Nineteen sixty - nine was a giving class for big machine , with firebrand - new designs from each of the traditional " Low - Price Three . " But where Chevy and Ford retained familiar styling discriminative stimulus , the 1969 Plymouth Sport Fury and VIP ask in masses to " wait What Plymouth ’s Up To Now " with the most dramatic overhaul of the lot .
On newspaper at least , the ' 69 Furys were exactly the variety of family cruisers the market seemed to need . Shared with that class ’s new C - body Chryslers and senior Dodges was what Highland Park termed " fuselage styling , " the fulsome , rounded aspect pioneered in spectacular fashion by the foxy ' 68 Dodge Charger . blow up to full - size shell , it was more lardy than lissom – and less practical , with raised beltlines noticeably reducing glass expanse and thus outward visual sensation . But Fury was at least clean and much smoother than before , with just enough tongue - edged formality in front and rear fenderlines to assuage more materialistic types .
Without question the young models calculate bulky , and those looks were not deceiving . Wheelbase increased one inch from 1965 - 68 to fit the 120 - inch span of Fury ’s redesign competitors ( hold open 122 for wagons , still in the freestanding Suburban line created for ' 68 ) . Overall length farm 1.5 in to a monolithic 214.5 , and width spread nearly two inches to a girthy 79.6 . But despite appearances – and long - hold myth – curb weights were only a few pounds higher model - for - model . The ragtop Sport Fury , for example , weighed just 19 pounds more than its ' 68 counterpart , the swish VIP hardtop saloon a mere eight Ezra Loomis Pound more .
There were no prominent proficient alteration for ' 69 , so Fury still diverge from its rival with unit twist ( rather of body - on - frame of reference ) , Chrysler ’s notable contortion - bar front suspension ( versus coil spring ) , and a familiar batting order of reliable Highland Park engines lay out from the thrifty 225 Slant Six to a burly big - pulley 440 V-8 .
A few styling features did have functional ramifications , however . Wipers , for instance , were now hold back GM - stylus by a rearward hood lip , which seemed a unspoiled musical theme until they became really conceal by Baron Snow of Leicester pack into their recess . Front - threshold ventwings vanished from melodic line - conditioned hardtop coupes , controversial at the time because they increase fart noise . Also on script were 15 - in wheel and tires ( antecedently 14s ) , which did n’t quite fill out the newly inflate bodysides , but did allow for larger , more efficient brake .
A new and little - known ' 69 Fury pick grouped a two - barrel 383 V-8 with sail control , force front - disc brakes , long - legged 2.76:1 axle ratio , undercoating , and headlamps - on warning lamp . Plymouth called this the " Turnpike Cruising Package . " ( One wonder whether they check that name with Mercury . )
Go to the next Thomas Nelson Page to learn about the 1969 Plymouth Sport Fury and VIPs popularity with consumers .
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Continued
The 1969 Plymouth Sport Fury and VIP again headed the heavy - Plymouth line for ' 69 . VIP expanded from two to three fashion model with the addition of a " schematic " hardtop coupe bearing a more upright rearward window and wide rearward quarters .
The old " Fast Top " was supercede as the sporty hardtop by a Modern style with narrower , more run down coulomb - mail . As before , Sport Fury put up Plymouth ’s poshest , priciest convertible ( at $ 3,502 ) . The aforementioned very important person four - doorway hardtop remained the costliest non - Dipper shut Fury ( $ 3,433 ) .
regrettably for Plymouth dealers , the high - profit panjandrum and Sport Fury give fewer sales for a 2nd straight yr . output of the " Very of import Plymouths " dropped nigh 4,000 units to just under 14,000 , while the big bucketful - seaters lost over 8,300 to conclude at about 18,000 . Both still trailed Big Three contender by substantial margin . Chevy ’s Impala SS was now an pick parcel and no longer significant , but Caprice outdrew VIP by over 9 - to - l - and Ford bested Plymouth by 16 - to - l with its luxurious LTDs .
Sport Fury was no better mates for Ford ’s jazzy XL , which sold four clip as many copies . total to the misery , Plymouth as a whole ran a weaker 4th in 1969 , while Ford was a stronger minute to manufacture - leading Chevrolet .
In curt , Plymouth was sell few top - line braggart cars than either of its archrivals – or third - property Pontiac for that topic – which suggested that the mart did n’t equate Plymouths with " sumptuousness " the way of life it did sure Fords and Chevys . More ’s the pathos , too , for this would contribute to Plymouth ’s steady sales decline in the ' 70s .
Indeed , VIPs did n’t hold out past ' 69 , substitute by bench - seat Sport Furys and , ultimately , " Gran " models . Sport Fury hold up only through 1971 , with just a husky , 440 - power GT hardtop coupe to continue the performance tradition - one of Detroit ’s last muscle - bound biggies . In all , a sorry end for what had been Plymouth ’s best .
1969 Plymouth Sport Fury & VIP Specifications
The 1969 Plymouth Sport Fury & VIP had no major proficient change from previous modeling , but they were differentiated by unit mental synthesis , rather than soundbox - on - frame .
Specifications
Engines : all ohv V-8 ; 318 cid ( 3.91 × 3.31 ) , 230 bhp ; 383 cid ( 4.25 × 3.38 ) , 290/330 bhp ; 440 Criminal Investigation Command ( 4.32 × 3.75 ) , 375 bhp
Transmissions:3/4 - speed manual , 3 - stop number TorqueFlite automatic
hiatus front : upper and lower A - limb , longitudinal torsion bars , anti - roll bar
pause rear : live axle on semi - elliptic foliage springs
Brakes : front / rear drums ; front discs optional
Wheelbase ( in.):120
Weight ( lbs):3583 - 3729
Top swiftness ( mph):110 - 125
0 - 60 mph ( sec):8.0 - 10.0
Production : Sport Fury htp cpe 14,120 cvt 1,579 courtly htp cpe 2,169 VIP htp cpe 4,740 formal htp cpe 1,059 htp sdn 7,962
