A visual sight this 1959 Plymouth Fury makes! Of course, the year 1959 was full of surprises, as it seems with each domestic auto manufacturer trying to outdo one another in the overt styling department. Fins were in, and this Fury has them and then some! The seller tells us that this Plymouth originated in Kentucky, cooled its heels for years in Texas, and then the West Coast came calling, and Harbor City, California, is the site of its current digs. Those with an interest will find it here on eBay, where it’s available for a BIN price of $9,900. There is a make an offer option too.
Plymouth’s lineup for ’59 placed the Sport Fury at the top of the heap, followed by the Fury, the Belvedere, and then the Savoy bringing up the markers. Furys were available in four-door hardtop and sedan body styles, as well as a two-door sedan, a hardtop, such as our subject car, and a convertible. Fury two-door hardtops accounted for 21K out of Plymouth’s total ’59 production of 458K units. The seller suggests, “This vehicle overall is a great candidate for restoration,” adding that the front section of the fenders (above the headlights) is bearing some rust, but he has patch panels that are included in the sale. It’s also noted that the lower quarters are problematic, but the listing images reveal a body structure that appears to be pretty sound. Some of the trim and badging have been removed, though the parts may be in the trunk. Speaking of the trunk, it looks like the lid-mounted “toilet seat” has been removed – no word as to its whereabouts.
The interior has a pair of swivel seats – a feature that was ahead of its time, but they’re in very ratty condition. That said, the frames are the important part, as reupholstering can always be facilitated. The rest of the environment looks intact; it’s just worn. Plymouth designers did a good job of crafting a dash and instrument panel that matches this car’s exterior character. Note the underdash A/C unit; there doesn’t appear to be a corresponding compressor in the engine room.
Speaking of the engine room, there’s a 361 CI V8 engine under the hood, but as the image illustrates, it’s in non-running condition. The seller adds, “361 engine is there but will need rebuild (sp). Engine and transmission are in the car, but is for transportation purposes only. It will need to be mounted correctly. Missing drive shaft, carburetor, radiator.” Whether or not this engine is the correct one for this car is not stated. The transmission in question is an automatic, but it’s not identified as either a TorqueFlite or a PowerFlite unit.
The seller states, “It will need full refurbishment for show quality.” It’s gonna need a full refurbishment just to get it running and be presentable – I wouldn’t worry about that “show quality” business. Still, this Fury seems like a good starting point for a restoration project, and it is, owing to its styling and era, a car that should be saved. The problem is, what’s it going to cost in time, talent, material, and general $$$ just to get this formidable finned wonder to an operational state? The all-in cost, for even an average project, has become very prohibitive over the last four or five years, so that’s something to be mindful of with this project or any other. What do you think, worth the challenge?
A great find, especially for a sequel to CHRISTINE . It is in similar condition and deserves the same TLC lovingly applied. Although not scoring as many sales as the 57 and 58s, they took Exners fins in a different direction (first seen earlier on clay mock ups). Will this somewhat battered beauty be resurrected to unleash her FURY? She surely doesn’t deserve to be buried in a PET CEMETERY.
‘Pet Sematery’, please.
The side spear and the remains of the round emblem on the rear fin indicate this is a Sport Fury, not a Fury. Furys had a different side spear and no round emblem. The ad text says it’s a Sport Fury as well.
And the title doesn’t, so once again, your point is? How about a comment about this car’s condition, equipment, likelihood for a positive future, etc. as opposed to endless nitpicking?
JO
The point is it’s a Sport Fury, a rarer and more desirable car than a regular Fury 2 door HT as written up. Next time one of these comes up folks will have a reference point in determining what type of Fury it is. Obviously you don’t appreciate the input, but I wasn’t looking to offend you, only to point out some unique details of the subject car that were at odds with the description. Is that not allowed? In retrospect, maybe a more conversational tone on my part would have been better received.
Part of the appeal of a site like this at least for me is learning more about the cars and I think the comments add to the collective knowledge here. I would think accurate info would be welcomed on such a site, but maybe not.
OK, thank you.
JO
Said the guy who pic nicked a response.
I had one of these in the early 70s. Mine was Turquoise outside with a black and white interior. I bought it from a friend of Dad’s for $400 only because he got frustrated trying
to find a pair of factory exhaust tips for it. And yeah, mine had the phony spare on the decklid too. Like this car, mine had the 305 HP 361 V-8 mated to a 727 Torqueflight tranny.
It was controlled by those famous pushbuttons on your left.
Mine also had the swivel front bucket seats that my Mom really liked. She drove that car for, oh, I think six months while she and Dad went round and round with Chevrolet over that POS Caprice they bought new in ’73. That was just before we bought the LUV truck for her birthday. Wound up selling it to a guy for $1,500 and I had to scramble to get Mom something to drive as the Machinist Union were being
jerks by banning all foreign cars from the parking lot at The
Eureka Company–yeah, that’s the same company that makes
both home appliances and atomic bombs. Yeah, my car was
very nice and I do regret selling it. Except for the missing trim bits, you have a fairly solid car that should be easy to restore. And if you can’t get the 361 to run, how ’bout dropping a 440 magnum into the engine bay. Now that would spice things up wouldn’t it? Back that with a beefed up 727,
and you’d have a real winner. Just wish I had the time and
cash to pull it off.
You nailed it Kenneth, go for the 440!
Maybe a nice 360 instead? Saves a bunch of weight over the front axle and leaves lots of room in the engine compartment.
Trying again to post. Several hours ago with no success. This is a test
Vance isn’t nitpicking, he’s correct. Maybe instead of getting mad when someone points something out you could say good catch.
You hardly know the entire story. No anger, ever, on my part and Vance’s response is appreciated.
JO
I had a very intense discussion on another site with a guy about a 1958 Lincoln Continental 2 door. I don’t know what was going on with Lincoln around that era but he claimed it wasn’t a Lincoln but a Continental. I believe the Mark IV was introduced in 1959. Same car different name. It finally came down to having the owner/seller taking a picture of the door plate which said Continental by Lincoln. Political Correctness?
A 2-door 59 Sport Fury with a big block is a special find. Looks fairly solid and straight. If the 361 is numbers matching, it could be removed and stored. A 383/413/440 would bolt right in and this not-too-heavy Fury would be very sporting indeed! I would keep it stock looking and quiet with real mufflers on a dual exhaust with an H pipe; you Mopar guys know what I am talking about….H pipe is good for 12HP.
Cool car, but restoration will never be a financial win. Even doing most of work yourself. It has to be a labor of love.
Definitely a torqueflite unless of course someone replaced it. Looking at the pushbuttons its a 3 speed automatic, the powerflite was a 2 speed.
This car has a TorqueFlite (3-speed automatic). Reference picture 11 in the EBay auction and count the push buttons to the left of the steering wheel. 5 buttons = TorqueFlite. 4 buttons = PowerFlite.
Hope the missing trim is in the trunk…..
Wash the car! I wouldn’t bother restoring it completely. Just do all the mechanics to get it road worthy, fix whatever paint is missing and redo the interior.
I have heard it claimed that the 59 Plymouth’s fins were the highest of all cars, higher than the 59 Caddy. I don’t personally believe that to be true, but then again, I’ve never measured either, and I’ve also heard people deny that it was true. Anyone know for sure?
My favourite front of all the Plymouth range. If it werent for transportation, importduties etc., I would choose to own this car.
Not sure about that, but the 61 Imperial fins reportedly were 1 inch higher than the 59 Cadillac