The 1975-1989 Plymouth Fury and Plymouth Gran Fury
The Plymouth Fury started as a high performance version of the standard Plymouth, but the name was quickly applied to the brand's full-size cars, where it stayed for most of its life. But in 1975, the Plymouth Fury name was moved to the B-body cars, replacing the Satellite (which had replaced the Belvedere). These are the Furys that probably come to mind for younger Americans.
Hill Street Blues showed Chicago's B-body Furys (and Diplomats) in their day-to-day life; they accelerated fast, looked sharp, and swung their rears around wildly whenever they went around a turn, as did most other cars on Hill Street Blues, which seemed to eschew slow-motion chases made fast by speeding up the film. This model of the Plymouth Fury was also popular on T.J. Hooker and CHiPS, and made an appearance on the movie Car Wash, where it was extensively filmed while being washed - and then left parked on-premises throughout the film.
In 1975, Chrysler Corporation made a number of changes to its unit-body construction in intermediate lines, to increase front barrier impact and help the styling of two-door models. This included a new separate front wheelhouse (rather than using welded-in fender side shields); windshield pillars and front-door hinge pillars reinforced at the roof, belt line, and base of the pillar; thick steel reinforcements added inside the body sills from the front pillars to the center pillars; steel box sections from the front door hinge pillar to absorb impact loads; lower side rails at the side of the engine compartment made of heavier gauge steel; and box-section members joining the forward lower side rails with the body side sills made of heavier gauge steel for better impact resistance.
This was the same year the Plymouth Fury was restyled and moved to the B-body platform, replacing the Belvedere, with the Gran Fury (shown in police trim above) staying on the newly redesigned C-body platform. With this change, the Road Runner was given Fury styling - but only for a single year, before moving on to the Volare, where it would finish its life with the basic concept of a rugged, pure-performance machine forgotten.
Priced ranged from $3,700 to $6,344 (Gran Fury Sport Suburban wagon). Plymouth bragged about the "good mileage," 16/23 with automatic, similar to a 2008 Jeep Wrangler or Toyota FJ Cruiser or Ford Flex (but with a more lax measurement system). Engines ranged from the slant six to 318 and 360 V8 to 440 V8.
Lanny Knutson wrote about the 1975 changes in the Plymouth Bulletin (reprinted by permission):
For fleet buyers, 1976 was a good year, with AMC offering a one year, 12,000 mile warranty that covered everything but tires, for defects or for wear; and with Chrysler Corporation offering a similar one year warranty, but with unlimited miles, and not covering tires or normal maintenance items like filters and wiper blades. Taxis, police, and limousine buyers got a 12,000 mile limit. Plymouth noted the 1976 Fury's size, "smaller and less expensive than a full-size car, yet it still has room for six." They pointed to the 4,000 welds fusing the body together; 30,000 mile spark plugs; and electronic ignition.
In 1977, a low-slip torque converter was adopted; by improving the oil path from the impeller to the turbine and back (by way of the stator), increasing the area of the oil flow path by 20%, oil flow friction losses were lessened, increasing gas mileage and torque capacity. (This was not the lockup torque converter, which was launched just one year later, in 1978.)
The company also adopted new wire terminals, a more reliable starter relay, six-pound-lighter, more durable batteries, a more efficient torque converter, and various parts designed to have higher strength with lower weight. The horrific rust issues on the Volare/Aspen, led to a running change in 1976, so that all models in 1977 had a new, more effective seven-stage autophretic coating system including baking and curing; more effective than the asphalt-based rustproofing of prior years, it used less energy and cut fire hazards and pollutants. Chrysler was the first domestic automaker to use that painting system.
Lanny Knutson wrote in the Plymouth Bulletin (reprinted by permission):
After The End: The 1980-1981 Plymouth Gran Fury
1979 had no Fury, but in 1980, the Gran Fury name was brought back and applied to the R-body Chrysler Newport (an odd decision, since both were sold in the same dealerships). It came only as a four door sedan, and was intended mainly for fleets. Sales were dismal, and the Newport, New Yorker, Gran Fury, and St. Regis (the R-bodies) were all cut loose in 1981, ending Chrysler's entire full size line - which had just come out in 1979 (admittedly, they were based on the venerable B-bodies, which wound up their long run in 1979.)
Downsized again: 1982-1989 Plymouth Gran Fury
1982 brought a new and different Gran Fury, much smaller than its predecessors. This one was basically a Dodge Diplomat M-body, closely based on the Volare (which, in turn, was based on the Valiant; in earlier days the A, F, J, and M bodies would probably all have been called A bodies). For details on this line, see our Dodge Diplomat/Plymouth Gran Fury page.
The Gran Fury brought Chrysler's rear wheel drive car architecture and the Fury name through to 1989; the 1982-1989 Gran Fury was essentially unchanged through its seven-year run, except for minor appearance details and the loss of the slant six. The M-bodies were remembered for their durability as taxis and police cars. They were much more popular with the police than with taxi fleets; a few were also sold to ordinary people, but not many.
Police Fury
The Fury was one of the best-loved (by patrolmen) police cars of all time. It was immortalized on TV in innumerable series as the squad car - in Hill Street Blues, T.J. Hooker, and many other shows - and was a common sight in New York City, home of all those gritty TV shows and movies.
Not until the 1990s did GM and Ford take over, and even then, the NYPD waited as long as it could - along with thousands of taxi drivers. (New York also held onto the Caprice as long as it could, finally giving in to the Crown Victoria before trying to go back to the Chevy Impala; we're waiting to see if New York returns to Chrysler with the Dodge Charger.)
Curtis Redgap wrote:
Plymouth Fury Links
Plymouth Fury engines
Most information was garnered from The Monstrous American Car Spotter's Guide. Thanks to Andy Garland and Ken Soukup for their help, to Jim Jacobsen of Maine for rewriting (with substantial additions) the 1967 and 1968 sections, and to Thomas Frogh for 1970s corrections.
Home •
Engines •
Reviews •
Chrysler 1904-2018 •
Upcoming •
Trucks •
Cars
Spread the word via <!--Tweet or--> Facebook!
We make no guarantees regarding validity or accuracy of information, predictions, or advice - .
Copyright © VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Mopar are trademarks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Hill Street Blues showed Chicago's B-body Furys (and Diplomats) in their day-to-day life; they accelerated fast, looked sharp, and swung their rears around wildly whenever they went around a turn, as did most other cars on Hill Street Blues, which seemed to eschew slow-motion chases made fast by speeding up the film. This model of the Plymouth Fury was also popular on T.J. Hooker and CHiPS, and made an appearance on the movie Car Wash, where it was extensively filmed while being washed - and then left parked on-premises throughout the film.
In 1975, Chrysler Corporation made a number of changes to its unit-body construction in intermediate lines, to increase front barrier impact and help the styling of two-door models. This included a new separate front wheelhouse (rather than using welded-in fender side shields); windshield pillars and front-door hinge pillars reinforced at the roof, belt line, and base of the pillar; thick steel reinforcements added inside the body sills from the front pillars to the center pillars; steel box sections from the front door hinge pillar to absorb impact loads; lower side rails at the side of the engine compartment made of heavier gauge steel; and box-section members joining the forward lower side rails with the body side sills made of heavier gauge steel for better impact resistance.
This was the same year the Plymouth Fury was restyled and moved to the B-body platform, replacing the Belvedere, with the Gran Fury (shown in police trim above) staying on the newly redesigned C-body platform. With this change, the Road Runner was given Fury styling - but only for a single year, before moving on to the Volare, where it would finish its life with the basic concept of a rugged, pure-performance machine forgotten.
Priced ranged from $3,700 to $6,344 (Gran Fury Sport Suburban wagon). Plymouth bragged about the "good mileage," 16/23 with automatic, similar to a 2008 Jeep Wrangler or Toyota FJ Cruiser or Ford Flex (but with a more lax measurement system). Engines ranged from the slant six to 318 and 360 V8 to 440 V8.
Lanny Knutson wrote about the 1975 changes in the Plymouth Bulletin (reprinted by permission):
For fleet buyers, 1976 was a good year, with AMC offering a one year, 12,000 mile warranty that covered everything but tires, for defects or for wear; and with Chrysler Corporation offering a similar one year warranty, but with unlimited miles, and not covering tires or normal maintenance items like filters and wiper blades. Taxis, police, and limousine buyers got a 12,000 mile limit. Plymouth noted the 1976 Fury's size, "smaller and less expensive than a full-size car, yet it still has room for six." They pointed to the 4,000 welds fusing the body together; 30,000 mile spark plugs; and electronic ignition.
In 1977, a low-slip torque converter was adopted; by improving the oil path from the impeller to the turbine and back (by way of the stator), increasing the area of the oil flow path by 20%, oil flow friction losses were lessened, increasing gas mileage and torque capacity. (This was not the lockup torque converter, which was launched just one year later, in 1978.)
The company also adopted new wire terminals, a more reliable starter relay, six-pound-lighter, more durable batteries, a more efficient torque converter, and various parts designed to have higher strength with lower weight. The horrific rust issues on the Volare/Aspen, led to a running change in 1976, so that all models in 1977 had a new, more effective seven-stage autophretic coating system including baking and curing; more effective than the asphalt-based rustproofing of prior years, it used less energy and cut fire hazards and pollutants. Chrysler was the first domestic automaker to use that painting system.
Lanny Knutson wrote in the Plymouth Bulletin (reprinted by permission):
The Gran Fury was no longer available in 1978, but the newly B-bodied Fury continued, with eight models including two door Fury and Fury Sport hardtops, four-door Salon, four-door sedan and Sport Wagon, and Suburban four-door wagon. The Fury continued to be comfortable and quiet, with a popular option being a pleasant burgundy velour fabric on the seats (with matching dash and door panels). Any engine could be ordered with the Fury in 1978 from slant six to 400 V8, and power steering and automatic were standard; in 1979, the biggest engine would be the 360. Cornering of the Fury was surprisingly good for such a big car.
After The End: The 1980-1981 Plymouth Gran Fury
1979 had no Fury, but in 1980, the Gran Fury name was brought back and applied to the R-body Chrysler Newport (an odd decision, since both were sold in the same dealerships). It came only as a four door sedan, and was intended mainly for fleets. Sales were dismal, and the Newport, New Yorker, Gran Fury, and St. Regis (the R-bodies) were all cut loose in 1981, ending Chrysler's entire full size line - which had just come out in 1979 (admittedly, they were based on the venerable B-bodies, which wound up their long run in 1979.)
Downsized again: 1982-1989 Plymouth Gran Fury
1982 brought a new and different Gran Fury, much smaller than its predecessors. This one was basically a Dodge Diplomat M-body, closely based on the Volare (which, in turn, was based on the Valiant; in earlier days the A, F, J, and M bodies would probably all have been called A bodies). For details on this line, see our Dodge Diplomat/Plymouth Gran Fury page.
The Gran Fury brought Chrysler's rear wheel drive car architecture and the Fury name through to 1989; the 1982-1989 Gran Fury was essentially unchanged through its seven-year run, except for minor appearance details and the loss of the slant six. The M-bodies were remembered for their durability as taxis and police cars. They were much more popular with the police than with taxi fleets; a few were also sold to ordinary people, but not many.
Police Fury
The Fury was one of the best-loved (by patrolmen) police cars of all time. It was immortalized on TV in innumerable series as the squad car - in Hill Street Blues, T.J. Hooker, and many other shows - and was a common sight in New York City, home of all those gritty TV shows and movies.
Not until the 1990s did GM and Ford take over, and even then, the NYPD waited as long as it could - along with thousands of taxi drivers. (New York also held onto the Caprice as long as it could, finally giving in to the Crown Victoria before trying to go back to the Chevy Impala; we're waiting to see if New York returns to Chrysler with the Dodge Charger.)
Curtis Redgap wrote:
The 1989 Plymouth Gran Fury (and its Dodge Diplomat stablemate) was the final official Mopar squad until the Intrepid police package.
Plymouth Fury Links
- 1956-1974 Plymouth Fury
- The Dodge Diplomat/Plymouth Gran Fury squad car
- Plymouth Fury stories
- Plmouth Fury, Dodge Monaco, and Gran Fury forums
- Dodge Monaco
Plymouth Fury engines
Most information was garnered from The Monstrous American Car Spotter's Guide. Thanks to Andy Garland and Ken Soukup for their help, to Jim Jacobsen of Maine for rewriting (with substantial additions) the 1967 and 1968 sections, and to Thomas Frogh for 1970s corrections.
Home •
Engines •
Reviews •
Chrysler 1904-2018 •
Upcoming •
Trucks •
Cars
Spread the word via <!--Tweet or--> Facebook!
We make no guarantees regarding validity or accuracy of information, predictions, or advice - .
Copyright © VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Mopar are trademarks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.