One look at the enormous hood scoop suggests there might be more to this 1967 Plymouth Belvedere than meets the eye. Thankfully, looks aren’t deceptive because lurking below the sleek panels and sparkling paint is a Hemi that promises exhilarating performance. Its presentation is hard to fault, making it ideal for an enthusiast seeking a turnkey classic with genuine muscle credentials. The Plymouth is listed here on Craigslist in Hudson, New Hampshire. The seller set their price at $75,000, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Mitchell G. for spotting this beautiful Belvedere.
Plymouth updated the styling of its existing Belvedere range in 1965 to provide a fresh and clean appearance. However, with its dimensions unchanged, it remained the company’s intermediate offering. It remained little changed during the subsequent two years before being replaced by a new model with more pronounced Coke-bottle styling in 1968. Our feature car rolled off the line in 1967 and is a frame-off custom build finished in dazzling Silver. The seller only supplies two exterior shots, which is disappointing for a car of this caliber. They paint a positive picture, displaying sparkling paint and laser-straight panels. It is unclear when the build occurred, but the overall presentation suggests it hasn’t seen much action since the process ended. There are no visible paint or panel defects or signs or mention of rust. The chrome sparkles nicely, and the glass is crystal clear. The vintage Cragar wheels aren’t original but are period-correct for this classic. The builder created this Belvedere as a tribute to the legendary “Silver Bullet” 1967 Plymouth Belvedere GTX that prowled the Detroit streets during the late 1960s. Thankfully, they elected to give it the muscle to do that car justice.
Ironically, the GTX known as the “Silver Bullet” started life as a Medium Blue Chrysler test mule. The company wanted to establish its muscle credentials on the street, creating a Hemi-powered street racer. This Belvedere pays homage to that legend, with its engine bay housing a Hemi powerplant. This motor looks like a typical street Hemi with the iconic chrome air cleaner and “426” decals, but don’t be fooled because this engine is anything but average. It features an OEM-style dual-quad setup that feeds air and fuel to a 582ci monster built by Indy Cylinder Head in Xenia, Ohio. Its specifications are unclear, but it is fair to expect that it churns out more than the 425hp and 490 ft/lbs of torque buyers received from the factory. There is no point in having mountains of power if the car can’t effectively apply it to the tarmac. Therefore, the creator equipped this classic with an A833 four-speed manual transmission, a 4.10 Dana 60 Posi rear end, and “Drag Pack” suspension upgrades similar to those used on the original “Silver Bullet.” There were never any official figures confirming how fast that car was beyond a claimed 10-second pass on the street, but this one might be a close match. This Belvedere hasn’t undergone the weight-saving process Chrysler performed on the “Silver Bullet” with its fiberglass panels. Still, modern engineering techniques suggest its Hemi may produce more power than the 487ci monster that occupied the “Silver Bullet’s” engine bay. Disappointingly, the lack of information supplied by the seller extends to the car’s mechanical health. However, the indication is that it should be a turnkey proposition.
This Belvere’s interior continues the custom touches, and apart from a factory radio, the focus was on spotless presentation and outright performance. The original seats have made way for lighter Super Street-style buckets trimmed in Red vinyl. The painted surfaces and carpet share a similar shade, while the driver monitors the Hemi’s health via a set of AutoMeter gauges mounted in a custom aluminum fascia. The leather sports wheel should feel excellent and purposeful in the driver’s hands, and the pistol grip shifter ensures accurate cog swapping. As with the rest of the car, there is nothing inside this car worth criticizing. Its presentation is excellent, ensuring it gains positive comments from knowledgeable enthusiasts wherever it goes.
This 1967 Plymouth Belvedere appears to be a worthy tribute to the 1967 GTX “Silver Bullet,” with performance that should satisfy most enthusiasts. It seems to need nothing and would be ideal for someone seeking a “plug and play” classic. Placing a value on any custom build is challenging, but this Plymouth serves us a curve ball. The seller claims it previously sold at a Mecum auction for $125,000, but I cannot verify this. However, I did locate a successful sale via that company in 2019, with the listing indicating the hammer fell at $49,500. Nearly five years have passed since that day, but do you consider that is sufficient time to justify the seller’s higher figure? It will be fascinating to gauge your opinions.
I have a buddy who has a black one. He calls it “Aunt Bea”
Nice looking car. However, a seller who describes a car that does not have a frame as a “frame off restoration” loses some credibility. Also, I hope Indy Cylinder Head did a better job building this hemi than they did on the one they built for me (at a cost of about $25k), which had to be completely disassembled and rebuilt by a real engine builder after one dyno pull.
Yikes. Good machine shops and quality parts all in short, short supply nowadays. I’m very afraid that once the older generation guys that are really good at their craft either retire or pass, good quality machinists and builders will have multi-year wait times for engine builds. It’s bad now (just try finding a quality machine shop near you!) and I certainly don’t see it getting any better. Sorry that happened to your engine, Will. Sucks some shops don’t have the pride that many of the old school guys had when their name and reputation meant something
Your comment sums it up perfectly, and not just for machine shops and engine builders! I was warned about Indy, but I just couldn’t believe they could be in business that long if they were really that bad. I should have listened. When the engine was torn down, the amount of dirt and crud in there was unbelievable. I have rebuilt 20-year old lawn mower engines that were much cleaner.
Terrible what a mess whoever “customized” it made of this car. And then they have the guts to ask for that kind of money???
Waah,waaahh ! Why beat on this guys build, it’s a very tribute !! I guess cry babys have to have their say, get a life !!
How mature
Just cover the motor w a blanket when your not working on it. My goodness sorry to hear about that Will, and i wonder if they offered any refund ?
Unfortunately, this went way beyond a little stray dirt from the shop. Some of the oil control rings and lands looked like someone had packed them full of gunk/grease like a wheel bearing. No offer of a refund, or any acknowledgement of any deficiency on their part–just the standard response that they do really good work, etc. Indy has been sold since then, but it is my understanding that the guys building the engines are still the same.
No reason for more HP, it was fine as original.
Never a reason needed for more HP!
“No reason for more HP”? I’m not familiar with that concept.
Me neather Will. Wife loves her Mini Cooper S turbo grocery getter.
It’s on Craig’s List ….buyer beware!!!!
What’s wrong with craigslist?
I’ve been buying and selling (2 cars and assorted other things) for years. Very few issues, one I’ve had is over the years I’ve found/bought 4 German Shepherds but my ads to sell pups are getting flagged now.
I bought/sold on ebay for years but after getting burned as a buyer and a seller while costs steadily rase, I quit ebay for the most part. A couple of years ago I bought some American Racing wheels that a friend could make the purchase/pickup.
I like it. If it wasn’t built for fun what do you do with a plain jane type of car. Creative people build cars like this. Only problem these days is the lack of talent overall that’s left building something like this to a talented few. Folks say you shouldn’t do things like on this car. I say, with millions of average cars like this one, why not?
The Minis are fun! My philosophy has always been to go with the best engine available in whatever you’re driving. Heck, my 2018 Honda Accord with the little 2.0 liter turbo engine runs a 14.1 quarter mile at 103 mph (and will give me 45+ mpg if I keep my foot out of it). As Carroll Shelby is reputed to have said, “There’s no such thing as too much horsepower–just not enough traction.”
Waah,waaahh ! Why beat on this guys build, it’s a very nice tribute !! I guess cry babys have to have their say, get a life !!
Only good for the drag strip and showing off to pop bellied old timers at car shows. Not much else it is good for. I don’t think it is investment grade as far as resale or value growth. I hope this guy did his own work because if he thinks he is going to make a profit otherwise, nope. He is underwater and gasping for air.
Pot bellied.
Not a fan of AutoMeter gauges.
I see my pot bellied comment ended up as pop bellied. Senility is a cruel mistress. Just read the Craigslist ad. He says it sold for 125K at a big auction house, yet he is asking 75K. ????? Stolen? Fraud? Is he the fool who paid 125K? It sure would be fun to rummage around the inside of this guys brain to see what is the true story. Perhaps the lesson to be learned here is that the old car market is a dangerous place to be for us Average Joes. A cautionary tale told around smokey campfires at night to scare people.
Cool car – I am one who likes a nicely built “average car” as much as a preserved OEM “performance model” (i.e., Corvette, Z-28, Mach 1, T/A, SS, etc.) However, this sales pitch is odd. In the listing, the owner says the engine is a 426 Hemi, and we have to go to the info in a photo to see it is actually a custom built, even bigger engine ? Claims it sold for $125,000 at Mecum, but research shows it sold for $49,500 ? I guess the seller didn’t realize you can search Mecum’s prior sales. The $49,500 would be a decent price for the car, for the guy or gal who really loves it. Maybe you or Dad or Grandpa had a Belvedere back then and this connects you to those days. You couldn’t build it from a stock survivor for $50,000 in today’s world. This seller should probably get checked for “Barrett Jackson/Mecum Fever” and accept they probably paid top of the market for the car, and subject to the other comments questioning the quality of the engine due to prior experience with the engine builder, list it somewhere like BarnFinds or a Mopar enthusiast site at a more reasonable asking price and wait for that person who would love it more than them. I doubt there is anyone who is going to love it $75,000 worth, but you never know.
Had a 66 Satellite with the Hemi and 727 auto as a teenager. Got me in so much trouble I could only get liability insurance. It was fast. Ask an old speed shop mechanic to help me set the timing and he told me to throw away the timing light and set it just where it didn’t clatter. That always seemed to work.
A couple of months ago, I bought an MSD box off craigslist. The box was on a work bench next to a car under a cover.
What’s under the cover?
A factory lightweight Hemi!
He partially uncovered it and told me about the aluminum and fiberglass factory parts.
It looked like this barn find.
He no longer races it and races something else.
We both were short on time.
The vin RL21b77104339 shows it was originally a slant 6