1966 Plymouth Fury
1966 (by Lanny Knutson; reprinted from the Plymouth Bulletin) Up front, the '65's fine mesh grille was replaced by horizontal bars set within frames that give a split grille effect. Out back appeared the only sheetmetal change as the taillights were moved to the upper edge of the trunk, set within stamped panels that somewhat imitated the new split grille. On the upper level Sport Fury and Fury III, the remainder of the panel was filled with brushed aluminum material. On the lower-level Fury I and II, the panel was just there as a painted stamped panel. Below the trunk, the upper edge of the bumper featured widely spaced "P-L-Y-M-O-U-T-H" letters. The exterior changes resulted in a .4-inch increase in length and a .7-inch increase in width to 209.8 and 78.7 inches respectively.
The Fury interior displayed minor changes to the dash panel where the bottom edge of the speedometer was given a curve. There was a new console in the bucket seat Sport Fury replacing the one introduced in 1964. The console sprouted a new automatic transmission lever with a reverse lockout button on the top. The desire for a reverse lockout on the four-speed manual cars led to the mighty Hurst shifter being replaced by a willowy Inland unit, a definite step backwards in the opinion of the enthusiasts.
Also new for '66 was an optional telescoping tilt steering-wheel, thin shell bucket seats and four-passenger seat belts with optional front shoulder belts. In another safety inspired move, the previous years' door handles were replaced by handles mounted at the front edge of the armrests where they looked very much like the seatbelt latches. This feature, which would remain on Chrysler cars for years to come, reduced the chance of a door accidentally opening if the handle was caught on clothing or used as an unintentional hand grip.
In response to the success of Ford's '65 LTD, a luxury sedan in the "low-priced" field, Plymouth offered the VIP. Would people pay the price of a Chrysler to buy a "gussied-up" Plymouth? They hoped so, offering a car featuring exterior refinements such as an optional vinyl roof (that was virtually standard since most VIPs came with it), fluted aluminum taillight panels, wood grained inserts in the side trim, rubber bumper strips and special colors and medallions. Inside, luxury was found in deep pile carpet and special tufted block pleated upholstery on seats featuring fold-down armrests. The padded dash was standard as were individually switched reading lamps on the inside C-pillars, seat edge courtesy lights plus plastic walnut grain trim and the special medallions. Introduced only as a four-door hardtop at the beginning of the model year, the VIP line was, on January 1, expanded to include a 2-door hardtop. Like the Sport Fury, the VIP came stock with a V8 engine, a 318 with the larger sizes optional. VIP production totals are unknown since they were included with other four and two door hardtop totals. Unfortunately, the VIP did not prove to match the resounding success of the LTD and it was dropped during the 1969 model year.
The biggest underhood news was the introduction of a 440 cubic inch engine bearing 10:1 compression, dual exhaust and a single four barrel carburetor featuring a dual snorkel air cleaner to put out 365 horsepower.
Emergency four-way flashers were introduced two years before they became mandatory and fender tip external turn signal indicators -- standard on some cars, optional on others in all Plymouth lines -- were also advertised as safety features.
As in 1958, Plymouth put out a Silver Special for the spring of 1966. The Fury II four-door sedan, painted solid silver metallic with an exclusive blue upholstery, came standard with wheelcovers, whitewalls and bright window mouldings.
Spring specials usually indicate slow sales. Plymouth's sales were a bit off this year, a 5.7% drop that could be expected, given the resounding successful year of 1965. However, Chevrolet and Rambler losses led to an actual increase of Plymouth's industry market share. And, in December 1965, the 14 millionth Plymouth -- a Sport Fury hardtop -- was produced.
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