Buying an antique car doesn’t mean it’s a classic car. It’s easy to conflate the two, but they are distinct. Yet a run-of-the-mill car like a 1979 Volkswagen Beetle is classic even though its existence was based on the mundane, much like our Pick of the Day. Is this 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II four-door sedan classic? It’s listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The Belvedere name first appeared as a hardtop sub-model of the 1951 Cranbrook, eventually absorbing the Cranbrook for 1954 to become Plymouth’s top trim level. Starting in 1956, it was pushed down a notch by the performance-oriented Fury, and was pushed down another notch for 1959 once the Fury name was mainstreamed and the Sport Fury was introduced. (The Sport Fury disappeared for 1960, only to be revived for 1962.)
When the B-body went from being marketed as a full-size platform to a mid-size platform for 1965, Plymouth created a hierarchy with the Belvedere I, Belvedere II, and Satellite. The Belvedere II hit a sweet spot of price, style, and popularity. It also featured the most body styles out of any B-body: two-door hardtop and convertible, four-door sedan, and two four-door station wagons (six- and nine-passenger). Available engines included the 225 Slant Six, 273 two-barrel V-8, 318 Poly V-8, 361 two-barrel V-8, 383 four-barrel V-8, and 426 Street Wedge V-8.
While the 1965 Belvedere series was a facelift of the ’64, the 1966 model was restyled with chiseled edges and longitudinal body sculpting. The dual headlights returned for one more year, an unusual feature in this class. Increased glass area and curved side glass was a nod towards modernization. New was the 426 Hemi, replacing its wedge-head predecessor. Seventeen “bold, beautiful solid colors” plus 18 optional two-tone color combinations were available on most models save convertibles.
When production ended in August 1966, Plymouth had produced 102,450 Belvedere IIs, including 49,911 four-door sedans. Of those, approximately a third were powered by the Slant Six, like our feature 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II four-door sedan. As it’s shifted by a column-mounted three-speed manual, it’s on the rarer side of the two available transmissions, but it’s the two-tone paint configuration that makes it a looker: “X” Beige body with “Y” Bronze metallic top.
Glance at the fender tag and you’ll note the XX1 paint code, which means monotone Beige paint, so kudos goes to someone who added the contrasting hue for catching the eye. The interior is Tan cloth and vinyl with bench seats front and rear. “Always a PA car with [103,850] original miles documented on the clean PA title in our dealership’s name!” says the seller. “Working lights, horn, wipers, and heat.” It’s also equipped with under-dash air conditioning.
Can a car be classic simply due to its age? Some will argue that most “more-door” cars from the 1960s don’t qualify for this descriptor. But if it’s true that you have to act important if you want to be seen as important, then maybe you should buy this $9,996 Mopar and drive it with pride. Perhaps it’s not quite classic, but everyone looking at you will think otherwise.
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