The Belvedere was a staple in the Plymouth portfolio from 1954 to 1970. It became a mid-size by default in 1962 when Chrysler introduced the B-body platform, thinking that Chevrolet was going to downsize. In 1965, the B-body became an official intermediate when the bigger C-body returned to the Plymouth fold. This bare-bones Belvedere I from 1966 began life with a Slant-Six, but it’s considerably more potent now. Located in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, this sleeper (but with a few telltale signs such as wide rear wheels and tires) is available here on eBay. The current bid is $5,000, and there is an unmet reserve between there and the Buy It Now of $42,000.
According to the VIN provided by the seller, this was a budget car when new, with the 225 six-cylinder and probably a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission. It even came with no radio, so the MSRP sticker must have contained a lot of white space. But things are quite different now, with a 500 cubic inch Stroker V8 that the seller also lists as a Hemi. It also is a floor-shifted A833 transmission, 4-speed with 18 splines.
Much of the description provided reads like AI or marketing-speak. The car is even referred to twice as a Dodge, and it only has “2 seats and 2 doors”. Clearly, the car has been mechanically and cosmetically restored whose condition seems to qualify as “excellent.” The light blue paint looks great with no noticeable flaws or visible corrosion. The interior is equally nice, yet plain and simple.
The mileage is low and likely from the time the vehicle was restored. We’re told the car needs nothing, so it should be considered a powerful set of wheels. The seller is retiring and thinning the herd since at least one other car is up for sale. If you’re looking for a 1960s Plain Jane Mopar that will likely leave two strips of rubber on the asphalt, would you spring $42k for this one?
Cool car, other than the fuel cell in the trunk, it will be interesting to see where the bidding ends. This is the 4th time the seller has listed it on eBay, each time the opening bid was in the neighborhood of $40,000, which has proven to be too high.
Steve R
Steve.. what price do you see on this cool Mopar? 🤔
I’d say $30,000-$35,000. To the right buyer.
What do you think?
Steve R
Steve. Thats a fair price i was thinking the same thing. Now if it had a great black paint job and a Hemi hood. With bucket seats and console pistol grip shifter. Yeah the sellers price then. But baby blue paint on a muscle car to me is a oxymoron! 😂 This is a very hard color to sell on. The stoked 440 to 500 i seen easy 550 hp out of this type of engine. I hope it sells. 🇺🇸🐻
A friend of my Dad’s owned a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville “Sleeper” with Tri-Power and Nitros in the truck.
Seller lowered the reserve, not by much, but it is lower.
Is the vacuum advance on the distributor missing the hose?
Vance. Its mechanical advance set up. Since its a stoker kit to 500 cubic inch. Sometimes you dont need it. 😄
not necessarily it more than likely the advance is locked
He’s not calling the engine a hemi, it has an 18 spline hemi 4 speed. Awesome car, for about $25 k.
Those valve covers tell me it’s a wedge engine. Also the air cleaner cover was usually found on a 440 engine. (Commando).
with a 500 cubic inch Stroker V8 that the seller also lists as a Hemi.
He’s referring to the transmission, nowhere in the ad does he use the word Hemi in association with the engine. If the ad did at some point he’s edited that out.
Steve R
Needs bucket seats and a different color.
Cool car, but that 500 cu in engine is a HEMI.
Not a hemi,b-block ,or rb stroket.
Not a hemi!
If it was a Hemi it would have its spark plugs in the center of much wider valve covers.
Does an unoriginal, plain jane mid-’60s car like this with a race engine get that kind of money? I could see if it was a rare original, or a take your pick of some desirable muscle car from the late ’60s or early ’70s, but come on. I’m not sure what kind of $ this guy spent on this, the price seems a bit much.
They absolutely can. There is a large segment of the hobby that doesn’t care about matching numbers on non-performance models, to them the modifications done to this car only increase its value. The paint color is often secondary on sleepers, muted colors are generally preferred, so is a bench seat. What matters on a car like this is the execution and how well it runs.
Steve R
Wow!
Read the ad again Russ,the seller doesn’t call the engine a hemi..
If it had two more doors, people
would mistake for with a city police car or a highway patrol pursuit car. I did meet a gentleman once that owned an ex-New York highway patrol car
that was based on a 2-door Dodge Dart platform. That car ran a 440 Magnum V-8 mated to
a beefed up 727 Torque Flight tranny and a Dana 60 rear axle. The state bought them as pursuit
vehicles only and the gentleman
told me that the car would run at
well over 150+MPH! Now I’ve seen the late ’60s Dodge Coronets and Plymouth Furies even rode in one or two as they
flew down the road at 147 MPH
but that 2- door Dart was the most insane thing I’d ever seen!
The owner claimed it would run
160 or better. Would be a great car to beat the pants 👖 off some
pimply faced kid who thinks his
new Mustang or Camaro is all that and a bag of chips. Absolutely nothing would beat the power and torque of that elephant motor under the hood.
Sorry folks, great car but I just gotta have my tunes!
Hi Ken! The sounds that big engine makes would be music to my ears. But if you have to have “regular music”, your a good singer, sing to yourself! (LOL)
That’s a completely made-up story. There were no 440 V8’s in the time of the early Dodge Dart. Dana 60 axles never came in any police car, and never, would any police car run that fast until the late ’60’s…and even then, 147 would be a stretch.
Please, just stop.
I like those base model two door post sedans. Something like that with a late model Hellcat swap, quiet exhaust system, steel rims with dog dish hubcaps would be a fun sleeper.
Wow 🚀
Fort. Atkinson, my old stompin’ grounds. Had friends there hopefully still alive. I enjoy “Steves” comments, as they represent a S. Cal. attitude, and exactly where this car will/should go. Sorry, the asking price and bids are just too far off for any sale in the upper Midwest. What is cool, is I bet more than one viewer got a smile, as they did the same thing to Uncle Charlies Plymouth in the 70s. Cars like this were a dime a dozen, and while Unkies car never got a 500, there were plenty of wagons that donated their big blocks, and similar kicks were had for a couple hundred bucks. A COUPLE OF HUNDRED BUCKS,,sigh, a fun example to blab about, but as usual, 476 viewers and 2 bids, of $5grand, I’d consider an insult, but the handwriting is on the wall folks. If a fantastic car like this, doesn’t even come close to the asking price, doesn’t take Einstein to see what’s going on.
A couple of HUNDRED bucks,,,,
$42,000 is a lot of money, especially for a car that is not bought to simply get you from home to work and visa versa. If it was stock, I’d make it a daily driver.
Views shown in an eBay ad are for the prior 24 hours, they don’t mean much. Neither does current bidding when there are nearly 7 days left in an auction.
I doubt it will reach the sellers reserve, on a car like this it doesn’t hurt to run it as an auction to help judge interest, if it doesn’t sell list it with a set price (BIN).
Steve R
Had a choice between a ’66 GTX convertible with a 440, or a ’69 Mustang with a 302 on a small used car lot back in 1978, both priced at $500, obviously both were a little rough. Dad was paying for the insurance, so I drove the Mustang home. I miss those days……
the vibe is cool but i really don’t think it needed a cell in the trunk. price is a bit optimistic
Very nice car, and as usual, the discussion becomes more about the asking price, rather than the basic likes and dislikes. I’ve got a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere I station wagon with an original 26k miles on it, however, the original 273 HP engine was long gone, replaced with a 225 slant six, retaining the original 3 on-the-tree transmission. Today I’m running a .60 over 383 (394 c.i.) with a Tremec TKO-600 5-speed, and by comparison, I believe I’m right there with this one, so far as the overall condition. Russ Dixon, I found a website where an original vehicle history report and window sticker are available, check it out.
Comments here complaining about the blue color. I just saw the photo my thought was Petty Blue. It just don’t get any better.
This would be an awesome car for this old man. Now I just need a loan.
What’s with the gold bullion underneath the car? That must be worth a lot-
I think it could still be a sleeper if he had build a hardtop body instead of a sedan. I see mid 30s 33 -35 tops
I like the car and the color. The BIN seems too high to me but the seller may have some flexibility. I’m watching but I’m just curious to see what the final bid will be. Too much money for a big boy play toy for me.
Go to the eBay listing and click on
Seller’s other listings. He also has a Dart. Its interior is interesting. Someone might like it, but way too ‘mod’ for me.
Super stock springs with lowering blocks, With the RB motor the turning chore would be a bit of work.
So was this a race car before? Makes me wonder
I’d prefer with still the 6.
Very clean, straight and well done hot rod. Just makes me drool!