This 1967 Belvedere II HEMI Is a Ghost: The One-Off 426-Cube V8 Plymouth That's Not a GTX

The vast majority went between the front fenders of the new-for-year GTX sub-model of the Belvedere II (737 luxury muscle cars bore the 426 cubic-inch elephant big-block). The difference is primarily filled by 55 Super Stock Belvedere IIs (RO23 build code), destined for track use, as the “Super Stock” moniker bluntly identified.

The rest is scattered among Satellites and Belvedere I and II (the non-GTX models). And here’s where history becomes foggy again: officially, Chrysler didn’t offer the HEMI engine in the 1967 Belvedere (a brochure in the gallery clearly points out the engine choices). Customers could opt for the standard 225-cube (3.7 liters) slant-six or the 273-CID (4.5 liters) V8.

The 318- (5.2-liter) or 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) eight-bangers could be ordered for extra cash. End of sales story. Or not. There were (supposedly) 12 Belvedere IIs that got the holy grail treatment – 11 two-door hardtops and just a single example of a spacious four-door, six-passenger sedan. Sources slightly vary the number of the two-door ones, in lack of better official documentation.

Thus, it’s improbable to see one on the streets today, 56 years after getting inconspicuously slotted between the 88,000+ production run of that model year Belvedere II. But surprises are not uncommon in the realm of high-compression ratio, and one of those unicorns has surfaced.

It’s one of the 11 hardtops, but it has some features that make it a one-of-one, an unrepeated exercise of muscle-car prejudice mockery. Usually, high-performance versions of Detroit’s metal creations wore bright colors (equally colorfully named) and shone bright chrome to attract wows.

Plymouth went the other way, giving the GTX (in 440-CID – 7.2-liter – or 426 HEMI – 7.0-liter - iterations) a proper education and impeccable street fashion manners. The same is valid for the 11 Belvedere II, which didn’t get flashy colors, bright ornaments, or oversized decals and emblems.

This particular survivor is – apart from a glitch in the Mopar Matrix - a special order from a dealer that specifically asked for one to place in his showroom. The car was finished in December 1966, and met its first owner the following July.

Apart from its numerical rarity, the car sports a feature that makes it a one-off. The “A” and “B” Silver Special packages gave it Special Silver paint, an Antique Silver interior, and a silver vinyl top. While the chromatic package was commonplace in Belvedere IIs of the period, pairing it with a 426 HEMI puts it at the other end of the availability spectrum.

Naturally, a HEMI car wouldn’t spin its wheels around the combustion galaxy simply by going back and forth between the garage and the local country club. After all, having 425 officially-claimed gross hp (431 PS) and enough torque to make a yarn out of the Earth’s rotational axis meant business.

490 lb-ft (664 Nm) was enough to make the rain fall back into the sky when the driver planted his right foot all the way through. The intricate engine was ideal for discrete gearheads thanks to its eight-barrel carburation setup and a 10.251:1 compression ratio.

Picture this: the base price for a 1967 Belvedere II was $2,551. The HEMI option pounded another $907.60 on the bill. The car was all go and no show, with its plain garment and obeying looks. It also was an ideal candidate for breaking down after too much abuse, and too many of the original 426 HEMI V8s are lost forever.

The story fits this car’s history – the factory-installed Street HEMI is no longer. Instead, a 1969-built Mopar muscle lies under the unassuming hood (sporting the same dome-shaped combustion chambers and performance specs).

Furthermore, the replacement unit has been overhauled completely, and it has gathered around 500 miles (about 800 metric clicks) since, strictly between car shows. The car runs and drives - as seen in the video - although it doesn't often go out for a spin anymore.

The tranny – a three-speed automatic with a 3.91 rear – is allegedly in solid working order – although the car was initially equipped with the 3.23 Sure Grip diff (standard for the automatic gearbox). Also, the owner notes that the transmission leaks ever so slightly.

In 2001, the car changed hands for $48,400 – it still had the original powertrain in it, and the odometer read nearly 67,426 miles (eerie coincidence, wouldn’t you say? 67, as in the model year; 426 – well, that’s self-explanatory) – roughly (108,500 km). The present owner purchased it in 2010 and has rebuilt the engine shortly after.

Despite the rich documentation, the car’s past is somewhat shady – there’s no mention of the original engine (what happened to it, why it was replaced, and so on) – and the body paint has probably been refreshed at some point.

Judging by the photos, the car’s condition is surprisingly good, with no visible – or noted – defects on the livery, seals, ornaments, upholstery, or vinyl top. Speaking of it, a replacement is sold together with the car if it will be needed at some point.

The fuel gauge does not work, but that’s the black sheep of the instruments cluster – all others do their job. Also, the heater and stock AM radio are in running order, and the vehicle is offered on a clean Massachusetts title in the seller’s name.

Additional documents for this 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II Hemi car include the broadcast sheet, fender tag decoding from Galen Govier, the original Certicard, and several magazine cutout stories. The car’s asking price is $104,500, but the highest bid – placed on May 31 – sits at $72,000.