1973 Fury Special - as rare as hen's teeth

Did anyone already figure out what A82 on the fender tag means? Some sites manage "68-71 Police Ornamentation Group", but that won't do in this case. One could guess "1973 Fury Special Package", but that's just guessing.

I think that's a pretty safe guess. The only way to prove it would be to find a Fury Special window sticker somewhere. Chances of that happening are not very high.

We're getting closer. This is the window sticker for another 1973 Gold Sticker Value offer, the Newport Navajo:

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So on C-bodies A82 was the code for those special packages offered under the Gold Sticker Value sales program.
 
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I’m digging this up because I bought another car just like this one and it sailed under the radar even when I made a dedicated thread about it.

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Well, let me throw a question in this thread: if not all A82 cars are "gold", then is there a difference between "Gold Sticker Special" Fury's and "Spring Special" Furys in 1973?

The Chrysler Corp. materials seems to say that "Gold Sticker Value" cars are KT9 (Dark Chestnut metallic, aka dark brown):

"(...) stylish highlights: the special dark Chestnut Metallic color, the beautiful parchment vinyl roof, the color-matching bodyside molding, the wide sill molding, the classic stand-up hood ornament, the vinyl interior trim with tapestry-cloth inserts, and the deep, plush shag carpeting throughout. Fury Special. A Gold Sticker Value. Very special in appearance."

The three 1973 Plymouth Fury Special examples that I have seen so far are all KT9 indeed. BUT...

@weebull just posted an ad for DM43K3D322564 -- a late-build (July 11, 1973 SBD) Polara 4dr hardtop that has the A82 code YET was originally painted JA5 (Dark Silver Irid. like Ming, my 1973 NYB). See the fender tag below: JA5 (it is now painted burgundy) and A82 codes. Note also the F3XW interior code, like @tbm3fan 's 1973 Polara VIP.

I know they this thread is mostly about Fury’s, not Polaris, but DM43K3D322564 is the first (Spring Special?) A82-package Fury I have seen in silver. She sports sail panel badges (see below from the ad, I have asked wee bull for better pics). AFAICT from wee bull's pics, the sail panel badges look just like those on tbm3fan's Polara.

Paging among others @amazinblue82 @Georg/DFL @ceebuddy @The_Eagles’_Nest @69CoronetRT

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I’m going to throw a wrench in the works. It looks like this one is a Special but it is not in Chestnut. It is for sale in ND for $3300.

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I know for sure that you could have 1970 Gran Coupes in a variety of colors and (non-paisley) vinyl roof shades. So customers interested in the mere added value of the equipment otherwise optinal could choose standard colors and standard interiors.

If that applies to the 1973 Spring Special/Gold Sticker Value cars, too, then the KT9 Dark Chestnut metallic exterior paint was not mandatory.
 
Actually, there were TWO "specials" in those times. The "Spring Special" related to some new colors and possibly upgraded options on the normal cars, designed to give the populace a reason to come into the show rooms after winter and the holiday seasons.

Then, a month or so later, the "Sales Special" promotions appeared. Which would be the cars with "Free Automatic Transmissions" or "Free Air Conditioning", which were reflected on the MSRP sticker. In addition, there usually were some slightly different pairings of items which were available as individual options in to a special option group AND usually some sort of normal color. As vehicles as the Dodge "White Hat Specials" or similar Plymouth Furys. For example, the 1966 Fury IIIs were all silver four-door sedans (or at least that was what the local C -P -I dealer ordered).

The "Sales Specials", with their dedicated color and trim, gave the customer something they could point to and say "I got a nice car for less money" sort of thing. But for the "free automatic transmission" cars, no special trims, just the 'money-saving deals" on the window sticker.

Having TWO levels of "specials" might explain some of the inconsistencies noted. At least that's what I recall seeing in the pre-1972 times before I went off to my last four years of college in a larger town 4 hours away. During those pre-1972 times, I was in and out of the local dealership getting our cars serviced and taken care of. While there, I would talk to one of the salepeople and look at the cars on the lot window stickers. Plus noticing the ads in the local and regional newspapers where the "Sales Specials" were promoted.

Between the first appearance of the "Spring Specials" after the first of the calendar years, followed by the "Sales Specials" in about March, that could give the dealers about 6 months of having good sales traffic before things started to wind-down for "Build Out" in the late summer. To prepare for the new model year getting ready to happen in Sept-Oct times.

Just what I observed locally and regionally, being in "The Dallas Zone" of things.

Now, all of these things in Chrysler Corp can or should be noted on the Build Sheet and/or Data Plate.

Starting in about 1973, a group of Dallas area Oldsmobile dealers got together and wanted a car between the basic Cutlass "S" and the Cutlass Supreme. They made a deal with GM/Olds to install the Cutlass Supreme front clip sheet metal on the normal Cutlass "S" body, then with a little nicer interior trim. The cars looked like a Cutlass Supreme but did not say "Supreme" on them anywhere, with a VIN that was "Cutlass". These cars were only produced, or started out that way, for the spring selling season, with many ads proclaiming these special cars. In order to get these cars, the dealer group had to order something like 2000 of them as a group. This deal went on for about three model years, until the body style changed.

As NONE of this was documented in the parts book, the local Olds parts people had to be on top of things, to ask questions about the "Cutlass" cars the body shop customers needed front end sheet metal. Additionally, back then, the front of the GM store did not talk to the back of the GM store, except in some unusual cases, plus that nobody in GM worried or knew about "Build Sheets" back then, there could be some tense moments iin getting things figured out. "Those things" were only in the realm of Corvette owners and such, back then.

Just my observations from back then,
CBODY67
 
Well, let me throw a question in this thread: if not all A82 cars are "gold", then is there a difference between "Gold Sticker Special" Fury's and "Spring Special" Furys in 1973?

The Chrysler Corp. materials seems to say that "Gold Sticker Value" cars are KT9 (Dark Chestnut metallic, aka dark brown):

"(...) stylish highlights: the special dark Chestnut Metallic color, the beautiful parchment vinyl roof, the color-matching bodyside molding, the wide sill molding, the classic stand-up hood ornament, the vinyl interior trim with tapestry-cloth inserts, and the deep, plush shag carpeting throughout. Fury Special. A Gold Sticker Value. Very special in appearance."

The three 1973 Plymouth Fury Special examples that I have seen so far are all KT9 indeed. BUT...

@weebull just posted an ad for DM43K3D322564 -- a late-build (July 11, 1973 SBD) Fury 4dr hardtop that has the A82 code YET was originally painted JA5 (Dark Silver Irid. like Ming, my 1973 NYB). See the fender tag below: JA5 (it is now painted burgundy) and A82 codes. Note also the F3XW interior code, like @tbm3fan 's 1973 Polara VIP.

DM43K3D322564 is the first (Spring Special?) A82-package Fury I have seen that is not gold (KT9, precisely) and that sports sail panel badges (see below from the ad, I have asked wee bull for better pics). AFAICT from wee bull's pics, the sail panel badges look just like those on tbm3fan's Polara.

Paging among others @amazinblue82 @Georg/DFL @ceebuddy @The_Eagles’_Nest @69CoronetRT

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According to the print ad the 1973 Dodge Spring Sepcial could be had in white, black, red or silver exterior color with a black or white vinyl roof.
 
I’m going to throw a wrench in the works. It looks like this one is a Special but it is not in Chestnut. It is for sale in ND for $3300.
I found the ad on FB. I agree that the interior pics you posted look like a Spring Special, but there is always the possibility that this beige car has been repainted. Do you have the tag (it is not in the ad)?

PS: the price is down to $2.5k (@Ripinator will be happy -- usual C-body price, no inflation allowed!)

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Would you know how many Dodge Polara 2dr and 4dr Spring Specials were produced? I would think the number would be lower.
 
Would you know how many Dodge Polara 2dr and 4dr Spring Specials were produced? I would think the number would be lower.

i posted the answer already. the option & accessory sales reports show that
15.4 % of the 31,445 fury III 2 dr htops and 10.4% of the 47,140 Fury III 4dr htops were were A82 Fury Specials
 
i posted the answer already. the option & accessory sales reports show that
15.4 % of the 31,445 fury III 2 dr htops and 10.4% of the 47,140 Fury III 4dr htops were were A82 Fury Specials

Um, thank you. Doug asked about Polaras.
 
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