Overshadowed by nameplates like the Barracuda, Road Runner, and GTX, the Plymouth Belvedere is rarely associated with high performance. But just like its more celebrated Dodge and Plymouth siblings, the Belvedere was also offered with the mighty 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB and 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi V8s during the muscle car wars.
When fitted with the latter, the Belvedere became a 425-horsepower and 490-pound-foot (664-Nm) beast ready to hit well in excess of 100 mph (161 kph) on the highway and to cover the quarter-mile in less than 14 seconds. But the Belvedere Hemi wasn't the wildest version of the intermediate.
Like all Detroit automakers, Plymouth also rolled out factory-built dragsters throughout the 1960s. The program included the A990 too, which was essentially a drag-prepped Belvedere. Plymouth built only 100 cars in 1965 and one went on to win the Super Stock championship in 1967 with Ed Miller and Kip Guenther.
The orange A990 you're about to see below isn't that car, but it's just as spectacular to look at. Dubbed "California Flash," this Belvedere was driven by famed racer Butch Leal and soldiered on for more than 50 years to become a restored beauty.
Rebuilt over two years, this A990 was recently featured at the latest Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals (MCACN) show and it looks just like it did when Leal drove it down the quarter-mile in the 1960s. And it still sports most of its original parts.
While it may look like a regular Belvedere beyond the massive hood scoop and the fat rear tires, the A990 came with a long list of track-prepped extras. It featured lightweight fenders, doors and bumpers, thinner windows, a roll cage, and a rear-seat delete. The standard front seats were also replaced with units from the Dodge A100 van.
Of course, all cars were fitted with the mighty 426 Hemi V8. This engine was known to produce 425 horsepower in stock, streetable form, but the A990 got upgraded internals for drag racing duty.
In its current configuration, the Hemi in this Belvedere cranks out a whopping 675 horsepower. And needless to say, it makes a lot of noise thanks to its open-header layout.
With fewer than the 100 original cars having survived to this day, the A990 is among the most valuable Belvederes ever built. In pristine condition, these Plymouths usually cross the block for more than $200,000.
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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