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.
Hey, Christine is like Vanishing Point, Two Lane Blacktop, American Graffiti, Gone in 30 Seconds, Bullet and of course the stripe on Starsky’s ride.
Ya’ didn’t have to be there to know about them now.
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.
I think this is possessed. By Father Time.
I’m with Rex, this “Christine” schtick for every ’58 Plymouth is another in the line of, Corvair=Nader, VW=Hitler, and so on. I never even saw the movie, seemed pretty silly to me. I enjoy movies that actually teach me something. For the record, these were absolutely the worst cars to come from Chrysler. My uncle had a 4 door, before his Pontiacs, and we were told not to sit next to a door, as they would pop open on big bumps. Trunk too. I read, demand was so high, the cars came down the line too fast, and many shipped with poor alignment and a “let the dealer handle it” attitude, which they didn’t, and rust, I remember so many of these with the headlights gone or duct taped in place.This one appears to be on it’s way nicely. I’m surprised to even see a fender that wasn’t rusted. Not sure if it was a red and black car, or black and red, and the 6 is an odd choice in a car like this. Old Exnir sure thought outside the box, huh. 2 bids? Suuuuure there is,,,nobody going to want this heap.
You left out Delorean=Back to the Future, Ferrari=Tom Selleck, and Trans Am=Smikey and the Bandit. It gets old, thats for sure.
And the Scooby Doo van
And one of my favorites, the totally humorless, beaten to death Jon/John Voight comments for every Chrysler LeBaron that shows up online. 🙄
🙄🙄🙄🙄 same Ole negativity comments as usual
If it’s Christine,it restores itself..money saved!!!
…and every 64 Fairlane gets turned into a Thunderbolt clone! Enough already! Stop ruining these beautiful cars!!
Yes! 64 Fairlanes are beautiful and nearly all of them get the “Thunderbolt treatment”. Sad!
Christine’s ugly step sister, call the hook take it to the crusher
Got another one: ‘Starsky and Hutch’ Torino. All you needed was that big pointed white stripe on red, that you could literally see a mile away, and you were a local “celebrity.”
Sorry, I wanted my own identity.
i hope this does not become another Christine cloan. there too many as it is. put a hell crate in and have fun.
Or skip this one all together and keep searching for one in better shape.
Steve R
Not for 13k. Needs too much work.
You are correct, but there are already two bids at $13,500, so who knows the end?
$13k – The amusing post for the day?
Actually Chrysler built these flathead sixes until 1960 when they came out with the slant 6 which MOPAR ended up using it in everything in the 60’s and 70’s.. AS for this car the tin worm has gotten the best of it and is probably just a parts car, Unless you are an excellent body man?
Can’t even get through the FIRST SENTENCE without a Christine reference. I owned my 58 Fury for over thirty years and you wouldn’t believe the cornball Christine comments car show bozos would hit me with and then wait for me to laugh. Akin to hollering “Hey Herbie!” at every VW Beetle that drives by. Forward Look Chryslers were beautiful cars and they didn’t deserve to be attached to the stupid poorly written book and even worse movie by that hack Stephen King.
Not only is the answer to your question NO it would be a stronger NO if this wasn’t on a public site.
No one mentioned the 1968 Dodge Charger Dukes of Hazzard. And sometimes the 1970 Cadillac convertible from the same show owned by Boss Hoggs
It was actually a ’69, but yes, I had to deal with enough of that crap when I had my Charger.
You are incorrect and angel is the right one ding ding ding! She wins the prize! The Cadillac in the Dukes of Hazzard was a 1970 not a 69.
Hi TCK,
Nice to hear from you. I think he was referring to “The General Lee” the 1969 Dodge Charger. It was actually my typo. I missed the 9 and hit the 8. I remember it had the split grill, the ’68 didnt.
Thank you and it’s nice to have the honor of you sending me a message even if I am incorrect. I will go stand in the corner now..
@The Cadillac kid
You are incorrect, I was talking about the Charger, not the Cadillac, ding, ding, ding!
My mistake no points for me.
You forgot to read the fine print in the ad. The seller states that he won’t sell to any “s-h-i-t-t-e-r-s”.
Just what the world needs, another movie tribute car! I’m being sarcastic and I certainly would not do such a thing I would restore to original. But it’s pretty trashed. So you would probably end up putting way more into it than it’s worth.
Sold
1958 Plymouth Belvedere1958 Plymouth Belvedere
US $16,100.00