Tag Archives: Fury

Civilian In A Smokey Wrapper – Plymouth Fury

This month’s Americana Thursday blogs will feature a selection of North American law enforcement vehicles, starting with today’s featured 1971 Plymouth Fury.

Plymouth Fury, Bristol

This car was registered in the UK on April 1st 1978 and is officially quoted as having a 5 litre / 302 cui motor which I suspect is actually a 5.2 litre / 318 cui motor.

Plymouth Fury, Bristol

In 1971 Mopar Police Packages included a 155 hp (net) 318 cui option for “all but pursuits“, while researching this blog I stumbled on this fascinating 1971 film made at the California Highway Patrol training facility which features a large number of Mopar law enforcement vehicles including a pursuit Speedbird !

Plymouth Fury, Bristol

Closer inspection of the grill reveals today’s featured car may have been supplied by Garage Visscher near Utrecht in the Netherlands, however Henk Visscher had kindly informed me that while Garage Visscher was under his fathers control only Simca, Chrysler, Sunbeam, Matra, Talbot, Mitisubishi, Alfa Romeo, Opel, Renault, Nissan, Peugeot and Citroèn were sold, but no Plymouth’s so the Garage Visscher badge may have been applied some time after the car was purchased. So far as I am aware Dutch “Polite” forces there used VW Beetles for patrols and Porsche’s for more demanding pursuit work at the time this vehicle was supplied, so in all probability this car was supplied to a non police customer.

Plymouth Fury, Bristol

Film buffs may recognise the paint job bears a striking resemblance to the thirteen 1974 Dodge Monaco “Bluesmobiles” used in the making of the Blues Brothers film. Indeed this vehicle was used on the streets of Bristol to promote a Blues Brothers stage/tribute act.

Plymouth Fury, Bristol

The 1971 incarnation of the fifth generation “Fuselage” Fruy offered for the first time an option of a stereo tape player “with microphone” with which customers could record the radio and or make dictations.

Thanks for joining me on this “Civilian In A Smokey Wrapper” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Ferrari Turned Ugly – Ferrari 312 P #0876 ?

Some months ago I said that after Niki Lauda tested the proposed Ferrari 312 P sports prototype for 1974 he advised Enzo Ferrari that if he wanted to win the World Formula One Championship that he ought to drop the Sports Prototype Programme.

Ferrari P312 #0876 ?

(Ferrari 312 P 1974 Spec, Copyright holder unknown image will be correctly credited or removed upon request.)

The photo above shows Niki Lauda testing the 1974 312 P that is thought to be the work of Mauro ‘Fury’ Forghieri who simultaneously was working on turning the Formula One Ferrari 312 B3 into a competitive proposition.

It has emerged that it was more likely that Niki and Luca de Montemezolo between them successfully convinced Mr Ferrari that continuing the sports prototype programme was not a good idea.

Ferrari P312 #0876 ?

(Ferrari 312 P 1974 Spec, Copyright holder unknown image will be correctly credited or removed upon request.)

As can be seen above even after the alleged advice and Lauda’s test drive, the car, seen here with Niki’s team mate Clay Regazzoni at the wheel, was developed further with the wide front wing being added before the car was dropped and plans to enter the World Sportscar Championship were abandoned.

It would appear 1974 spec 312 P was based on a short wheel base 1971 312 P chassis, probably #0876, this car, with it’s even more distinctive driver side cooler arrangement, than we saw in last weeks 1973 312 P blog, was never raced and has not ever been seen in public.

It is thought likely the car got destroyed on the orders of Enzo Ferrari early in 1974 before the Italian Tax Authorities were due to pay Mr Ferrari a visit.

My thanks to everyone on the 1974 Ferrari 312PB ‘evo’ thread at The Nostalgia Forum who contributed to this blog.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s Ugly Sister edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, and that you will join me again, tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Off The M4 – Atwell Wilson Motor Museum

For several years now every month I have been making a trip up to London to go and see my folks, on the way back no matter what time of day I frequently find myself in a traffic jam some where around J18 on the M4 which could add anything up to an hour on my normal 2 hour journey time.

Atwell Wilson Motor Museum, Calne

About 18 months ago forewarned, by a big new electric message board on the M4, of an impending jam between Junction 18 and 20 I took a detour and followed the A338 from Junction 14 down to Upper Eddington and then followed the A4 west to Bristol.

Buick, Atwell Wilson Motor Museum, Calne

Going through Calne I passed a sign for a Motor Museum, 18 months later with a little time on my hands I managed to follow the sign about a mile down Stockley Lane and on the left I found the Atwell Wilson Motor Museum.

Lea Francis, Atwell Wilson Motor Museum, Calne

Entrance is an unbelievably low £5 and within were over 100 2, 3, 4 wheeled vehicles, and one soon to depart 6 wheel World War 2 AEC RAF Refuelling Tanker.

Morris 8, Atwell Wilson Motor Museum, Calne

The collection can broadly be divided into vintage and classic mass production vehicles with a particularly interesting collection of Limousines both British and American which are available at very reasonable rates for wedding hire.

Nash Statesman Super, Atwell Wilson Motor Museum, Calne

The Atwell Wilson Museum was founded by Richard and Hasel Atwell, who lived in Wiltshire all of their lives, in 1962 they started collecting vehicles with a local connection and maintaining them in a road worthy condition. Richard passed away last year, the Museum that has grown out of the collection is run by 15 volunteers.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Motor Museum, Calne

On the weekend of July 9th and 10th the museum will be hosting a classic car weekend, if you have a classic car, or even if you don’t but would like to attend call 01249 813119 or e-mail enquiries@atwellwilson.org.uk for details. I shall look forward to attending on one of the two days.

Thanks for popping by today’s Atwell – Wilson edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a closer look at the Atwell – Wilsons 1962 Plymouth Fury. Don’t for get to come back now !

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Chthonic deity of vengeance – Plymouth Fury

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

The second generation Plymouth Fury was in production from 1960 to 1964, in 4 door saloon / sedan, 2 door coupé, 4 door estate / station wagon or 2 door convertible body styles. The model featured in today’s blog was built in 1961.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

Second generation Furies are distinguishable from their earlier siblings by featuring unit-body construction doing away with the need for a separate chassis.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

The Fury takes its name from mythological subterranean personifications of vengeance.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

An electric motor powers a hydraulic pump which acts to power the hood down and back up, the hood is locked shut manually and sealed with a couple of press studs.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

Allegedly the ’62 Fury was downsized after the President of Chrysler misheard a GM executive saying that Chevrolet, GM’s bargain equivalent of Chryslers Plymouth brand would not have any full size cars in it’s ’62 model line up.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

With some 5,400 body welds to each Plymouth the unitary construction of the second generation Fury was estimated to have 40% more sag resistance and double the twist resistance of the first generation Fury with its body on frame construction method.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

There is some debate about the ’61’s down turned fins which were critically acclaimed but not well received by the public , were they a deliberate feature or an unresolved feature by designer Virgil Exner who suffered a heart attack in 1960 and was near death when the 1961 and ’62 Fury designs were finalised.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

A particularly cool feature of the second generation Fury is that it has no gear stick / shift either floor or column mounted but instead the Torqueflite automatic gearbox is operated by just five simple push buttons at the 9 o’clock position to the left of the steering wheel.

A copy of this transmission operating system was also adopted by Bristol Cars on their 407 model which also used identical Chrysler 313 cui V8 engines and Torqueflite gearboxes to this particular Plymouth Fury.

Plymouth Fury, Atwell Wilson Museum

Imported from California in 1976 this is thought to be the only working ’61 Plymouth Fury in the United Kingdom and can be hired for weddings for a modest £275 pounds.

My thanks to the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum for keeping this magnificent land yacht in working fettle and on display,

Thanks for joining me for another Mopar edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow when we take a peak at something very large and in charge from behind the Iron Curtain. Don’t for get to come back now !

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