At first glance, I thought, “Oh, a police car with a vinyl top,” but the seller of this 1987 Plymouth Gran Fury is very clear: “This is not a former police car.” OK, my bad, but it definitely throws off that vibe – and I like it! So much so that I’d like to take a deep dive and see what this non-police car Plymouth is all about. Zen discovered the listing for this boxy Smithtown, New York sedan, and it’s available here on craigslist for $6,500.
So we had Plymouth Furys and Plymouth Gran Furys. The Fury, a full-size C-body car, became the Gran Fury in ’75, while the former B-body Satellite morphed into the “Fury” that same year. At the end of the ’77 model year, the Gran Fury was given the bum’s rush, but it briefly returned as an R-body full-sizer for the ’80-’81 model year. In ’82, the Gran Fury shrank a bit, switched to the M-body platform, and continued on it through the ’89 model year. Its cousin, the Dodge Diplomat, occupied the same platform real estate, and I believe that was a more common variation. Actually, our ’87 subject is one of only 10K+ copies assembled that year. The seller tells us that this GF is still wearing its original finish and top, and the underside is rust-free. It’s definitely a box on wheels, but I’ve always favored boxy designs, so I say “Otay!” Back to that cop business, it’s the slotted steel wheels and pie-pan hubcaps that give it the look, and I’ve probably seen more Five-Oh versions of the Gran Fury and Diplomat than I have civilian editions. The listing does state that the original wheels and hubcaps are available.
Powering this rig is “Old Reliable”, a 140 net HP 318 CI V8 engine, driving the rear wheels via a three-speed Torque-Flite automatic transmission, now with a lock-up torque converter (a sign of the times!). The seller says, “runs great,” though he provides no mileage authentication other than a view of the odometer. That said, I have no reason to doubt the claim.
Further attesting to limited use is the interior. The red velour upholstery is in fine shape, as are the door panels, dash, and instrument panel. I particularly like Mopar instrument panels from this era because they’re a lot more informative than those utilized by GM, and were easier to read – I’ll take a circular speedometer over a shrunken horizontal one any day. This is an A/C equipped car, and we are told that the refrigerant has been switched to 134A.
No beatin’ around the bush here, this Gran Fury is in excellent condition, it’s a cool throwback, and it’s reasonably priced. Someone is gonna get a good buy and be pleased with their purchase. OK, that’s all I got.
That front end still makes me look twice in the mirror lol
Same here Stan. I’m willing to wager Howard probably is thinking the same thing. 🤣