Chrysler adopted the “Forward Look” styling for its 1957-59 models. They were futuristic, to say the least; in fact, Plymouth’s advertising slogan was “Suddenly, it’s 1960!” Well, 1960 finally came and what was Plymouth to do next? They kept the big fins for one more year, but structurally they were all-new cars now using unibody construction. This 1960 Plymouth Fury is a beautiful car – at least by George Jetson standards. You couldn’t mistake it on the road – then or now. It’s located in Orland Park, Illinois and available here on eBay where the bidding is sitting at $15,950, but the seller has imposed a reserve that hasn’t been met.
The Fury was part of the Plymouth roster for 35 years. It was normally the top dog in the line-up and captured its fair share of sales. The second-generation only lasted two model years, 1960 and 1961. The ‘60s were the last year for the tailfins, which were removed for ’61 on cars that later became known as “plucked chickens” for their unusual styling. Plymouth sold 186,000 full-size autos in 1960, of which about 65,000 were Fury’s. The survival rate of these cars today is rather low in part to their history of rusting. Thanks to AllPar for their production data.
From the photos provided, it would be hard to knock the seller’s 1960 Plymouth Fury two-door hardtop. The body looks stout and the black paint nice, although we’re told it has some imperfections, so we’re guessing its pretty at 20 feet. One of the coolest features of the car is the simulated continental wheel disk on the trunk lid. I remember them appearing on the big Plymouths as well as the Valiants that came out the same year. The interior has been refreshed with new OEM black and blue upholstery, and the rest looks pretty good, except maybe the steering wheel that has some cracks in it.
The car has just shy of 72,000 miles on it, so we assume the 318 V-8 under the hood is original and runs well. It’s mated to the gee-whiz push-button automatic transmission that Chrysler was fond of in those days. Power steering is there to help move the car along the highways and bi-ways. It has newer brakes, wheel cylinders, and brake lines along with new tires, dual exhaust, and chrome on the front and rear of the bumper.
Hagerty pegs the top end of the price range for these cars to be in the low thirties. With the flaws the seller suggests, how much will it bring? Oh, if you’re interested in this car and are a Barn Finds reader from overseas, the seller says you’ll have to arrange for your own shipping.
I love these ’60 Furys.
Every detail about these cars is impressive. The sheet metal, the chrome, the interiors, all of it. And of course the in-your-face and over-the-top mega-finned styling by the master himself, Virgil Exner.
This example is actually a bit understated with the black paint, as compared to the 300s and Imperials of the same era. These Mopars defined the late 50s without a doubt. Then in an instant it was over, and the Del Vikings were gone and the Beatles ruled…..
Rex and all readers,
The 60’s will never die off or out. They defined the Post-war “baby boom” and a new generation of thought and action; some good, some bad. I am produced to be a product of this important time, and the timeless rides we drove, and now covet! May they drive on forever…
Yeah but nothing will ever take the place of that Hi fi sound
60 years later and people still go Wow! What a car! You bought this car to make a statement in your neighborhood. I think if George Jetson was a real life character this was his ride to Spacely’s Space Sprockets every day.
If there ever was a car that screamed “Hover Conversion” this would be it. Only $59,995!
With Astro in the back seat
I simply love the quirky Chrysler styling of this era, ever since they were featured on Leave it to Beaver. Ward Cleaver drove Plymouths, although, I believe there is only one scene with a ’61 Fury parked in the garage. I agree with alphasud, back then, it was all about out doing your neighbor, unlike today, where it’s better to blend in with a black or silver car. This car, I believe , took the fins to the utmost level. After ’61, they began to shrink. I think the ’64 Mercury and some ’64 GM’s were the last to have tail fins. By ’65, not one American car had tail fins. What a fantastic car, and some folks spend this on an old Harley? Yeah, yeah, I know, they can do what they want with their money, except in the real world, even I’ll admit, here’s your $15 grand worth of vehicle, right here.
Oops, typo, It was the 1960 Plymouth that was only shown once in that show.
Howard A
I believe the 65-72 Caddys still had tail fins albeit long low ones.
Hey now lol don’t be knocking Harley’s they are ( and the Indian ) the only motorcycle that you add to or take away to make it look better and the sound is remarkable! Harley’s rule and that’s a fact jack lol I mean a Howard.
It’s always a trip to compare the over-the-top styling of American cars from 1959-1960 with what those same brands looked like just a few years later. In a blink of an eye, space-age flamboyance changed to squared-off subtlety. A car like this would have looked hopelessly out of touch four years after it was built.
Compare that to today, when manufacturers may change a bumper or wheel design after four years, but keep selling the basic car for double that. Where dailying a 15-to-20 year old car is normal enough to be barely noticed or acknowledged. Times change!
Fin-Tastic!
“George Jetson, your car is ready to pick up”
“Paging Mr. Gunn…Mr. Peter Gunn…Your car is ready!”
He had better taste; he drove a `59 Chrysler New Yorker cvt. after his `58 DeSoto Fireflite cvt.
From certain angles they are stunning, others, not so much. The leading edge of the front fenders, with a cove, just doesn’t work. There is a reason the 61 Impala’s and Bonneville’s are remembered, while this one has faded into relative obscurity.
Steve R
The two you mentioned to me are pretty but boring I remember these more as a kid. The fins just grabbed my attention then and now.
I just saw the one where the Beaver pulled the parking brake and the car, devoid of any safety features whatsoever, rolled out in the street.
When Wally went to rescue him and move the car back into the driveway, Wally got a ticket. Oops. Pretty sure that one was a ’61 Fury tho. There were definitely 1960 models featured on the show.
https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_149155-Plymouth-Fury-1961.html
My eye now sees Virgil Exner’s ’61 Plymouth grill in every newer Lexus with their vaunted “spindle grill” fixation. I think I prefer the original.
As of right now the bid is $20,000 and the reserve has been met with 4 days left.
The swan song of the “Forward Look”. Those “unibodies” were scary flimsy, no wonder they rusted away. The square wheel anticipated the C-8 Vette, there’s nothing new under the sun. Great looking car, even if way over the top.
Actually it was the 57-59 Mopars that were scary flimsy and rusted fast. The 1960 with unibody was like 80% more structurally solid, and the 60’s rusted much less, more primers and paint to protect them. I’m not sure where the author comes up with the rusting problem on these.
Thank you Duaney, I was just going to say the same thing.
Starting in 1960 Chrysler used a seven step dip and spray treatment to prevent rust.
This beast is a beautiful car.
Now does one need an airplane hanger to get those fins covered versus the new modern day garage designed for two Prius cars that barely fit?
I like the color , fins and that oddly shaped steering wheel.
Okay Chrysler/ Plymouth (close enough baby)
B-52’s understanding seating about 20 😂
“If you see a faded sign by the side of the road that says
Fifteen miles to the, love shack, love shack yeah
I’m headin’ down the atlanta highway
Lookin’ for the love getaway
Headed for the love getaway, love getaway
I got me a car, it’s as big as a whale
And we’re headin’ on down to the love shack
I got me a chrysler, it seats about twenty
So hurry up and bring your jukebox money”
I think in the music video, the B-52s used a later, concave-sided Chrysler 300 or Imperial from the 1966-68 timeframe. Now I have that damn song running around my head.
1965 Chrysler Newport convertible, which we have seen a number of times on BF loaded and stripped models.
Rear.
Ugly from every angle, inside and out!
Watch Cold War Motors on YT to see Scott and his agents restoration of his.
That was crazy, fusing the upper part of the Fury to the lower part of a 1960 Dodge sedan.
I’ve heard the Plymouth ‘Suddenly it’s 1960!’ slogan when they introduced their ’57 offerings – wouldn’t that make this one a ’63 then…?
Asking on behalf of a friend…
This is one of those cars with an ‘air’ about it. It makes a statement unlike anything manufactured today. In this timeframe I think I could tell almost any car by it’s profile, unlike today. Today, it looks like all sedans had the same designers. No way can you find a 2 door hardtop today, nor few cars that feel like they want to be driven.
To be able to return several decades when cars were a statement rather than an accessory.
Do I see a C pillar “kink” that BMW always claimed they invented?
Good eye, Arby. The “Hofmeister kink” showed up on BMWs around 1962 I think. It can be found on the 1949 Kaiser Manhattan.
No such car as a 49 Kaiser Manhattan. It would have been a Frazer Manhattan in 1949.
Well OK, I was a couple of years off….the “Hofmeister kink” can be seen on the 1951 Kaiser Manhattan.
Cold war motors on YouTube is restoring a beautiful blue example of one of these , out of three separate cars ! Looks amazing so far 😎
That is just so cool . I have always been a Fury fan . This one in knocked out of the park . I would drive this beauty all day long .
Imagine the size of the garage or driveway for parking it. A lot of the new homes we build now are too lacking in that area, at least here in sunny San Diego.
Amazing and beautiful styling! I’d love to have it!
I live in Southwest Florida. They just built a new section on my old community. They say they are two car garages, and they look ok when the buyer sees them empty, but they won’t hold 2 modern, not so big suv’s.
My Father had an extra large two cr garage in NE Ohio, with hat water and floor drains. Plenty of room for me to wash the cars even in the Winter.
My Father had a 1958 Plymouth convertible. He always had two
convertibles, and bought one every two years. When he saw the 1960 Plymouth, he bought a 1960 Dodge Dart,{same size as the Plymouth), Phoenix convertible.
I have a vintage ad for the ‘60 Plymouth featuring a rear 3/4 view of a Fury convertible with the tag line “Good taste is never extreme”
One of my favorites…..
Very nice car from the windshield back. It would be cool to graft a sleeker, pointier nose onto it, continuing the upper and lower trim
Sounds like you’d like the show car that went splash and sunk upon the Andrea Doria. Had the same roof treatment but no fins. Totally different front doghouse and cantilever roof with no windshield pillars. The Norseman.
I think one really have to embrace the kitschy space-age futurama style to fully appreciate this design – probably with an ironic approach to it too which I doubt was Plymouth’s intention. I’m digging it but probably the ’61 even more – and by saying so I’m sure some will question my sanity.
Oftentimes I’ve wondered why a ’60 or ’61 Plymouth wasn’t picked to play ‘Christine’ – to me they look way more scary than a ’58
Rex and all readers,
The 60’s will never die off or out. They defined the Post-war “baby boom” and a new generation of thought and action; some good, some bad. I am produced to be a product of this important time, and the timeless rides we drove, and now covet! May they drive on forever…
Great car. Wish I had the time, space and money to bid. Bid is up to 20K and reserve must be met. It could be a really good deal for some lucky bidder.
That a space ship Cool
Dang, that didn’t work…..
A friend had a ’64 Fury four-door sedan about twenty-five years ago. It had the pushbutton transmission hooked to a 361 ci V8. For a car that followed this one by only four years, it was incredibly sober in its design. I like this Fury as well as the ones that followed, but it is remarkable how fast things were changing at the time.
They dont make them like this anymore and this sentiment is an understatement in our cookie cutter disposable society.
I love the car and like many makers and models pre 1980 id say, the varity and ingenuity show.
I wish we could see manufacturers revert and look at quality and ingenuity not acceptable and sterile.
What beautiful lines that were so different at the time. As Paul J said above, its the space-age flamboyance. When my grandkids find themselves on a rocket to mars, there will be one of these already there.
Exactly how is this a barn find?
It’s just awesome and worth a mention. Seems like a few people agree…
What a car.
That is all.
that’s not a moon, it’s a space station!!
behind the tail fins are saturn 5 main engines.
I’ll bet this winds up in Europe. Hope fully the buyer won’t paint it candy aplle orange.
Forward Look was 1955-1961, with some `62s having Exner’s designs carried over, but as “plucked chickens” as he said.
Absolutely gorgeous.
For lovers of retro ANYTHING, I cannot imagine a more desirable moving object. I would rather have that than the actual Titanic tied up at my own private dock.
Wait, George Jetson isn’t a real character?
This would be my daily driver!