Well, this ain’t no Christine, that’s fo’ sho’! But being a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere that has managed to survive 68 long years is an impressive enough feat. Chevies and Fords from this era are still pretty plentiful, but a Plymouth? Not so much so! And that 1983 movie, referenced earlier, didn’t help matters, as something like 24 were destroyed during its production. This car was intended for a Christine makeover, but it never came to fruition, and now the seller wishes to part with it. Awaiting its next adventure in Bluffton, Indiana, this Belvedere is available on eBay with a current bid of $13,500, with two bids so far.
While Christine was supposed to be a V8-powered, top-shelf Fury, lesser Belveders such as this two-door hardtop were part of the movie’s cast. This car, which could have been a film extra, is one of 36K assembled in ’58, and these are conspicuous cars! Their proportions remind me of 1940’s pinup posters – everything just seems exaggerated. Besides the obvious faux pas, there’s a lot of rust that looks like it has been rattle-canned over. The extensive trim is all still in place, but the chrome plating is extremely thin. The seller adds, “has a hole in the floor pan under gas pedal, and trunk is rotted out along with the gas tank. I was gonna weld in a new floor panel and use a box tank for gas fix the brakes, and drive it to the shows in the raw the bumper ends are new fiberglass that I was making to look old and rusty. I have all 4, and the paint is half done was using paint cans and sandpaper to get the old red paint look …”
Actually, the big surprise here is this car’s “two-face” identity; get a load of the passenger side. I noticed the black hood at first, but wasn’t expecting to find that more than half the car was so finished. The right-hand side images further document this Belvedere’s deteriorated condition.
The interior is about what one would expect. It’s pretty well trashed and disorganized. The upholstery is destroyed, the rear package shelf is gone, and the dash pad looks like it had a run-in with Jack the Ripper. The damaged driver’s side footwell and its poorly patched repair are obvious. The instrument panel, however, looks OK.
No dual-carb V8 here, just a 132 gross HP, 230 CI “Powerflow” inline flathead six that does actually run. The seller states, “I got it running, and it will drive with the complete front disc brake kit installed that’s included in the sale.” I have to admit I didn’t realize that Plymouth was still building a flathead engine as late as ’58. A three-on-the-tree manually shifted gearbox is what’s sitting behind the six.
The seller concludes with, “You can finish it this way and start having tons of attention and fun, or spend big $$$ and restore it to perfection ….either way, this is an awesome project, I just don’t have the time to finish it. My loss your gain !!” It seems that the whole Christine thing has been done to death, kind of like the ’68 “Bullit” Mustang. Then again, that mention of “big $$$ to restore it to perfection” is hardly an understatement – it will be pricey! So, what do you think? What would you do with this Belvedere if it landed in your lap?
I briefly had a four door version of this long, long ago. Same flathead and three gear manual. Took an 800 mile round trip to Denver with a buddy with it. Got stopped outside Cheyenne by an HP that saw the missing trunk lock. “That’s a sign of a stolen car mister” he said to the fresh faced teenager behind the wheel. He also observed a full case of brew from Golden in the back seat. “Not to drink till we get home sir” the same driver offered, mostly telling the truth. “Alright boys, I want you to put that in the trunk and leave it till you get home, you got it?” And that’s what we did…mostly.
Incredibly simple and rugged car, but s-l-o-w of course. They really were rust prone, especially if you lived in salty areas.
I was never into the Christine thing, a ‘possessed’ car boring teen horror flick, and the replica car has been a worn out cliche for a long time.
Honestly, does anyone under the age of 60 even remember the movie Christine? It’s like a VW with the number 53 on the door…who cares?
But these finned Exner Mopars seem to command solid money even still, so they will probably remain out of my reach for the foreseeable future.
Got a couple of these. Needs the 318/350 or 361 from 1958. Some, 12 or so came with Electrojector (Bendix I believe) Fuel injection using 2 2 barrel throttle bodies. (still looking for an intake) These go for the most money. Fenders can be had either in fiberglass or fixed up 1957 units. Marc.