Notable Forward Look Plymouth - Sold for $43K and Worth It

[saforwardlook]

Since there are several guys on FCBO that are into Forward Look Plymouths circa 1960 - 1961, I thought you might enjoy seeing this fine example (not mine).

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1960-plymouth-fury-2/

 

[LeBaron1973]

Lovely, probably a bargain compared to purchase and restoration costs to get it this nice.

 

[Mr C]

Clean machine...

 

[78Brougham]

Only thing wrong with it are those hideous skirts!

 

[78Brougham]

Sorry Stan, but those skirts are horrible. They were all aftermarket and don't belong on any forward look cars. I believe they weren't even a factory option. I had a set for my '59, I put them on just long enough to run back and take them off!
If you notice the fenders above the wheel wells have a flare to them, by adding those skirts, now you have an awkward double flare, plus they make the car look like it has a load of gravel in the trunk, waaaay too much fender. IMHO.

 

[hanks71440]

All gorgeous cars.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

For someone who wasn't born early enough to experience the time period, it's hard to imagine that these were just regular, everyday cars.

Jeff

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

I've been seeing this one for awhile around the 'net, since it's been "restomod/rod'ed' it never traveled out of my bookmark folder till now. Can be still had for $9.8k.

.

 

[68PK21 440.6bbl]

For someone who wasn't born early enough to experience the time period, it's hard to imagine that these were just regular, everyday cars.

Jeff

I was of the bright enough age by 1960 to be excited about cars, grandad & a uncle had Chrysler an Dodges, but I don't recall seeing many on the road.
But dad was still working for American Motors so I guess I was Rambler blind.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

I was car aware by about 1971, and living in Massachusetts at the time, there were almost no 1950's cars left on the road by then. One of my uncles had a 1956 Plymouth as a daily driver from 1973 to 77, and that was about the only one around.

Jeff

 

[Ram Fury]

Sorry Stan, but those skirts are horrible. They were all aftermarket and don't belong on any forward look cars. I believe they weren't even a factory option. I had a set for my '59, I put them on just long enough to run back and take them off!
If you notice the fenders above the wheel wells have a flare to them, by adding those skirts, now you have an awkward double flare, plus they make the car look like it has a load of gravel in the trunk, waaaay too much fender. IMHO.

View attachment 393377
View attachment 393378

Lads --
I hate to tell you this, but while the skirts were not a production line option the were optional "dealer installed" parts. Back in 1960 when those cars were new, skirts were very popular and when I took delivery of my '60 Fury in May 1960, the very first thing I got were some aftermarket skirts (the MOPAR ones at the dealer's were about $30). The first pair lasted about a month and the second were gone the way of "midnight auto parts"a bit longer, but the insurance company said they wouldn't pay for any more so I went to no wheel covers, just baby moons. Since I was "Joe Cool" then, I would really have loved some Hallibrand mags or chrome reversed wheels, but they were out of my budget.
Incidently, those first skirts cost only $19.95 a pair but the ones I got for my latest Big-Tailed Beast set me back $150 in 2000.
The pic below is of my current Beast and was taken shortly after I got it. As you can tell, I went for the skirts right away since I wanted to return to the days of my misspent youth. Since the pic was taken, I replaced the narrow band white walls with the period correct 3" ones even though back in 1962 I got the narrow ones as soon as the originals wore out (which happened rather quickly since I had the 330 horse/383 CID SonoRamic Commando and 4.10 gears).
You might be interested in the second photo as well. That is my other Plymmer and it is the virtual twin (including 426-S engine and 4-speed) to the one I took delivery of in November 1964 except for the black vinyl top. Interestingly, the first thing after I took delivery of the one I had way back when was to take the skirts off and put on the baby moons from my '60. Shows to go ya how tastes change!
Joe Godec

 

[Imperialist67]

I think I remember it showing up on BaT last week or so. Look/listen to the YouTube vid in the listing. The period commercial with driving sounds is priceless, the seller did a great job with that. Someone in the local club (CPOC) I belong to has a droptop '59 and calls it "The Millenium Fury," Plymouth's best approximation of a land based space ship built to date.

 

[saforwardlook]

Only thing wrong with it are those hideous skirts!

I am in general not a big fan of skirts either as many must know by now. I nearly always would leave them off even if I do have them, with a few exceptions.

I personally am not enthralled with the overall styling of the 60 Plymouths but styling is a matter of personal taste. At least for those who really like the styling, I just thought this one was particularly well done and a bargain price.

For my tastes, I feel that both Dodge Polara (not the Phoenix) and Chrylser won the prize in that department in 1960:

 

[furyfrank]

Sorry Stan, but those skirts are horrible. They were all aftermarket and don't belong on any forward look cars. I believe they weren't even a factory option. I had a set for my '59, I put them on just long enough to run back and take them off!
If you notice the fenders above the wheel wells have a flare to them, by adding those skirts, now you have an awkward double flare, plus they make the car look like it has a load of gravel in the trunk, waaaay too much fender. IMHO.

View attachment 393377
View attachment 393378

You are totally wrong about the skirts they where a factory option, get your facts straight.

 

[furyfrank]

You are totally wrong about the skirts they where a factory option, get your facts straight.

I walked into a Plymouth showroom and the fury had skirts on it. They where stainless steel if they where dealer installed they where from the factory. And if you think the skirts don't fit I guess your and mine styling are different the skirts help make the car. What years did the factory make skirts a option on a fury, this is a question and look at my name I probably owned more furys than most of you.

 

[gts340]

I absolutely love that car. The skirts look cool too.

 

[Ram Fury]

I walked into a Plymouth showroom and the fury had skirts on it. They where stainless steel if they where dealer installed they where from the factory. And if you think the skirts don't fit I guess your and mine styling are different the skirts help make the car. What years did the factory make skirts a option on a fury, this is a question and look at my name I probably owned more furys than most of you.

Frank --
You may have owned more Furys than I, but I bet I'm one of the few guys around that bought a not only a '60 Fury NEW in 1960 but also a '65 Sport Fury NEW in 1964 as well as the '60 and '65 I have now. The '60 I drove off the dealer's lot back then did not have stainless steel factory skirts but I put Foxcraft units ($19.95) on it though the salesman told I could have factory ones in MOPAR boxes for about 30 bucks. Skirts were very popular in those days and I have no doubt the two pair that disappeared off my first '60 Fury probably ended up on a couple of other Plymmers (or Darts) that I probably encountered cruising around my home town.
On the other hand, my I special ordered my '65 Sport Fury because I wanted the 426-S engine package (365 horses, H/D suspension, and oversize brakes and tires), 4-speed, Sure-Grip, power brakes, tinted glass, and seat belts (notice: NO radio or PS) in a Medium Red Metallic 2-dr H/T with matching interior. When I was working on the deal, I was cutting costs as much as possible and while NO radio was an option, like it or no, skirts were standard equipment on Sport Furys. But by then they were not as cool as they were in 1960, so off they came, so note the photo below.
Incidently, that black '60 is really a beauty, but ALL factory wheels came off the line as black. I love the red droptop, but as far as factory options or period correctness are concerned, wires are definitely out though some were still to be found in dealers' stockrooms. By then, no self-respecting MOPAR gearhead wanted them as they were hard to keep in true, required inner tubes, and could not take the torque of the MOPAR mills, especially the larger B and RB ones. We preferred Hallibrand mags or chrome-reversed wheels and left the wires to the old guys in Buicks and the blonds in T-Birds.
Joe

 

[78Brougham]

@furyfrank I'm sorry Frank, even if you think they were a factory option, which they weren't, they're still ugly as hell. The flare on the fender proves it. Any car that would've been designed to have skirts would've had the fender smooth above the rear axle, not flared out. This proves they were not designed for skirts. Who in their right mind would want one flare and then another flare 6" below it? Just doesn't make for a good design.
I've got to believe the designers tried to make the fenders adaptable for skirts (because they were in fashion at the time) but then bailed because how awkward they looked so they went with the flare. So, some after market company figured they would make them and market them to dealers etc. Just my thoughts, if you like them put them on, if not, do what I did.... Toss ' em.

 

[furyfrank]

@furyfrank I'm sorry Frank, even if you think they were a factory option, which they weren't, they're still ugly as hell. The flare on the fender proves it. Any car that would've been designed to have skirts would've had the fender smooth above the rear axle, not flared out. This proves they were not designed for skirts. Who in their right mind would want one flare and then another flare 6" below it? Just doesn't make for a good design.
I've got to believe the designers tried to make the fenders adaptable for skirts (because they were in fashion at the time) but then bailed because how awkward they looked so they went with the flare. So, some after market company figured they would make them and market them to dealers etc. Just my thoughts, if you like them put them on, if not, do what I did.... Toss ' em.

Read what Ram Fury said about the factory option, they where a factory dealer installed option. And if you think they are ugly that is your opinion, i think they help the looks with all the stainless their makes the car look more complete. Every Fury I owned either had them or I put them on, to me it is people that put blackwalls on a Fury that makes it ugly. I even put 68 skirts on a 67 Fury( had to take out the body line on them).

 

[furyfrank]

Frank --
You may have owned more Furys than I, but I bet I'm one of the few guys around that bought a not only a '60 Fury NEW in 1960 but also a '65 Sport Fury NEW in 1964 as well as the '60 and '65 I have now. The '60 I drove off the dealer's lot back then did not have stainless steel factory skirts but I put Foxcraft units ($19.95) on it though the salesman told I could have factory ones in MOPAR boxes for about 30 bucks. Skirts were very popular in those days and I have no doubt the two pair that disappeared off my first '60 Fury probably ended up on a couple of other Plymmers (or Darts) that I probably encountered cruising around my home town.
On the other hand, my I special ordered my '65 Sport Fury because I wanted the 426-S engine package (365 horses, H/D suspension, and oversize brakes and tires), 4-speed, Sure-Grip, power brakes, tinted glass, and seat belts (notice: NO radio or PS) in a Medium Red Metallic 2-dr H/T with matching interior. When I was working on the deal, I was cutting costs as much as possible and while NO radio was an option, like it or no, skirts were standard equipment on Sport Furys. But by then they were not as cool as they were in 1960, so off they came, so note the photo below.
Incidently, that black '60 is really a beauty, but ALL factory wheels came off the line as black. I love the red droptop, but as far as factory options or period correctness are concerned, wires are definitely out though some were still to be found in dealers' stockrooms. By then, no self-respecting MOPAR gearhead wanted them as they were hard to keep in true, required inner tubes, and could not take the torque of the MOPAR mills, especially the larger B and RB ones. We preferred Hallibrand mags or chrome-reversed wheels and left the wires to the old guys in Buicks and the blonds in T-Birds.
Joe View attachment 395251

I had a 59 Belvedere convertible, 62 Fury convertible,63 sport Fury,65 Sport Fury, 68 Sport Fury and a 72 Fury III all brand new. And alot of used ones like 69 Sport Fury convertible. I stopped buying Chrysler products after they dropped Plymouth in 99, finally bought a few have a 2001 300M and a 2000 Intrepid. I also have a 84 Lebaron convertible with 25 K miles.