In 1967, Plymouth was finally getting recognition as a serious contender in the performance business. Barracudas had been on the road for a couple years, and a quiet reputation was starting to build for the one-time runt of the Ma Mopar clan. In an effort to amplify this reputation, the division had a new sales pitch for 1967 that was direct and to the point. "Plymouth is out to win you over this year," read the ads. Although the main advertising push was for the Barracuda and the 426 Belvedere, the full-size Sport Fury, with the beefy new 440 option, spoke for itself.
The 440 option wasn't the only thing new on the '67 Sport Fury; the model was completely redesigned again, despite the fact it had been redesigned the year before. The already big Fury was made even bigger in 1967, stretching the sheetmetal 3.3 inches longer than the previous year's model. Every panel was reshaped, offering a more curvy design that gave the Fury a "coke-bottle" look, according to some. Despite the body changes, however, the chassis remained relatively the same as in 1966, retaining its 119-inch wheelbase, with no major changes to the frame.
Ventilation was also improved on the Sport Fury, allowing in-cabin air to be replaced much quicker than in previous years. The flow-through ventilation system exhausted air through a mesh-covered opening in the rear-shelf trim panel, past a vacuum-operated door, and out a grille behind the rear window. While this feature didn't add much to the street performance of the vehicle, it did allow for better comfort when the family packed in.
But the big news for musclecar enthusiasts was still the 440 option. Motor Trend ran a special issue in January 1967 covering the engines of that year, and they weren't shy when it came to the 440's virtues. "Performance-wise," read the article, "the Chrysler folks meet buyers head-on, but the 'sleeper' of this line for 1967 may well be the 440-inch wedge engine."
Motor Trend even put the 440 ahead of the Hemi, stating: "It's far and away easier to maintain, considerably cheaper, and with comparable performance, will probably put the street-Hemi back into the racing-only category." While not all these predictions came to pass, it's clear the 440 had earned the respect of even the most discriminating critics.
It may have been that respect that led the original owner of this sharp '67 Sport Fury convertible to mark off the options that he did. The Fury's current owner, John Grimshaw, tells us the car was special-ordered through a relative who happened to work for Chrysler. "The owner indicated that he wanted the car to give full-size American competition to a friend's Porsche 911," says John. We can't be sure how it worked out for the guy, but from the sheet we're looking at, we bet they had some killer races.
Packed in under the hood on the 440 Wedge are the original 915 heads treated to a little porting work, Ross forged custom pistons with a 10.0:1 compression ratio, a Crane PowerMax camshaft, Comp Cams Pro-Magnum rocker arms, and hydraulic Crane lifters.
Going with the 440 in 1967 also required some handling upgrades, including heavy-duty suspension, 15x6-inch wheels, four-piston Budd disc brakes with 11.9-inch rotors, clutch fan, 18-spline Hemi transmission, special 3-inch driveshaft, and an exclusive Dana 911/44-inch limited-slip 3.31 rearend.
The interior of John's Fury has been touched up a little with reupholstered bucket seats up front, new carpet, and some of the trim, but the rest of the cockpit is completely original. The car features a center buddy seat instead of a console and retains the factory-installed AM/FM radio.
John bought the shimmering C-body in 1994, and after gathering parts for four years, the restoration began. In spring 2000, the Sport Fury was finished, and John has been driving it ever since. He tells us the beauty "drives as well as it looks," adding, "It handles and stops as well as most new cars with the heavy-duty suspension, disc brakes, and the addition of Goodyear Eagle GA radial tires."
The convertible is, understandably, mostly taken out for sunny-day drives, although John did drive it from his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, all the way to the Nats last year. And he's not afraid to open it up, either. He let us know that on his Nats trip, the Fury "was smooth as silk during a number of top-down, 100-plus-mph bursts."
If Plymouth were out to win us over in 1967, we'd say they succeeded admirably. With cars like John's still performing on the road, they continue to succeed every day.