Plymouth and Chevrolet were somewhat caught out by Ford’s wildly popular introduction of its 1965 LTD, but it didn’t take them long to catch up. With the introduction of the VIP (at least Chevy didn’t copy Ford by using a three-letter badge), Plymouth entered the new arena of low-priced three “near luxury,” which threatened to truly undermine the mid-priced brands, including Dodge and even Chrysler’s own Newport. Even if the luxury car landscape changed as a result of this relatively inexpensive juggernaut, the VIP didn’t actually reap the rewards. Compared to 181,000 Caprices and over 100,000 LTDs sold in 1966, just over 17,000 of the fanciest example of the Fury drove off Chrysler-Plymouth lots. That only serves to make them rarer today, and Ted, our man in Ohio, found this example on Marketplace in the city of Hudson. With a claimed 15,514 miles on it (well……..) and original paint and an original interior, the asking price is $10,000.
As is befitting for a top-flight ride, the trusty slant six wasn’t available in the VIP, so buyers started with the standard 230-horsepower 318, which this car has. The Marketplace ad is light on details, but it does say that the car has an automatic transmission, which was somewhat surprisingly an option (the three-speed manual was standard). So equipped, the Plymouth had a 2.94:1 axle ratio. Chrysler Corporation must have known that it had a good thing going with its slant six and 318 “grocery-getter” engines; they remained largely untouched for years, and they would often outlast the car they were powering.
The claim about the original interior may well be accurate, and if so, it is in amazing condition. And for a car that had a $3,133 base price, it is legitimately luxurious. I’m not sure why more Chrysler-oriented buyers weren’t drawn to the VIP. It was about $70 more expensive than the Caprice, but it was almost $150 cheaper than the LTD. You’d think that it could have found 50,000 buyers, or half of the LTD’s total.
Plymouth offered two shades of yellow for 1966: the aptly named “Yellow” and a softer “Soft Yellow.” This appears to be the hard yellow, but color chips have faded over the years and a computer screen can also tell white (or yellow) lies. Regardless of the shade, these pale yellows with black vinyl tops were in style in 1966, and this four-door hardtop certainly looks attractive.
If the “DeLuca” dealer tag is original, the car was purchased in Bedford, Ohio, a 20-minute jaunt from the city of Hudson, so it’s been in the same area its whole life (lending more credence to the mileage claim?). The seller says that this is a two-owner car with (once again) 15,514 miles on it. We’re all skeptical regarding low-mileage assertions, but even if the reality is closer to 115,000 miles, this Fury…oops…VIP is worth a look. It’s a Very Important Plymouth, after all.
Engine says more than 15K to me.
Engine says more than 15K to me.
Nah, 115K. The engine and probably the underside tells the story. It’s entirely possible to keep an interior like that, and for a 60 year old car, it may only have been driven 2-3,000 /year, especially garage kept. While Ford and Chevy get all the thunder in sales, I read Plymouth was indeed a credible threat. In ’65, while Ford and Chevy sold around a million cars, Plymouth wasn’t far behind with almost 722,000 cars( all models) good enough for #4 in sales. Sales were down some in ’66, with around 300,000 Plymouths sold, but think about that. That’s a LOT of cars. So, who was #3 in ’65-’66? That was Pontiac, but not by much at 773,000 cars sold.
What is that on the rear arm rest? A cat bed? Deal breaker. I’d be curious to find out how many people ordered one of these with the standard three on the tree. Overall pretty underwhelming. Maybe in a gold color but without AC and crank windows not Very Important. Hudson is not very far from me. Nice town.
Wow, this is one rare Plymouth! Even new, you seldom ever saw a VIP Plymouth. This particular one does look to be in very good condition, however, I don’t think the 15,000 miles is correct. And really, I doubt if it has 115,000 miles on it either. Maybe the odometer was disconnected for a while? It is a very nice Plymouth!
I thought the same thing about a cat bed at first, but the more I look at it I think it’s a plane pillow.
Really beautiful looking Fury though I’d have to doubt that mileage claim also. If the underside is as clean looking as the body and interior I’d say he’s asking a fair price.
I looked at a ’66 VIP locally to me a month ago. Fully documented 14,400 miles, silver, black vinyl roof, 383, automatic, power steering & brakes, Has been totally gone through, fluids, filters, complete service, 4 new radial tires. Car is immaculate and has no discernable marks or scratches anywhere. Perfect spinner type wheel covers. Current owner has had it for 14 years and only put 300 miles on it. He wants to sell because he has other cars and this one just doesn’t get driven. His asking price is $16,500 or offer. If this yellow one is in as good a condition, then $10K is not bad IMHO. I just can’t swing that much money right now.
We get two pictures of the back seat and zero on the front seat. Claiming that low of mileage and no front seat pictures is a bit of a red flag.
The VIP was a worthy competitor to the LTD and Caprice, but it wasn’t a big seller because of a built-in handicap. Most Chevrolet and Ford dealers, even in small markets, were single-line dealers, but nearly every Plymouth dealer was also a Chrysler dealer. The Caprice and LTD could stand on their own in most dealerships, while the VIP sat on the same showroom floor with a Chrysler Newport. A Plymouth at nearly a Newport price, no matter how nicely finished, was a tough sell.
Many thanks, Aaron! I enjoy finding interesting cars and sending them in for review!
Ted
Keep them coming, Ted!