The styling of Plymouth’s 1961 full-size automobiles wasn’t well received. Even though designer Virgil Exner had a hit with the “Forward Look” cars of the late 1950s, that glory would not follow the 1960-61 Plymouths. The seller’s one family ’61 Savoy was the entry-level model that year, and it looks to have survived nicely over sixty-five clicks of the calendar. If you like simple cars that reflect a bygone era, maybe this Mopar is for you. Located in Ventura, California, this wild-looking Plymouth is available here on craigslist for $32,975. Many thanks for the tip, “Kendra”!
Plymouth and Dodge redesigned their full-size automobiles in 1960, switching to unibody construction. At Plymouth, tailfins reached an all-time high, but it would be for the last time. Styling was once again scrapped in 1961, but on the same platform where all the metal below the windows was new. From the front, the Savoy and Fury looked like escapees from a B-grade science fiction movie, akin to a giant insect. Plymouth fell to seventh in domestic sales, including 18,700 Savoy pillared coupes and 44,900 4-door sedans.
This Savoy has Chrysler’s basic but dependable 225 cubic inch “Slant-Six”. It’s paired with a push-button automatic transmission, which was used from the 1950s through 1964. The odometer reads less than 90,000 miles with no mention of either having required any major work over the years. This machine has been in the same family since new, presumably passed down from one generation to another.
We’re told the car runs and drives and comes with a collection of parts (including NOS) that date back 50 years. The body looks good, and the paint is okay (there’s a big scratch on the driver’s side door). The interior looks tidy with no indication of anything needed besides someone new to sit behind the wheel. If you’re a Virgil Exner fan, the design of this car could be the one to look for because they were the least popular and fewer of them remain.
I hope she has at least a 3.55 rear end with that poor over worked 225. Great engine in a Valiant from 1961, here, not so much. Too big of a car, esp with an automatic. Should have been a standard 318 I drove a 225 Fury once, and even with a three on the tree, it was almost undriveable.