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.
Don’t underestimate that 225 in a full-size: back in ’68 for $200 my dad scored a 31k mile ’61 Savoy 4 door with a 3spd and it would reach an indicated 105 with a family of 5 on board . . . pricing seems quite rich for this model.
1961 would be the last year of the 2 speed Powerflite transmission, which I think this would have if I were a betting man.
This is the very definition of a “survivor.” Unfortunately, it’s priced at least $10,000 over a concours restored example. Good luck to the seller. By my estimate, he’s got it listed at around 3 times its market value.
Exner’s last interesting Mopar..I call it “beautiful ugly” as i really like it for it’s weirdness.He had a love of floating headlights and taillights,these taillights have that floating look and are really cool.And the front end styling makes it look like it’s staring at Christine with disapproval :D
Good description ThunderRob: “beautiful ugly.”
This is a prime example of a seller confusing rare with valuable.
The seller says it’s “family owned since new”. What I’d want to know, is he part of the family or a flipper looking for a quick buck that skipped registering it in his name.
Steve R
“There’s a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyns broken out in fights”,,,I was just a kid, and since the show was in black and white, I never knew the actual car was red. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was a “folly”, that was reserved for Rambler, no, no, it’s okay, I’ve made peace with that, or any number of up and coming clumsy foreign jobs, early 60s Plymouths were actually really good cars. They seemed to address poor assembly of the late 50s, and I actually like the styling. The Slanty, was new for 1960 across the board, and didn’t take long, what an improvement it was over the flattie, and by ’61 when coupled to the Torqueflite, was an instant hit with the city crowd. Numbers aren’t available how many were 6s, but I remember many full size Plymouths with a Slanty, they were great motors/transmissions, just the best. Little pricey, but what a neat find. If the highly scripted show Pawn Stars has taught us anything, people come in asking $100,000, and walk out with $400, so we never know what these actually sell for.
You beat me to it! In filming the show the cars were painted red so people would not mistake them for real police cars, the difference not being noticeable to the TV audience in black and white.
For the youngsters out there we are referring to the early 1960s police comedy show “Car 54, Where Are You?” which was filmed on the streets of the Bronx. 1961 and 1962 Mopars are the featured vehicles. (I was watching it just yesterday.)
The one being offered here looks real nice – but not $33,000 nice.
I love these and I own one too: a 61 four door V8 Belvedere. This is a $10K car as demonstrated in the David Freiburger sale, just two weeks ago. Same model, same engine, Californian, same color and the same original family own condition.
Freiburger’s was a 4 door..
unibody didn’t start till 1962
Incorrect. The first unibody Plymouths were the 1960 models.
In 1960, ALL Chrysler products were unibody except the Imperial, which got it in 1967.
Thought it might have been the Freiburger car at first, buyer doing a flip. But David’s car was a 4 door, no heater, the colors are same with a slant 6, he sold it for $10K. Don’t see how this 2 door is worth $20K more.
That’s the first thing I thought of!
People are out of their f n’ minds with the prices these days as are the buyers. I love these ugly things but dayam
The asking price is ridiculous.
PETTY CLONE material !
32975 ? Ummm no no no no! Living in the twilight zone?! Peace glwts you’re gonna need it.
near ride but not that neat at 33k. i see 12k at best. the market for this car is very small and shrinking
I don’t leave comments generally, but this car hits home.
In 1964 I purchased 1961 tx State Trooper’s 2 door savoy coupe for $ 380.00
It was equipped with a 413ci 375 hp, 3 on the tree, and most interesting was the 1.5 gears. I could pull 95 in second gear, it was awesome. I took it and raced many cars on and off the street, not with that gear or transmission. Wish I had it back. Not sure what I would do with it at my age, but
I’d fun.
Thanks for allowing me to share, I love reading all youalls comments.
There wasn’t a close-by Plymouth dealer in my area in those days and in ’61 I was four years old. I agree with a previous commenter, beautifully ugly car. I’m not fond of the front but do like the styling anyway. Best of all, it’s not a dreaded hardtop, and it’s got perhaps the best engine ever made, right up there with the bullet proof Ford pickup 300 straight 6. I’ve only ever owned one Chrysler product. Well, two… 1940 DeSoto S7 Deluxe sedan and my current behemoth ’01 Ram commercial 3500 (11,000 GVWR) dually. I sold the car last year, it’s in England UK now. I love driving the dually but with its V10 and 5 speed gets lousy MPG and the gearing sucks when pulling a heavy trailer. Funny thing when I bought it in ’05 it had 130K miles my friends were like, “holy crap, high miles!” 21 years later w/180K, “holy crap, low miles!” I was unpleasantly surprised once while heading to vend at the world’s largest vintage motorcycle swap meet in Davenport, IA. The dreaded Iowa DOT busted me for too much weight on a trailer w/o brakes. That, and no CDL. So, I don’t drive it much and no, never got a CDL.
that slow as stink slant 6 did NOT help anything .. no wonder they couldnt give them away back then .
I’ll add another story regarding the old very reliable slant six. When my wife started dating, 1963, her mom bought a demo Plymouth Valiant with a slant 6.
The car could not of weighted 1800 pounds, but it would leave rubber in all 3 gears. It was really fun to drive. Also, came w/o a radio which we immediately put one in! Gotta have tunes…lol
This design was only offered for one year…I can see why.
Whenever I see these cars, it reminds me of my favorite childhood car movie called “Hot Rods to Hell”. They used a ’61 Plymouth as the boring family sedan getting chased by hooligans in hot rods across the desert. Great flick! https://demaras.com/2024/11/22/hot-rods-to-hell-1968/
You couldn’t give them away as used cars, and they were crushed by the thousands. Today, everybody seems to love them – that includes me. I love the “Moth that ate Tokyo” look. On the plus side are the two-door body style, the TorqueFlite 3-speed transmission (5 push buttons), the new seats [$3,000 to replace], and the windshield without cracks [$1,000 to replace]. On the downside, the car has the 145 hp slant six, power nothing, and the, well, “crusty” looking rocker panel on the driver’s side (picture #9). Price guide positions this Plymouth between $7,200 and $10,000 USD. The seller might think “That’s all well and good, but find another one.”
Love this line Russ.
“From the front, the Savoy and Fury looked like escapees from a B-grade science fiction movie, akin to a giant insect.”
Slant 6’s were great motors. If you knew what you were doing and had a stick shift they could be hustled along quite nicely. Mine was with a 3 on the tree in a 67 Belvedere body. Miss that old boat and the 6.
This Savoy is very pricy though.
Forgot to mention that the Belvedere body was a wagon, heavy.
The looks of these are so weird that I actually like them. Interior looks really nice and it appears that some NOS materials were used to redo it. The slant 6 was a great engine and reliable as anything. Overall looks like a nice original clean Plymouth, but I think that price is waaaay over from what it’s current market value would bring.