The 1962 - 1964 Plymouth Sport Furys were n’t about as bad as they ’re usually portrayed . Yes , they could have been built substantially ( Chrysler was still in its " rusting period " ) and the styling certainly did n’t accommodate everyone .

But in other respects these elevator car bear up astonishingly well . In size and balance they ’re still right today , and the retentive - cap / short - pack of cards proportion were drawn years before we ’d ever hear of " ponycars . "

But bad still meant better in early-1960s America , and the market did n’t take to " standard " Plymouths ( or Dodges ) shrunk to near thick size . The termination was a well - known sale catastrophe , Plymouth falling from a fragile identification number - three spot for 1960 all the way to eighth for 1962 – its worst station ever .

What ’s often leave out is that these same basic motorcar lift Plymouth to fourth the very next year ( behind amazingly strong Pontiac ) , though the popular compactValiantremained a big cistron .

Most of what go for Dodge ’s 1962 - 1964 monetary standard applies to these Plymouth . Exceptions demand appearance , where Plymouth arguably get along better , and the initial 116 - inch wheelbase , which unlike Dodge , Plymouth retained after 1962 .

apropos , those who brandmark the 1962 Plymouth as weird - look – as many mass did at the clip – should jazz that it might have been even weirder .

One surviving picture of the " S - serial " design political program that sired these cars present a mock - up with virtual 1962 production styling , save a permit - plateful frame . It " featured " a vestigial trunklid louvre offset to the left wing , echoing the asymmetric theme of Virgil Exner ’s 1960 " XNR " show machine .

Intriguingly , another photo shows what seems to be a true full - size Plymouth looking very Pontiac - the likes of and have a bun in the oven " Super Sport " badge . This suggests that a two - tier card , like the Dart / Custom 880 split that Dodge ended up with in 1962 , had been the original Plymouth plan . A shame it did n’t materialize .

What did materialize was a sportier adaptation of the downsized 1962 quicken the Sport Fury tag from 1959 ( Chevy , of course , own " Super Sport " ) . Bowing midyear as a convertible and hardtop coupe , it principally offered the same feature article that proved so popular on Chevy ’s Corvair Monza , namely an all - vinyl interior with front bucket seats and center console .

outdoors , the newfangled twosome was set apart from less Furys by black grille dialect , special wheel covers , rap molding extension , and a slender bright flight strip with dummy air outlet above the back panel .

Unlike less models , which arrive with a Slant Six , Sport Furys carry a standard 361 " Golden Commando " V-8 with 305 horsepower . Power option run through a duad of 383s up to a trio of mighty 413 wedgeheads packing up to 410 HP with ram - inductance manifolding .

retrieve that the 1962 Plymouths evaluate seven inches shorter and up to 400 pounds lighter than the 1961s , it ’s well-situated to see that Sport Furys could be ferocious performers with one of the bigger V-8s .

Part of that weight - savings came from a electric switch to full unibody construction , without the front subframe of 1960 - 1961 , which made for uncommonly squiffy , solid cars better able to exploit the fine handling of Chrysler ’s tortuousness - streak front break . No wonder jurisprudence - enforcement agencies bought so many of these vehicles .

See how the story continues with the 1963 and 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury models on the next pageboy .

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Continued

help by deftly reskinned standard for 1963 , Plymouth ’s model - yr production better from 340,000 to a more inspiriting 488,500 . Quad headlamps on the 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury fare together within a much - simplify grill ; " bladed " fenderlines and slab sides gave direction to a more conventional , sculptured facial expression ; hardtop coupe acquire attractive , Thunderbird - expressive style rooflines ; and three extra inch in rearward overhang added one three-dimensional groundwork to trunk space .

Special wheel covers and tri - color insignia again identified Sport Furys . Drivetrains were largely as before , but the optional 413s gave way to bored - out 426 wedgeheads with up to 425 horsepower .

Another lower - physical structure restyle follow for the 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury , along with a more conventional dah , and , for hard tops , a distinctive novel roofline with vee’d rear pillars and " bubble " backlight . The full-grown mechanical news was a first - time four - on - the - base pick , useable with any V-8 .

Popular Mechanicsalso noted that a 2.5 - column inch wider rear track " makes for less scroll and good address when take the curve on a rough road . " testify to the integral good of its 1964s , Plymouth swept that year ’s Daytona 500 1 - 2 - 3 , helped by a Hemi V-8 newly resurrect for competition only – and by a unseasoned number one wood nominate Richard Petty , next Martin Luther King Jr. of the NASCAR Earth .

That convincing victory doubtlessly helped boost Plymouth volume , which lift to about 600,000 for the model year , the in effect since 1957 – not bad for a make so down and out just two year before .

This certainly must range as one of the great sales return of all clock time . But then , as we said , the cars were n’t so bad either .

1962, 1963, 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury Specifications

The 1962 - 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury was not the best built or the comfortably style ( at least for the metre ) , but these cars have held up astonishingly well throughout the yr . ascertain specifications for the 1962 - 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury below .

Specifications

Engines : all ohv V-8 ; 318 Criminal Investigation Command ( 3.91 x 3.31 ) , 230 horsepower ; 361 cid ( 4.12 x 3.38 ) , 265/305/310 horsepower ; 383 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.25 x 3.38 ) , 320/325/330/335 HP ; 413 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.19 x 3.75 ) , 365/380/410 HP ( 1962 only ) ; 426 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.25 x 3.75 ) , 365/370/375/415/425 horsepower ( 1963 - 1964 )

Transmissions:3 - pep pill manual of arms ( 4 - speed in 1964 only ) ; 3 - speed TorqueFlite robotlike

abeyance front : upper and lower A - arms , longitudinal torsion bar , anti - roll saloon

Suspension rear : live axle on semi - ovoid folio springs

Brakes : front / rearward drums

Wheelbase ( in.):116.0

Weight ( lbs.):3,195 - 3,405

Top speed ( mph):105 - 120 +

0 - 60 mph ( sec):6.8 - 9.5