Looking tough is hard when you’re wearing some kind of kids’ giant watermelon-looking inflatable toy as a hat. Luckily, this 1966 Plymouth Belvedere in North Augusta, South Carolina doesn’t have to look intimidating; its 440 cubic inch mill can do the talking. Mechanically silent today, the motor-swapped mid-sized hardtop “ran when parked,” and comes to market here on eBay where at least nine bidders have raised the value of this long-parked Plymouth above $6000 without meeting the seller’s Reserve.
Chrysler didn’t drop a factory 440 in the Belvedere / Satellite or its Dodge Coronet companion until 1967, so the 383 and the mighty 426 “Elephant” Hemi’ would have topped the charts for this ride in ’66. I owned a 1966 Dodge Coronet that I hoped to run in the Silver State Classic Challenge some 20+ years ago, a dream snuffed out by limited vacation time and a shortage of disposable income. This car has one key advantage over my Dodge for racing across Nevada, however: air conditioning.
“Belvedere,” Italian for “beautiful sight,” calls to mind aristocractic architecture and narrow European switchbacks, exactly what I would avoid when piloting a giant overpowered family car with cartoon-like body roll. Still, for a weekend cruise and an occasional ten-foot burnout, old Bessie here will do the trick. Interestingly, the car sports what looks like an original air conditioning dashboard AND an under-dash dealer-installed looking AC unit.
The reported Georgia car shows a little rust at the lower corners of the back glass, but otherwise looks pretty solid. Like many Goober-state classics, this one comes with no title, only a Bill of Sale. I’d call that at least a $500 penalty, but it may seem less problematic for someone who has navigated that path before. A no-frills original 318 car won’t bring muscle car money, but it could certainly flex some muscle on the street. Even a 225 HP 440 from mid-’70s could be built into a monster, and any 440 will fry the tires with a stab of throttle, 80 cents worth of gas, and an evil snicker. Call me a buyer at $4800, locking me out before my gears could turn. How would you rate this potentially powerful Plymouth?
I absolutely LOVE the ’66-’67 years of these!
And BTW, what kind of hat is it wearing?
A slice of watermelon 🍉😅
Does the snazzy beret come with the car?
What is “nsbp”?
ummm….never smoke bad pot ?
Non-breaking space. “When used correctly in HTML code, the NBSP character isn’t actually displayed in the web browser—it’s rendered as a blank space. Sometimes, though, certain apps don’t properly parse the HTML, so the text on a web page might show extra bits of HTML code.” https://www.thoughtco.com/what-does-nbsp-mean-4691029
Thanks Todd. I liked the other guy’s answer, but……:)
It’s kinda odd that the dash seems to have factory AC vents, and then there’s an aftermarket evaporator mounted as well.
I suspect that the evaporator in the factory unit developed a leak and they took the easy and cheaper way out by putting that under dash unit in. I don’t want the car but if I did and bought it I’d plan on repairing it correctly. If the current owner got a title when he bought the car he can get a replacement, which is what I would do if it were me. It would be a neat car to have when restored.
This car reminds me of a long time friends ’66 Belvedere II his was a Hp2 Hemi 4 speed. Botchagalupe found his sitting in the bushes behind a house where he was investigating a high water bill, the motor was out , pulled many many years ago & sent to a speed shop for a rebuild into a drag racing configuration. He lucked out in that the shop still had the motor sitting there completed and waiting for the original owner to pick it up, he never did, life, marriage, jobs, kids got in the way. Old Botch made out. He reluctantly had to sell the car when he got married and needed to buy a house ETC. His was Red with a Black interior.