Tag: Belvedere

1955 Plymouth Belvedere With Baby Fins

Click on pictures to Z O O M in.

Click on pictures to Z O O M in.
During the mid 1950s the US automakers got into a real race by dressing up their huge cars with fins and heavy chrome trim. This car was released in late 1954 just before the craze began and it shows two small fins at the rear. These would be enlarged in 1956 and dramatically expanded in 1957 ( Click Here for more information ) and would continue to grow for several years.

In 1957, Chrysler took a big risk and skipped the planned 1957 models and brought out the 1958 instead. This was the beginning of the “fins and chrome” race in Detroit.

Also, hi to my friend Richard Haber who drove one of these right after high school. His was a fancier model with black and white paint job, as I recall. Thinking back, his might have been a 1956.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEf_-7s065E]

1958 Plymouth Belvedere

Click on pictures to Z O O M in.

Here’s another in the long line of Chrysler’s “Skip Year” cars. This one is a 1958 and that was the year that really hurt Chrysler sales because of the decision to skip several years of testing in 1957. Sales dropped as many cars had very bad reliability levels. See the previous article here.

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But you can see that the cars sold because of the look of the line. Too bad they didn’t test these cars more, Chrysler could have been a big winner.

1957 would be a banner year for the Chrysler Corporation, and Plymouth was no exception. Plymouth’s design was so revolutionary that Chrysler used the slogan “Suddenly, it’s 1960!” to promote the new car. The Belvedere line once again included the Fury. This year a new 318in³ V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors was the standard engine in the Fury, and it was available on all Plymouths.

The Belvedere would once again return as a top level trim for 1958. Styling was evolutionary from the sleek 1957 models. Quad headlights were new, as was a big block 350in³ V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors dubbed “Golden Commando.”

More Information, click here

© Fred Winograd copyright 2010