Plymouth sold quite a few cool nameplates in the 1960s, including the Belvedere, Fury, Baracuda, Road Runner, and the GTX. The Savoy wasn't one of them. Sure, it shared a lot with the Belvedere, but the Savoy just wasn't all that popular. But that's exactly why I get all hyped up when stumble across a Savoy barn find that's getting revived.
This 1964 Savoy wasn't lucky enough to get a barn, though. The car was parked in a yard and spent no fewer than 29 years exposed to the elements. So it wasn't only extremely dirty, but its cabin, trunk, and engine compartment were taken over by rodents. Disgusting? Yes! Still salvageable? Well, YouTube's "Sleeperdude" managed to clean it up and it turns out it's not in such terrible condition.
Sure, the trunk pan has holes in it, the cabin floor also needs an overhaul, and the side skirts are rusty, but it's not that bad for a vehicle that sat outside for almost three decades. And it seems this Plymouth still sports its original white paint, which is downright amazing (not to mention that I love that two-tone light blue interior).
Does it run? No, it doesn't, but that's to be expected from this type of car. But get this, the Savoy has been driven for a whopping 340,000 miles (547,177 km) from 1964 to 1991, when it was retired from public roads. No wonder the 225-cubic-inch slant-six under the hood is not original but sourced out of a 1970s Mopar.
Will it come back to life? I guess it remains to be seen. "Sleeperdude" does a lot of "will it run?" videos, so this Savoy will also get its turn soon. But until that happens, it's the perfect opportunity to see how to clean an extremely dirty and rat-infested vehicle.
If you're not familiar with the Plymouth Savoy, the nameplate debuted in 1954 as a mid-level car priced between the Plaza and the Belvedere. It was redesigned in 1955, 157, and 1960 and remained a full-size vehicle until 1961. For the final generation, produced from 1962 to 1964, the Savoy became a midsize car.
This yard find is a final-year example of the four-door sedan variety. Plymouth also produced two-door coupes and four-door station wagons.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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