The Belvedere has quite an interesting story among classic Plymouth models. It was first used to describe a body style for the Cranbrook, before replacing the latter as the flagship trim a few years later and finally filling out its shoes as a full model line, spawning sedans, wagons, convertibles and 2-door hardtops.
It would endure as Plymouth's full-size offering until 1965 when it was finally succeeded by the Satellite, which was also a trim name, initially. As for where the name ‘Belvedere’ came from, it’s Italian for “beautiful sight”. Chrysler also had a factory in Belvidere, Illinois (Belvidere with an ‘i’), for what it’s worth.
Anyway, fast forward to the fifth generation “Intermediate Series” of the early 1960s, and we land on a whole bunch of cars that were generally very well received by the public. Between 1965 and 1967, Plymouth spaced out the Belvedere line to include the I, II and Satellite subseries, and as it so happens, you’re looking at one such vehicle right now – up for grabs to the highest bidder.
According to the ad, the exterior is finished in yellow, although to us it just looks overly beige, which is normally not a very good thing, but it somehow works on this tuned 2-door hardtop model. This car could rock any color and still look mean enough to scare other people in traffic.
Noteworthy exterior features include the hood scoop, chrome bumpers, the ‘V Eight’ fender badges, and the Center Line 15-inch forged wheels with Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R tires. The car’s stance is also aided by the Viking Performance adjustable coilovers.
Inside, the bench seats have been reupholstered in black vinyl, to match the dashboard and door panels. You’ll also find a Hurst ball shifter, a Sony CD stereo, and some auxiliary gauges for coolant temperature, fuel level, alternator status and oil pressure.
Photo: Bring a Trailer
Now for the main event, the engine, which was originally a 318 ci V8. Now though, we’re dealing with a replacement 540 ci iron-block V8, courtesy of Muscle Motors. It’s got Crane pushrods, ARP hardware, aluminum cylinder heads, a Speed Demon carburetor, branded valve covers, long-tube headers and an aluminum radiator.
Based on a dyno chart submitted by the seller, the motor is putting down no fewer than 471 horsepower at the wheels, which comes up to roughly 550 horsepower at the crank. All these ponies are being channeled directly to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox.
Granted, we’ve seen plenty of superior muscle cars, but there’s just something about this Belvedere that really makes it stand out. This is the most daring-looking beige classic we’ve seen in a long time.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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