019/09/the-king-of-woodward.html
Wickedly fast….
Cool article. Love that body style and the details.
You must mean Jimmy Addison’s “Silver Bullet”!
Odd, I like the formal roof line better …
Loved the Big Mopars. One favorite was a Dodge that ran on long Island New York. It had an aluminum front end and was called Alcoa Presents. I wonder what happened to it?.
Phillips screws on the VIN tag? Was that a thing in 65?
YES Geoff, at MOPAR it was.
Gorgeous car, one that truly stands out in its own merits.
Steve R
Cool car,but not as cool as the “Silver Bullet ” article linked by Joseph !
My dream Plymouth. Now if we sold our house…..
I loved this particular car, only of course, with the HEMI.
Really sharp looker!
Who bought the 57 models equipped with the slushbox???
This car was built for ONE TRANSMISSION ONLY!
The one that includes 3 pedals.
My friend had one back in the day…we terrorized the neighborhood.
OK??
I am a longtime MOPAR GUY.
I have to ask THE QUESTION.
Who were those 57 people that ordered this fabulous vehicle with a SLUSHBOX???
And no, having a bench seat is no excuse! You could make it work.
This slick looking compact was meant for one engine only: the 426 fire-breathing HEMI AND
one transmission ONLY ; the one that came with the extra foot pedal.
Just curious. No where in the eBay ad does it say the car is a 426 Hemi, TorqueFlite. In fact the ad title says 440 383 440. What does that even mean? Pictures sure show it is, but really.
The VIN does. So does the paperwork shown in the add.
Steve R
Bob S. I copied and pasted this from the EBAY ad for you,
1966 Plymouth Belvedere
1966 Plymouth Belvedere 1- 426 HEMI auto., AA1 Silver, 12k miles #’s matching
Mopar Dodge Chrysler Musclecar Rare 440 383 340
second line says 426 HEMI,
You’re Welcome
Well, I’m on Ebay right now and I’m presented with different information. Maybe because I’m on an Android phone.
Thank you.
The beginnings of the legendary early street Hemi right there. The plainness is wicked, the cool wheels complete the street racer vibe. For me anyways, the real Mopars were from these years, going back to ’63. Road Runners, Chargers, E bodies, are a different breed to me,,, they look the part regardless of powertrain, especially with wild paint colors but this ’66 or maybe better, a ’63 Fury 2 door, are just Plain Jane evil…with the right engine course. Enjoy!!
Totally awesome rig.
Definitely drool-worthy.
I love those rims, and I love the whole setup.
Personally I would prefer the stick, but you really can’t argue with the 727, right?
Too rich for my blood. In fact, unless I had unlimited funds I’d prefer the same body style with a lesser engine.
The undercarriage pic shows an automatic transmission. But you state it is a four speed. Is this the same car you are advertising?
Actually, Satellite came along before 1970 – it came out in 1965 and demoted the Belvedere to the bottom of the B body line
You must mean Jimmy Addison’s “Silver Bullet”!
Yes.
Honey can we sell the house?