Plum Crazy 1976 Plymouth Volare 383 5-Speed

In 1976, Plymouth rolled out the F-body Volare to replace the aging Valiant compact. Over at Dodge, the Aspen took over for the Dart. The cars were produced in a single generation but were plagued by quality control and recall issues early on. This 1976 edition is the car Plymouth could have produced, but didn’t, with a 383 cubic inch V8 and Plum Crazy paint. This custom build is in Sequim, Washington (as a tip from “Curvette”) and is available here on craigslist for $27,500.

We don’t know the history of this Volare, but it has styling cues of the Road Runner, like the louvered side windows. The Road Runner had transferred to the Volare in 1976 and limped along until 1980, but it was nothing like the monster it had been a decade earlier. Maybe this Plymouth was an RR (of which less than 9,000 were built), or it was a regular coupe made up to look like one. But the paint color, engine choice, and transmission (5-speed) were not on any order form back in the day.

This Mopar has seen 106,500 miles, though we don’t know how many of them were added after the changes were made (that helped the machine win some awards). The paint looks outstanding, and there is a good use of flat black accents, especially on the hood with a pair of “383” callouts. The interior has been redone to match the exterior and is mostly tasteful. The classic Cragar SS wheels look right at home as if it were the 1970s all over again.

Joining the big block V8 and Tremec tranny are a Pistol Grip shifter, disc brakes (2- or 4-wheel?), a custom exhaust, vintage air conditioning, and an aftermarket stereo system. The seller is probably right in that you couldn’t likely build this car for the asking price, but will its heritage as a Volare be a holdback? Surely none of the issues that Chrysler built in by accident 50 years ago are still around.