Chrysler was arguably the U.S. styling leader in the late 1950s, but it lost that honor in the early 1960s. In the case of Plymouth, sales dropped year after year from 1960 to 1962, and the appearance of the cars ultimately cost designer Virgil Exner his job. The tailfins were finally gone in 1961, but the front ends looked like “the insect that ate Tokyo”. That being said, the seller’s ’61 Fury convertible is a well-preserved beauty, even if it does have a face only a mother could love. Located in Berne, New York, this low-mileage, two-owner Mopar is available here on Facebook Marketplace for a hefty $49,500.
The 1960-61 full-size Plymouths employed unibody construction for the first time. So, premature rust and low sales are likely why you don’t see many of these machines around anymore compared to Chevies and Fords of the same era. Declining sales meant lower market share for many of Chrysler’s offerings, including the 1961 Fury. But if you think the 1961 Plymouths were a mistake, they missed the mark again in 1962 by downsizing the cars, resulting in a look that even Virgil himself said looked like “plucked chickens”.
Putting all that aside, this red 1961 Fury drop-top may be the nicest one left, one of 6,948 built that year. It has a mere 32,000 miles with one prior owner who was the wife of a former Plymouth dealer executive. So, she must have used the car little and babied it at every opportunity. It was specially ordered as you see it here and has spent 95% of the last 64 years in a garage.
We don’t know if the red paint is original, but the plaid interior is, and it presents as if new. The convertible top (which we don’t get to see in the up position) is said to be new, along with the wide whitewall tires and brakes. It runs and drives well, sporting its factory 318 cubic-inch V8 and pushbutton TorqueFlite tranny. If you’re searching for one of these Mopars, you’re not likely to come out better than this machine, but it will set you back at least “top dollar.” Kudos to T.J. for this “work of art” tip!
The 1st car I remember my parents pulling our camper, was a ’61 Plymouth wagon. Remember, I was just a lad, 6, 7 years old, VERY bimpressionable( War of the Worlds scared the heck out of me) so naturally, that angry looking face left an indelible mark on a young mind. Who knows how I may have turned out if the old man had an AH Bugeye Sprite. It really is an unusual style( imagine what didn’t make the cut?) and probably as far out as it got to a more traditional ’62. On its styling alone, will remain an oddity, “Jeez, grandpa, no wonder your generation was so whacked out, look what you drove”,,,Be that as it may be, Plymouth sold almost 200,000 ’61 Plymouths and the ’61 Dodge, equally has hideous, sold over 270,000 cars, so go figure. The convertible was the 2nd most expensive, at just over $3,100, the wagon at almost $3200 was the most. Almost a grand more than a base Belvedere, this generally wasn’t what people wanted in a ’61 Plymouth. So unusual the front end was, Hollywood had no problem making it the star in Car 54 Where are you?
My 5 siblings and I grew up in the back of a 61 Plymouth wagon, Howard (that pulled our camp trailers too), and I seriously doubt that my mother loved that face either. The way she handled that oblong steering wheel and manual steering was quite impressive though.
All I can say is hell yeah!
Angry cars are not property of today. Someone once said that these are the only car in his collection that looks back at him. That said I find myself picking out individual styling cues and appreciating them. They say time heals. I guess that’s true.
What is it, Infiniti that has a similar grill design? I was shocked at the horrific assault on aesthetics but we can see it had been done decades before too! And then again, BMW has taken a Carol Doda-esque approach to grill design also, so who’s to say style evolves or merely devolves!
I guess one of these days I’m gonna have to stop saying this…if you sellers want top dollar then detail under the hood
The 61 Plymouth full size has always been a favorite of mine, Exners pinnacle of design IMHO, you can see the direct correlation with the XNR, the Mercer Cobra and his Last Bugatti design exercises. As a young man (20 something) there was a 61 Fury with the Sonar Sonic big block with cross rams for sale in San Francisco for $1000. I did not have 2 nickles to rub together at the time so I never bothered to drive the 20 miles to look at it but have lusted after these mad looking cars ever since. I’ve had my fair share of the same vintage Imperials over the years but still pine for a 61 Fury……
unibody mopars started in 1962 for full size cars, the 1961 had a chassis
Sorry Roland–1960 was the year all but the Imperial went unibody. Imperial got it in 1967.
I have loved these since I first saw one in the TV show ‘Crime Story’. But yeah for that money, the engine bay better be well sorted and clean.
I half expected Ward and June Clever to be sitting in this one.
Ward was busy pounding the Bever.
Berne is not far from me, but this isn’t either my style or my money. The 1961 Dodge and Dodge Dart were nicer. But I thought Mopars were UGLY after 1954 (except for the ’55 Dogge — and I HATED “The Forward Look” with those awful fins! “Suddenly…it’s 1960!” went the 1957 Plymouth ads: if that was what 1960 was going to look like, COUNT ME OUT! Ford was not quite sure WHAT to do with the trend, and G.M. was okay, until they went insane in 1959! To me, there were no more hideous cars rhan the late 1950s excessive “space-age” styling! 1953 was a nice year for most makes — except for Chevrolet, Buick, and perhaps one or two others.
Berne is not far from me, but this isn’t either my style or my money. The 1961 Dodge and Dodge Dart were nicer. But I thought Mopars were UGLY after 1954 (except for the ’55 Dodge — and I HATED “The Forward Look” with those awful fins! “Suddenly…it’s 1960!” went the 1957 Plymouth ads: if that was what 1960 was going to look like, COUNT ME OUT! Ford was not quite sure WHAT to do with the trend, and G.M. was okay, until they went insane in 1959! To me, there were no more hideous cars rhan the late 1950s excessive “space-age” styling! 1953 was a nice year for most makes — except for Chevrolet, Buick, and perhaps one or two others.
Berne is not far from me, but this isn’t either my style or my money. The 1961 Dodge and Dodge Dart were nicer. But I thought Mopars were UGLY after 1954 (except for the ’55 Dodge) — and I HATED “The Forward Look” with those awful fins! “Suddenly…it’s 1960!” went the 1957 Plymouth ads: if that was what 1960 was going to look like, COUNT ME OUT! Ford was not quite sure WHAT to do with the trend, and G.M. was okay, until they went insane in 1959! To me, there were no more hideous cars rhan the late 1950s excessive “space-age” styling! 1953 was a nice year for most makes — except for Chevrolet, Buick, and perhaps one or two others.
Berne is not far from me, but this isn’t either my style or my money. The 1961 Dodge and Dodge Dart were nicer, but the ’61 DeSoto was awful! But I thought Mopars were UGLY after 1954 (except for the ’55 Dodge) — and I HATED “The Forward Look” with those awful fins! “Suddenly…it’s 1960!” went the 1957 Plymouth ads: if that was what 1960 was going to look like, COUNT ME OUT! Ford was not quite sure WHAT to do with the trend, and G.M. was okay, until they went insane in 1959! To me, there were no more hideous cars rhan the late 1950s excessive “space-age” styling! 1953 was a nice year for most makes — except for Chevrolet, Buick, and perhaps one or two others.
Got it!
This beauty makes me cry……I had a 61 ragtop in 67..318 with 3 speed and overdrive….and just how many of the 6,000+ built were equipped that way?
Another of my bad decisons to get rid or it in the 70s…..oh well, I did make a few smart ones along the way…
Seller’s remorse is a lifelong affliction. I know.
I believe the ’61 Plymouths helped Rambler to slip into the number 3 spot in sales. Rambler had been coming on strong since about ’58, but they couldn’t hold onto that sales lead for too long. That Fury convertible sure is a rarity. Where are you going to find another like this one?
Back in 1970 I remember my getting white 1961 Plymouth Fury 2dr. Oh wow Dad cool car. Hey it has Buck Roger tail lamps! It had lots of chrome on it. It was a fun car. When me and my brother would sit in the back. The rear windows would come up and over a little. I swear you can get a sun burn back there. Our Mom would put sun tan lotion on our necks so we would not get burn in the summer back there. I also remember the speedometer was a ribbon type. The faster you go the red ribbon fill up the boxes to see how fast you were going. Also loved the steering wheel so cool looking. Also the rear view mirror we had to make sure not to sit in the middle on the back seat so my Dad can see behind him.Glad they moved the mirror up on the windshield. That was a bad design. I wish I had that car today. But some drunken joker plowed into it parked on the street and destroyed it. 😢 Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸
I just remembered under the hood on the valve covers read… Golden Lion. The engine was a v8 and it was fast. It’s hard to remember something that long ago. I would love to have this one for sale. No place to keep it indoors were it belongs for safe keeping. 🐻🇺🇸
It took me 64 years to fall in love with these. I’d proudly drive one of these beauties.
I well remember these cars. In addition to the mirror on the dash, they had a weird steering wheel.
I would crash with that steering wheel……
Is this the model the SGT had on Gomer Pyle that Gomer somehow got the wrecking ball dropped on it?
Due to the condition and rarity of this car I don’t think the price is out of line, I just wish I had the place to keep it and energy to keep it up. Back in 1967 I was looking for a car for my wife to drive. I saw a white with red interior 61 Fury convertible with a “for sale” sign on the windshield, with $350 written on the sign. When I got back to my office I called the number and arranged to meet the seller, and bought it for $300 that same day. Other than the color it was a twin to this car. It ran and drove great, and being a convertible my wife loved it. We enjoyed that car for a few years until we had a house and and a little boy, and decided we should have a station wagon. I sold it for about what I paid for it and never saw it again.
Buy it, and scare the grandkids when you first pull in the driveway.
😂😂😂 That’s a good one Big C!!! 👍
What a car! Exner went all out on the design and the tooling to make this car I’m sure was a loss for Plymouth
looks like Mothra from the godzilla movies that is why I love it. LOL.