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29k Mile Survivor: 1960 Plymouth Belvedere

When Chrysler rolled out their “Forward Look” models for 1957, the sales slogan was “Suddenly, It’s 1960!” Then 1960 came along and what were they to do for an encore? Compared to their then-recent predecessors, the 1960 full-size Plymouths looked a bit awkward, with tailfins that (thankfully) were reaching their pinnacle. Even with the hype of new unibody construction, sales were off and the only thing that saved Plymouth for the next couple of years was the new compact Valiant. Here’s one such car, a 1960 Plymouth Belvedere, which looks to be a nicely preserved survivor. From a garage in Kendall, Wisconsin, the car is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $10,000 OBO.

Plymouth’s Belvedere was a member of the Chrysler catwalk from 1954 to 1970. First a full-size, top-of-the-line car, it turned over those responsibilities to the Fury and would later serve as part of Plymouth’s intermediate-sized automobiles. As stated, unit-body construction was touted as a major selling point, although it didn’t help with showroom traffic and Plymouth slid to third place in sales behind Rambler (!) for 1960. Total division output was 447,000 cars, but 43% of that was the new Valiant. Thanks, AllPar, for having details on all things Plymouth!

The 1960 Belvedere, like the seller’s car, was the mid-trim level for that year, sandwiched between the Savoy and Fury. Four-door sedans, again like the seller’s, were what buyers ordered most, at 42,000 units. This car is said to have just 29,000 miles on it; though not documented, the odometer reflects that reading, and the rest of the car looks good enough for that not to have turned over. These cars were prone to rust, but there’s no evidence of that here. The body is straight and clean, the chrome shines, the glass clear and the beige paint is quite presentable. It has the look of a car that someone bought but seldom used.

Under the hoods resides a 225 Slant-Six engine and 1960 would be the first year it was offered. That motor replaced the flathead-six that Chrysler had used forever before that. The 225 would go one to be one on the most rugged and reliable engines that any carmaker ever built. We’re not told if the car runs, but it looks as though the carburetor may have to toy with and the air cleaner is missing. The car is equipped with that “gee-whizz” push-button automatic transmission that Chrysler was smitten within those days. We’re told the car needs “very little” to be a driver, but only brakes are mentioned as being in the way from that happening.

We don’t see much of the interior, which is a shame because what little we do see looks good. The seller said he’s listing the car for a friend, so who knows how negotiations would go since the asking price is OBO. Hagerty thinks the resale value on these cars is between $5,700 and $17,100, depending on the condition. Since the seller’s friend’s car seems to be at least as nice as mid-range, it shouldn’t take crazy money to buy this car. For a first-time collector who wants to hit a few car shows, this one would likely draw its fair share of attention.

Comments

  1. Avatar FordGuy1972 Member

    A nice sedan apparently in good shape cosmetically. I don’t know if the seller will get $10k, though; especially since it’s not road worthy. It doesn’t have a V8 either and though the slant six is a good motor, it’s probably going to be working hard to move such a big car. I think it will go for less money as more dollars will definitely be needed to get it back on the road. On the other hand, this is a pretty good candidate for a V8 swap.

    Like 9
    • Avatar Ben Deutschman

      Our Savoy has done quite well getting on down the road with the 225 Slant-Six it, for all 60 years our family has owned the car.
      https://www.1960plymouthsavoy.com

      Like 5
    • Avatar Bob C.

      Don’t be fooled by the size. These cars were a lot lighter than they appear.

      Like 1
  2. Avatar Rex Kahrs Member

    Like a lot of people, we have a living room we don’t really use. I’d park this baby in my living room.

    Like 7
  3. Avatar alphasud Member

    Wow, look at those fins! Like another poster mentioned in the Challanger convertible listing they put slants in everything! I’m now a believer and agree that’s got to be one slow ride to church on Sunday.

    Like 5
  4. HoA Howard A Member

    Ward Cleaver drove a ’60 Plymouth. Fins went out with a bang with these cars, although, GM milked them a few more years.
    https://www.imcdb.org/v144084.html

    Like 9
    • Avatar Mountainwoodie

      These cars look better in two tone imho. Ward knew. On a side note, Hugh Beaumont played a number of interesting parts in forties film noirs……….kinda funny when you consider what he is remembered for.

      Being a ssssix banger and such a boring color AND a sedan I think it is priced optimistically.

      Like 6
      • Avatar scott thompson

        Hugh Beaumont was also an ordained Presbyterian Minister.

        Like 2
    • Avatar Gary Katz

      The detective series Peter Gunn had Peter driving a new Plymouth convertible every season. His Fury ragtop was babyblue and I fell in love with the ’57 ever since.

      Like 8
  5. Avatar Will Fox

    I could probably believe the 29K miles on this one. These were rust buckets, and work-horses that got daily duty. How this one escaped that is anyone’s guess. Probably owned by some old lady. Wish we could see the interior; that would be a better indicator of how honest that mileage claim is. But $10K? This guy needs to tell his “friend” he’s selling this for he’s too high. Not even a 318, just the 225 slant six. This is more taxi-cab issue than anything else.

    Like 3
    • HoA Howard A Member

      They had dismal build quality too. My late uncle had a late 50’s Plymouth, before he went with Pontiac, and I remember him telling us not to sit by the door, as they would pop open on big bumps.

      Like 2
  6. Avatar K. R. V.

    That car is the spitting image of my uncle Freddys car we all called The Clunker. This back in the mid sixties. Uncle Fred was a great guy with a great sense of humor. With a fantastic wife that had one son, my cousin. Fred was a hard working man, that spent his entire life working in one place as an accomplished Tool Maker! Very talented man, that was equally as simple and happy as talented. But The Clunker was just a few years old, but he was happy with it! Even though his brothers an sisters all had nicer cars he was fine with his 1960 Fury Sedan.

    Like 4
  7. Avatar ramblergarage

    Thanks for setting the record straight. Many people refuse to believe that Rambler was indeed the 3 selling car at one time,

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Mike

    I wonder if those enormous fins caused problems in crosswinds.

    Like 3
  9. Avatar Johnny

    I remeber two of my neighbors haing these cars. One was solid black and one was green and white top. With some gold trim down the side and a 45 record player where the glove box was. Anyone remeber them.? When I got out of the army in 72. I went to work at the Chrysler dealership. They had a new gray Dodge Charger with a slant six and it barely had power to get the car going up the hill out of town. I couldn,t believe a Charger with a six banger. The price is too high and I would like to see the interior. I,d drop a 318 in it and drive it in the spring to fall months.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Ben T.Spanner

    My Father’s plan was to buy a new convertible every two years and keep it four. We had a 1958 Plymouth convertible. When he saw pictures of the 1960 Plymouth, he went with a Plymouth sized 1960 Dodge Dart Phoenix convertible.
    The build quality of the 1958 was ok. The 1960 was terrible including mis-wired turn signals which flashed on the right side in the front, and the left side in the rear. My first car was a 1957 Dodge which had better build quality then either.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar Austin Peterson

    The V8 will bolt in place of the Slant six, however, the holes in the chassis were offset for the slant six ever so slightly and your gearbox will protest. I bought a 66 fury from a neighbor years ago thinking it was an 8 with a thick muffler only to find a slant 6 under there. True, the 70s slant six were lower performance.

    Like 1

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