This 1968 Plymouth Fury Convertible Is a Junkyard Gem Waiting for a Second Chance

A rather exclusive automobile initially, the Fury became a stand-alone nameplate in 1959. The shift brought four-door and convertible models into showrooms. Like most full-size Mopars, the Fury was downsized in 1962. Only two years later, Plymouth released a redesigned version on the then-new C-body platform, and the Fury morphed into the company's bread-and-butter full-size.

The fourth-generation Fury was a big hit. It debuted with nearly 330,000 deliveries in 1965 and moved a whopping 335,447 examples the following year. When discontinued in 1968, the fourth-gen full-size had sold more than 1.2 million units.

Unfortunately, this Fury is nowhere near as desirable as the midsize Mopars from the era. It's mainly treated as a throw-away vehicle, and most of the cars that survived are currently rotting away in junkyards. And that's a shame because some examples are actually rare. This 1968 convertible is one of them.

Sure, it may sound contradictory, given that Plymouth sold no fewer than 309,517 units that year, but not many were convertibles. Specifically, only 6,972 customers went with the drop-top body style, only 2.2% of the total production. What's more, the "PM" in the VIN suggests this car is a Fury III trim, which makes it one of only 4,483 built.

Granted, it's not one of those three-digit production HEMI cars (the Fury wasn't available with the mighty 426 V8 anyway), but it's one of very few 1968 convertibles still around. And amazingly enough, it's not yet consumed by rust.

There's no info as to when this drop-top was retired from public roads, but it sure looks like it's been sitting for at least 20 years. The Forest Green paint has been consumed by surface rust, but there are no significant holes in the body. The interior is a big mess, but the white-and-red upholstery combo is interesting, to say the least. However, it may not be the original layout.

Unlike many junkyard finds, this Fury still has an engine under the hood. The Fury III Convertible was available with one of four powerplants that year, starting with a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8 rated at 230 horsepower. The options list included the 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) Commando with 290 horses and the Super Commando version with 330 horsepower.

Finally, the range-topping V8 was the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB, good for 375 horsepower. This Fury definitely has a big-block, but it appears to be the two-barrel 383. The V8 mates to a three-speed TorqueFlite automatic. There's no info on whether the powertrain combo is numbers-matching, but that would be cool.

All told, the body style, trim, and the drivetrain likely turn this Fury III into one of fewer than 1,000 convertibles built like this. But while it's definitely a junkyard gem, this drop-top is too expensive to restore relative to its market value. Sadly, it won't become more than a parts car. Do you think it's worth saving?