History/driving impessions originally published AutoWeek September 27. 1999; republished by the author

The 1960 Plymouth Fury had large tailfins but the front end was aggressively styled as well.

The 1960 Plymouth Fury had an extravagant styling sweep from the grille to around the front wheels.

The 1960 Plymouth Fury was demarked from lesser Plymouths by a huge disc on the tailfins and a “spare tire” applique on the trunklid.

 

If there is a single icon for the automotive 1950s, it’s the tailfin. And although Cadillac in 1959 is usually cited for the ultimate fins, the case can be made for the 1960 Plymouth line. The Plymouth’s fins were just as tall as the Caddy’s. But where Cadillacs were only for those with, well, Cadillac pocketbooks, the 1960 Plymouth brought the tailfin to the middle class as never before.

Of course, the automotive market was different 1960. Instead of today’s plethora of platforms under a single marque, Plymouth had only one body style and, excepting the wagons, all shared a 118-inch wheelbase and were 209.4 inches long. (Valiant was introduced in 1960 is a separate brand – it didn’t officially become a Plymouth until 1961.)

The Plymouth was available in the bargain-basement Savoy and in two-door and four-door sedans. A station wagon, dubbed Suburban, came in two-door or four-door models also. The Belvedere covered the midrange, adding a two-door hardtop and a nine-passenger wagon with a rear-facing third seat, though Belvedere deleted the pedestrian two-door wagon.

Included in the Fury lineup, for which the Sport Suburban was the wagon counterpart, was a convertible and four-door hardtop. The latter is a period icon in its own right for a time when air-conditioning was not yet universal. Rolling down all four windows was so much cooler without a crude B-pillar marring that open-air look. With only 9,036 produced, it was almost as rare as the 7,080 convertibles.

If one knew the code, the Plymouth could be identified by the tailfin decorations. The Savoy had a single jet-age missile medallion; the Belvedere’s fins were adorned with three darts. The Fury, however had huge, disk-shaped fin ornaments, plus an appliqué on the trunk lid simulating a spare tire carrier.

Plymouth’s extravagant styling was not limited to its tail. The front fenders, with eyebrows sweeping around the wheel openings, are evocative of traditional open-fender designs. The effect is heightened by the optional two-tone paint as found on this Fury owned by Kenneth Borger of Pennsville, Pa. Borger’s four-door hardtop, repainted in the original colors, is powered by the 318-cid V8, standard in the Fury. This one had the optional Torqueflite three-speed automatic with pushbutton control. The buttons are on the dash, left of the steering wheel. Opening either front door demonstrates another Fury option; automatic swivel seats. A cable from the front doors pivots the individual front chairs for easier entry, an $87 option.

Inside there is more chrome and glitter than a baton-twirling competition. Perched atop the dash is a horizontal streamlined pod with turn indicators and oil and temperature warning lights, and a long drum-type speedometer that rolls up red bands in 10-mph increments. The focal point, however, is the square steering wheel. The rounded rectangle with color-keyed end pieces and gold sparkles embedded in the transparent horizontal sections is accented by a “horn ring” comprised of a tapered horizontal chrome bar with discs at each end. Motor Trend, even then hep to a great idea, sagely noted, “The additional leg clearance, combined with a better instrument view that is never obstructed in the wheel turning process, justifies a high score for project engineers.”

Snazzy styling aside, the big Plymouths had unibody construction, torsion-bar front suspension with a live axle on leaf springs at the rear. The Fury rides smoothly and effortlessly. The power steering is light and the power drum brakes respond to a gentle touch. But it wasn’t, and isn’t, a sports car, and it really doesn’t care. There’s no “Park” button for the transmission, however, so take care to set the parking brake.

No matter how cool the tailfins looked bisecting the view through the fender-mounted mirrors, fins weren’t the future but the past. Rambler snagged the number three sales ranking from Plymouth for 1960, and a radical restyling saw the 1961 Plymouth flanks the denuded of fins. The Fabulous Fifties were finally over, and the 1960 Fury was the era’s final triumph.

Addendum: Neighbors several houses down bought a new 1960 Plymouth which, when the 1961 models appeared, was instantly and very obviously outdated. It’s the first time I remember feeling sorry for an adult.

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