Hod-Rodded 1965 Plymouth Fury Emerges Out of Backyard, Takes First Drive in 20 Years

And we can't say it's for a lack of high-performance engines. The Fury was fitted with the mighty 413-cubic-inch (6.8-liter) RB V8 as early as 1960. The downsized second-generation model saw the addition of the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Wedge version of the RB, but Plymouth also built a few units with the Hemi V8.

Finally, the Fury also got the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) version of the RB in 1965, when it was reinstated as a full-size vehicle. Which brings me to this cool Fury wagon that was recently discovered in someone's backyard. It's been sitting for around 20 years and it comes with a couple of neat surprises.

First, this somewhat hard-to-find station wagon was restored at some point in its life. And the guy who did the refresh went with a rather interesting color: pastel blue. The hue could be described as turquoise, but it doesn't look anything like the colors Plymouth offered in 1965.

The company's palette included no fewer than three turquoise options back then, called Light, Medium Poly, and Dark Poly. Well, this aftermarket coating looks more similar to the turquoise-like pastel blue that was popular in the 1950s. For instance, it was a popular choice among Chevrolet Bel Air and Nomad buyers.

On top of that, all chrome trim, including the front grille, were painted in the same color, while the various parts of the body received hot rod-style pinstriping. Now that's something you don't see every day.

Second, it comes with a matching-numbers 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8 engine under the hood. Sure, the four-barrel 383 isn't as powerful and desirable as the 426 "street Wedge" mill, but a 56-year-old car with its original V8 is a rare feat. For reference, the four-barrel 383 came with 330 horsepower back in the day. And that's nothing to sneeze at.

But since the car spent 20 years in a backyard, the 383 V8 no longer runs. Luckily enough, it still turns, but the mill needs a handful of new parts to fire up again. But this isn't an issue for the car's new owner, who hauls the station wagon back to his shop to get it running again.

A couple of days of work later, and voila, the 383 starts rumbling and the old Fury is ready to take its first trip in two decades. And not only does the V8 run surprisingly smooth, but it still has plenty of life in it. Just enough to make the Fury roar like a full-fledged muscle car.

Once it can drive under its own power, the Plymouth is taken to the car wash and the cleaning reveals a nice-looking body with no major rust issues. And the turquoise paint still looks nice. It's definitely one of the coolest Plymouth wagons I've seen in a very long time, so go ahead and check it out in the video below.