Numbers matter! More on that to follow. Commonly reviewed here on this august website are full-size cars from Chevrolet and Ford, but how about the third leg of the stool, Plymouth? Not so much so, and again, a lot has to do with numbers. Take today’s discovery, for example: it’s a 1968 Plymouth Fury III, a model that has been reviewed here before, but nowhere to the extent that its competitive counterparts have been scrutinized. Thanks to Jack M’s sleuthing, today I’ll review this Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Plymouth hardtop, and we can try to see why the Fury III never matched the volumetric performance of the competing Chevrolet Impala and Ford Galaxie 500. Here on craigslist is where you’ll find this four-door hardtop, and it’s available for $10,000.
The big fight back in ’68 was among Chevrolet, Ford, and Plymouth, and full-size cars were still the gold standard. While trim levels varied, the sweet spot for the Detroit Three was Chevy’s Impala, Ford’s Galaxie 500, and Plymouth’s Fury III. Let’s look at some model year 1968 numbers:
Full-size cars, including station wagons, with the appropriate trim level listed underneath (excluding Ford’s XL and Plymouth’s Sport Fury)
- Chevrolet 1.2M
- Impala: 843K
- Ford: 867K
- Galaxie 500: 437K
- Plymouth: 349K
- Fury III: 195K
Wow – puts things in perspective. The bigger Chevrolet and Ford volumes explain why there are still many (and so many in Chevrolet’s case) still roaming the roads, but Plymouth’s numbers are scant by comparison – so much so that I triple checked my numbers and used two different sources. So, fewer assembled leads to fewer existing 58 years later. Sure, we could factor that further by the quality of build, the quality of workmanship, the quality of engineering, and so forth, but that gets us into some subjective areas that I would prefer to avoid. Speaking of a subjective position, I think Plymouth nailed it on styling in ’68 – this four-door hardtop is as sleek and balanced a design as you would have found back then. Some may find the over-under headlights a dated styling cue, but I think they worked perfectly in the Fury’s case and were one of the car’s defining style elements. The listing images are few and not particularly revealing, and the listing detail is close to non-existent, but the limited images do tell a story. What we find here is a car finished in Mist Green Poly, a very popular ’68 shade that still presents well, a sharp-looking black vinyl top, and all four corners being supported by original (they were an option on Fury) Magnum 500 styled wheels. Rust and crash damage need not apply – this Plymouth appears to be sound!
Unfortunately, there’s no included image of the 230 gross HP 318 CI V8 engine – always a faux pas in old car sales. There’s no comment regarding running or driving characteristics, but I do remember way back, an old friend had a similar ’68 Plymouth so equipped, and it moved out fine with just 230 HP on tap. No, it wasn’t a speedster, but it did fine when pedal hit metal. As is usually the case, a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission manages gear changes.
If this hardtop has a weak spot, it’s inside where the fabric portion of the combination upholstery is starting to let go – no surprise really. It’s especially telling that it only affects the driver’s side of the front bench, while the back seat shows as unused. The rest of the environment reflects better than I would have thought for a car of this age. The mileage claim is 64K miles – light usage, but there’s no authentication provided.
Conclusion? If you like full-sizers from this golden age of Americana motoring, and you want to be a bit different, this Fury III four-door hardtop may be the car for you. But first, let’s talk price. At an ask of $10,000, do you think this Plymouth is priced right or not quite?
I had a 2 door in this exact color combination. The 318 ci was adequate though no barn burner, it was one of the most dependable and durable cars I have owned and I have owned many. This is a nice looking yacht and seems priced fair if the mechanicals check out.
Me too; Sport fury same colors.
Great writeup on a great car, Jim.
It has been argued, and convincingly so, that 1967 or 68 was the pinnacle of Wally Chrysler’s little car company. The styling was good, the engineering was excellent, and the build quality was top-shelf. During that ’64-’68 time period they had worked all the bugs out, and the cars were as good as anything Detroit produced. Even the following 5 years were very solid as well.
Oddly, though Chevrolet produced over 1 million Impalas in 1965 and 1966, you almost never see one at a classic car show. One would think that with those kinds of numbers, car shows would be flush with those Impalas, but not so. But that’s why I like my oddball Mopars; they are rarely seen.
As a junior-higher, I heard the ads for Plymouth, especially the “5-year 50,000 mile claims”, there was one ad with a “click click click” in the background, and the smooth talker said, “you hear that click? That’s our engineers testing the high beam switch. That’s the kind of care we put into every Plymouth. Plymouth. We’re out to win you over” My dad had a ’68 Fury 1, the base model. He liked it except for its size. It too had a 318. He traded it for a new ’69 Valiant with a slant six.
Rex that is a beautiful Imperial!
i think asia has all the impalas
That one of yours Rex ? Nice 👍
I think it is. Rex has a few really nice mid 60’s Chryslers.
Yep, that’s my Imperial. Now if I could just get the brakes to work…
You don’t say what is wrong with the brakes but I have a 66 Imperial which I have converted to front discs & it made a huge difference.
Yes I think it’s worth $10k, it’s beautiful. Regardless of how clean things are under the hood, it’s obviously been taken care of and loved in it’s lifetime. These rode and drove like a dream for late 60s iron. I’d enjoy having it
With just a few pics, and none of the engine compartment or undercarriage, it is hard to tell for sure, but it appears to be a nice car, Perhaps one could work the seller down a bit on the price and you’d have a clean well driving cruiser. Looks like the seller has a MCSS tucked in the garage as well.
I’ll never understand people who bother to place an ad without good pictures of the engine and underneath, especially on cars that were notorious for rotting away.
IMO, listings light on pics and/or details are often estate sales by heirs that aren’t car-crazy like us. My dad bought a new ’68 Coronet 500 2-door (318/auto) in the same green with a green vinyl roof and vinyl buckets & console
Especially cars that spent their entire lives in Pennsylvania, especially from Lancaster west. I’d be shocked if it didn’t have undercarriage rust; the lack of rocker/rear 1/4 rust is a positive sign but as a 60s and 70s Mopar owner, I’m from Missouri.
Nice car. Worthy of third in the sales race.
I had the exact same car in 1975 bought used added glass packs and one Saturday morning on on I.30 just west of little Rock I passed a charger and I guess he was intimidated and before new what was going on 5 mopars were racing but un fortunately we met an east bound state trooper needless to say he joined the race also but not for fun all the other ones hit the exits I pulled over and stopped he let me go and took off after the others my point I loved the fury the 318 with 4bbl will hold it 0wn with the most of them if I had 10 grand to spare I would buy the car
My Dad had a 1968 Plymouth VIP, which I think was one step up from Fury III. was gutless with the 318, but a nice company car for the times… had turned in his 1966 Corvair Corsa 180 HP 4 speed… the VIP wasn’t as much fun,,
Love these year Furys and this example looks very clean and original overall. Pics of the engine, trunk area and underside would have been a big plus, especially considering the car is in PA. If it looks as solid in person as it does in the few photos provided I wouldn’t say his asking price would be too far off.
If the car is as rust free as the pictures would indicate, then 10K isn’t a bad asking price. Negotiate from there.
Cruising in this with all the windows of the frameless doors rolled down, you won’t need anything more than a 318. You aren’t dragging anyone in it anyway.
I had the same car in blue , Same drivetrain too. Had a lot of fun it . took my wife on our first date in it , 43 years ago. Good memories. I hope this one ends up in good hands .
People are saying this is worth $10,000? Seriously? I thought the classic car market was supposed to be going down… In recent months there has been Sport Fury coupes and convertibles listed online, with better factory options, and they are not selling for 10k to 12k. Although this appears to be a very presentable car, its just a plain sedan, there is no way it is worth anywhere near the asking price.
Could’ve been my grandfather’s car, same color , interior, and power … let me use it for my ’68 prom … made good use of the big back seat …