1965 Plymouth Belvedere I Hemi 426

Chrysler Corporation's Plymouth Division had a renaissance for 1965, when they returned to the full-size fold with big, blocky Furys on a new 119-inch wheelbase . Fury I and II offered two sedans and a wagon; Fury III added two- and four-door hardtops and a convertible; at the top were a bucket-seat Sport Fury convertible and hardtop coupe. They were the largest Plymouths ever, and roomier than the 1964's.

Prices were reasonable: $2400-$3200. Unit construction continued, but a bolt-on subframe carried engine and front suspension. Powerplants ran from 225 Slant Six through 318, 361, 383, and wedgehead 426 V-8s producing 230-365 bhp. With a blocky reskin the "new midsize" Belvedere and met strong buyer approval.

Offerings for 1965 included a much-altered drag-oriented two-door aptly named Super Stock. A wedgehead 426 with 365 bhp was standard on S/S and optional for other Belvederes. A 426 Hemi with 425 bhp was optional for the Super Stock. S/S rode a special 115-inch chassis and weighed just 3170 pounds, so performance was abundant.

But this wasn't cheap, setting you back at $4671, nor readily available as it was built for strip and not practical on the street. Normal Belvederes cost $2200-$2700 and offered mostly the same engines as Furys, though their base V-8 was a new small-block 273 rated at 180 bhp. This was a debored cousin of the 318, which was reengineered for '65 to save weight, yet the result was no less durable or potent.

Scoring points with performance-minded young-bloods, Plymouth finally took the incredible Hemi from track to show-room as a limited-production option for the 1966 Belvedere II/Satellite. However, the potent 1965 Plymouth Belvedere's are prized by collectors and Mopar fans to this day.