Paisley Trim: 1971 Plymouth Fury Gran Coupe

Plymouth introduced the Fury Gran Coupe in 1971 as a successor to the VIP (Very Important Plymouth?). The latter had not been a big seller next to the Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice, so maybe Chrysler thought this change would stir up interest. The name was a misnomer in that – in 1971 – you could get a Gran Coupe as a 4-door hardtop, too. That confused folks, so it became the Gran Sedan in 1972. The seller has a nice ’71 Gran Coupe with the Paisley option, which pertains to the subtle color treatment of the vinyl roof and interior pieces. Located in Torrington, Connecticut, this big Plymouth is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $12,500.

We gather the Gran Coupe wasn’t a big seller, either, and production numbers aren’t known because they were lumped in with the Fury III in 1971. And the Paisley Edition may have seen even less action as a toned-down alternative to the days of the wild Hi-Impact colors that Chrysler was offering. We may have seen this car before here on Barn Finds, as a similar automobile was on the market a year ago. The location is different, but not that far away, and the earlier car’s mileage isn’t given, which might help clear up if this is déjà vu.

We gather that most of the Gran Coupe Paisleys were painted Tahitian Brown or Walnut Metallic, as those are the logical offsets except for white. The seller says this car is a survivor down to the original paint and Paisley applications. The Mopar has 114,000 miles, which we assume also covers the 360 cubic inch V8 and TorqueFlite automatic transmission. 1971 was the first year for the 360.

This car belongs to the seller’s father, who perhaps is getting on in years to be driving a lot. We’re told it’s a good runner, and everything seems to be ship-shape, suggesting a turnkey ride for outings to Cars & Coffee and the like. We can’t imagine that too many of these Paisleys are left, especially as a 4-door “coupe”. Thanks for the tip, Dennis House!