I have always been a student of automotive history, spending my downtime reading and absorbing information to improve my knowledge. One of the most fascinating topics is model names. One former Ford executive described devising names as one of the industry’s most arduous and thankless tasks. It is often time-consuming, expensive, and exhausting. Getting it right can result in immortality, but getting it wrong can sometimes result in an otherwise good car becoming the target of ridicule and scorn. Maybe that is why many modern manufacturers opt for letter and number combinations instead of potentially emotive names such as the one carried by our feature classic. This 1960 Plymouth Fury Convertible is a stunning car. It presents well and is an unmolested vehicle with 44,000 documented miles on its odometer. The seller has been its custodian for over thirty years but feels the time is right for it to find a new home. Therefore, they have listed the car here on Craigslist in Thousand Oaks, California. We always appreciate input from our readers, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting a classic that could be yours for $95,000.
Plymouth’s Second Generation Fury range hit showroom floors for the 1960 model year, and its styling could probably be described as a compromise. Development started in 1957 when fins were at the height of their power. This trend was receding by 1960, with Chrysler vehicles from that year some of the last to shake off that design feature. The first owner ordered the car in Twilight Blue and Oyster White with a matching White power top. The seller doesn’t mention repairs or restoration, leaving me torn about whether it is a genuine survivor. The paint shines impressively, and the low odometer reading makes it plausible that this classic is totally original. The panels are exceptionally straight, and this Fury has avoided the typical rust issues that plagued cars from this era. One distinctive styling feature is the “Flitedeck” trunk lid that provides a faux Continental look. It isn’t functional, but one that Chrysler used on several models during this period. Another receding trend was using acres of bright trim and chrome, although the spotless condition of the pieces on this Plymouth heightens its visual appeal. The glass looks flawless, and the whitewalls perfectly suit the car’s character.
One aspect of this Plymouth that is original is its interior. It has some quirky features that help it stand apart, including a “floating” speedometer and a rectangular wheel with translucent sections. The seats wear covers in tri-tone brocade cloth and vinyl, with the remaining upholstered surfaces finished in vinyl. There is slight wear on the seat bases but no holes or physical damage. The carpet has a couple of dirty marks, but the dash is spotless. Most enthusiasts would consider the condition comfortably acceptable if viewed purely as a survivor-grade classic. It isn’t loaded with factory options, although the AM radio and abundant bright trim would make any journey feel like a special occasion.
Plymouth offered 1960 Fury buyers a six-cylinder option, but the 7,080 people who selected a Convertible received a V8 by default. This car’s entry-level 318ci powerplant delivers 250hp and 340 ft/lbs of torque. A three-speed TorqueFlite transmission performs shifting duties, with power power steering removing the physical effort when maneuvering this gentle giant. Plymouth focused more on comfort than outright performance, although this Convertible should hold its own in heavy traffic and cruise effortlessly at freeway speed. The seller holds significant documentation for this car, including paperwork confirming the odometer reading of 44,000 miles is genuine. The car runs and drives beautifully, with no mechanical needs or shortcomings.
Car culture often spills over into the art world, and I have sometimes wondered whether that is the case with the Plymouth Fury. Stephen King chose a 1958 Fury as the main character in his 1983 novel Christine. That begs the question of whether the choice was influenced by the car’s style or the fact that the model name perfectly reflected the car’s personality traits. This 1960 Fury Convertible doesn’t suffer from the same flaws but is a gentle giant that presents beautifully. The seller’s price is at the top of the market, and they may need patience before a new owner emerges. Do you think their wait will be long, or will someone find this classic irresistible?
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeutiful. How the very next year could be such an about face, is, well, one of the great automotive mysteries.
Exner was looking for a new direction after fins had reached their peak. 61 DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial shouldered on, fins flying high. The 61 Dodge and Plymouth styling was controversial , But much better than Downsized Chicken Wing styling of the 62 Dodge and Plymouth! Some of the ugliest cars ever!
Growing up, my buddy had a ’62 Polara 500 Conv, black, white top, white and red bucket seat interior, 361 4bbl auto. He had put Chrysler Imperial chrome wire wheels on it. That thing would really run and to me, looked beautiful. The only thing I didn’t like were the fake louvers stuck on the quarters.
The 1961 Plymouth is UGLY, something only a mother could love.
We had this, white over red interior, black top. The push buttons would get stuck & have to be coerced to pop out. The plastic/chromed piece that adorned the interior door handle ripped my knee open.
Talk about a car that shoulda been saved.
To bad it is a Chrysler.
Exner was looking for a new direction after fins had reached their peak. 61 DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial shouldered on, fins flying high. The 61 Dodge and Plymouth styling was controversial , But much better than Downsized Chicken Wing styling of the 62 Dodge and Plymouth! Some of the ugliest cars ever! This 60 Fury was the grand finale of Exners fabulous finned fantasies for Plymouth. Definitely worth the price as a MONUMENT to the era of OTT excess. Unfortunately out of my reach!
My Brother had the same car in maron whit tp bucket seats with a 413 with 2 4 carbs belonged to a major in the air force was a beast my Dad took it to work a couple days a week and would race on the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn for fun !!!!!!
What?
I am trying to understand what Cliff’s comment means.
Bob you mentioned the dual quad 413 that brings back bad memories I had a Impala 348 3 speed stick in highschool it was very quick until one day was next to a ply with dual quad 413 all I saw was tail lights that thing was a monster
Better than a Ford or GM
I would give my own mother for this car. I’m serious.
To REX…YOU be good to MAMA, and maybe she’ll be good to YOU. She might even buy you this, IF you promise you won’t REK any more KARZ!
“Suddenly, it’s 1957!” was the sarcastic refrain to Plymouth’s “Suddenly, it’s 1960” slogan from 1957.
Authentic survivor or not, this beast is a time machine, delivering a message from a world that no longer exists. Seeing photos of it in a “contemporary-modern” housing development enhances the contrast between “then and now”. The car is unrestrained in style and is just about as big as was possible for an uncrowded age with ample free parking and a brand new National Highway system that promised top speed travel to and from any great city in this country, including the ones we had to blast through to get the road-net installed.
Contrast that with the location of this photo shoot, a sparkling new, tidy layout of stucco townhouses featuring a mixture retro architectural styles squeezed onto tiny plots. All identical, all the same color all subject to an HOA.
The car is unrestrained in style and execution and thumbing its two-toned chrome plated nose at the HOA. No doubt the HOA is calling for the Fury’s banishment.
🎵 I got me a car🎶It’s as big as a 🐋 Whale 🎵YEAH this big boat could seat about twenty! 🎶 IT’S a Love Shack🎵 Those WERE the Days 🎶.HOA better watch out, This is a direct descendant of 😈 CHRISTINE!
MUST SELL. Too long for the garage, too long for the driveway and can’t park it on the street!
OK enough with the emojiis. Unless you’re a 12-year-old girl, then that’s fine.
😮 👍BUT it’s Good Friday! Holie Emoli ! Just can’t help myself! NO disrespect intended for ✝️! LOL 😉 . BUT, hurry on down to your local DeSoto dealer. Tell them Groucho sent you and PLEASE don’t RECK any more KARZ.
I wonder if these type steering wheels – now in new corvettes, teslas, & cybertrucks – caused any accidents.
Joe, my 62 Imperial 2 door had the same ‘TV SCREEN’ steering wheel as they called it, never had a problem. When turning a corner is was strange, one minute your hands are far apart but in mid turn they’re close together, you get used to it though, most times you only used one hand, the power steering was awesome on these monsters.
You study car names so you know where the Plymouth name came from, right? (Hint, it had nothing to do with the rock or the ship)
Twine. Specifically, twine used on farms in the Midwest.
Beautiful car. If you want to see the coupe version of thisbrought back from the edge, check out coldwarmotors on youtube.
Man…
I remember those when they first came out. They were absolutely beautiful.
Chrysler Corp. had fallen so far behind in sales that this company was going to extremes to try to catch up. I was in my first year of college and had stopped in the local Plymouth dealer and they had a red 1959 Plymouth conv. While working and going to high school I bought a 1957 Plymouth Plaza with only two options, radio and the two tone paint treatment that made it look like a Belvedere. That car carried me all through college. Upon graduating in 1963 I bought a 1962 Chev. II conv. Dawson Taylor Chev. downtown Detroit.
I met the nicest elderly lady at the bank the other day and we talked cars. Told her that a 1957 Plymouth Plaza served me during my college days. She told me she has a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere 2 door HT in her garage. Color is black and white. This is a central California small farming town. I know this car will simply be dusty only. I really cannot afford it and my interest is in a 1963 Imperial instead,.but I sure want to help her get the best price.
Contact info.? I had a ’57 2 dr. hardtop at 18 in ’64 – buddy wrecked it and would love to have another. Not far from me in AZ. as well.
A beautiful looking car that looks loaded but really isn’t. Even though it’ll be a challenge to find a 1960 Plymouth at all, let alone one in this condition, I doubt that he’ll get even $50K for this one because of the lack of desirable options. Needs a 383 or 413 to get the $$$ he’s looking for.
Speed limit is still 65-70 mph.
I used to think that these Exner designs were really weird and excessive, but now the more I see clean, restored examples like this one, I can appreciate the uniqueness and boldness of the designs.
To my eyes this is the ultimate personification of Mopar cars of this era. So many quirky Chrysler cues blended into one car. From the “typewriter” gear shift to the dash mounted rear view mirror it just exudes the unique way Chrysler differed from the rest of the pack. As the seller states; I can’t imagine you would find another 2960 Plymouth Fury convertible in this condition and with such low documented mileage. And the miracle of no apparent rust! So while the asking price beat my guess of 50-70K; they may very well get what they want or near from the right buyer. Way out of my league. BTW, I’m sure a lot of BF readers know this but that trunk lid was also referred to as a toilet seat by Mopar haters and other detractors. GLWTS.
I like your comments. The ‘square’ steering wheel does look so odd, but other than that, this car is simply stunning.
Oops 1960 not 2960. Fat fingers!
I love the condition and exterior styling. Unfortunately, the interior lacks the style and wow factor of the exterior. Kind of a plain look.
Omg what a cream puff what a awesome looking car!
boy this is a fine drop top. you don’t see these very often in this outstanding condition. very nice.
Some like this, me, not so much, now or then.
Ya’ll know I’ve mentioned before my father was a mechanic and machinist and quite often bought cars for $25, $50, $100, worked on them and then sold them for more. My poor mother had a different car to drive practically every other month.
It was mostly early 50s Chevrolets, some Pontiacs, a Ford here and there and an occasional Dodge or Plymouth.
Mom was driving a ’53 Mercury they bought from her brother, replaced by an ugly ’49 Plymouth, replaced by a ’56 Dodge station wagon, replaced by something else, which was replaced with the 1960 Plymouth.
I was probably around 14 or 15 and living on a private dirt road, I took it out for a spin the night Dad brought it home.
The rectangle steering wheel was crazy at the time, but now they are starting to put them on all the cars. Everyone laughs at Exner, but he was definitely a visionary and ahead of his time. The cool dash mounted rearview mirror, the pushbutton automatic, the pod speedometer. So many interesting things on Chrysler products of that time.
I don’t know what engine this car had, (at that time I was more interested in design than mechanics)but I can tell you it flew! I almost wrecked it the first night we had it.
Those fins! Oh, those fins, I’m in love! LOL
I don’t know, seems like Mopar was confused in the late 50s and early 60s.
Keller wanted tall practical cars so men could wear their hats in the car, Exner wanted sleet (forward look) modern cars, after he was ousted they went back to tall roofline. It wasn’t until the late 60s they seemed to get their act together.
So many missed opportunities.
This year is one of my few favorites left on my bucket list but I prefer the hard top over the drop top. The lines flow much better IMO
I realize that most here commenting like the style, me I think the 1960 Plymouths were ugly as sin.
Fortunately, here in the USA 🇺🇸 ,We can STILL have our own opinions. BUT not sure how much longer 😕.
And choices to buy or not.
1960 Plymouth represents the ultimate flying jet Aircraft look. Just as the 1959 Cadillac did. 61 was just so different but what a great accomplishment to be able to be so different! You can’t say this era cars looked all alike! 62&63 were a disappointment but Exner was gone as his era was done!
Exner turned the automotive world upside down with the 55 Million Dollar Look and especially 57 Forward Look vehicles. By 60, fins had reached their pinnacle. DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial çontinued virtually unchanged through 61. But 61 Plymouth and Dodge were the beginning of his search for a new direction. For 62 a complete corporate wide change was planned using a larger version of what debuted as disastrous downsized 62 Plymouth and Dodge. Ironically the design was modeled as a DeSoto (which was gone shortly after 61 debut). At least DeSoto went out with FINS soaring high. Unfortunately Exner went out as quickly as he rose to fame. But his plans for 62 were definitely in the wrong direction.
Lads —
FYI the engine in this car is the “poly” 318 which in 1960 came in two versions: a single 2V carb, single exhaust (230 horse) and a single 4V, dual exhaust (260 HP) “Super Pack ($39). Generally, the valve covers were silver like the block so the red ones may be an attempt to “customize.”
The other engine options were the B-Series 305 HP/ 361 CID (1X4V carb) “Golden Commando” ($189), the 310 HP/361 CID (2X4V cross ram) “SonoRamic Commando” ($ 389), and 330 HP/383 CID (2X4V carb cross ram) also called “SonoRamic Commando” ($405). ’60 drop tops were not supposedly available with the 225 CID 145 HP “slant six.”
The 413 wasn’t available until the ’61 model year and came only as a “Dealer Installed” option for NHRA and NASCAR competition. None came off the line with 413s.
Incidentally, I had a Fury back in 1960-1964 and had so much fun with it that I got a similar SonoRamic in 2000. A true survivor car with 43000 on the clock that I bought from the heir of the original owner.