Plymouth VIP

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Plymouth
Plymouth VIP (1968)
Plymouth VIP (1968)
VIP
Production period: 1966-1969
Class : Upper class
Body versions : Limousine , coupe
Engines:
Gasoline engines : 5.2–7.2 liters
Length: 5410-5458 mm
Width: 1973-2019 mm
Height: 1400-1430 mm
Wheelbase : 3023-3048 mm
Empty weight : 1610-1800 kg
Previous model Plymouth Fury
successor Plymouth Fury

The Plymouth VIP was a full-size vehicle from the Plymouth brand , which belongs to the Chrysler group , and was offered on the North American market from 1966 to 1969. The abbreviation VIP, reminiscent of the term Very Important Person , which was first used in 1965 for a show car , stood for “Very Important Plymouth” or for “Very Interesting Plymouth” depending on the source Plymouth Fury family, but had upscale equipment and was the brand's top model as its luxurious variant.

Show car 1965

In 1965 Plymouth introduced a show car called VIP based on the Fury. It was an open two-door with a central roll bar that was the length of the car. The concept was not suitable for everyday use. Only a single exhibit was produced from the show car.

Model history

The introduction of the VIP was a response from Plymouth to similar developments at its rivals Ford and Chevrolet . Ford added a luxury version called Limited (LTD) to its largest model, the Galaxie , in 1965 , which was a stand-alone series from 1967 . Chevrolet acted similarly with the Impala , the top version of which was spun off as Caprice from 1965 . Plymouth's top model had so far been the Fury, which, after having been built on a mid-range chassis for three years, was based again on the larger Chrysler C platform since 1965 and thus achieved the dimensions of the full-size class again.

The VIP appeared in the 1966 model year, the second year of the fourth generation of Fury . The chassis and body of the VIP corresponded to the Fury, however the VIP was only available as a two- and four-door hardtop model for the first three years. Cabriolets, sedans with a fixed B-pillar (sedans) and station wagons that were available in the regular Fury range were not available at the VIP. The roofs were covered with vinyl as standard ; In addition, there were covered rear wheels, larger taillights and additional indicators in the sides of the car.

The VIP was not available with all of the engines offered in the Fury; VIP buyers had a choice

  • a 5.2 liter (318 cubic inch) eight-cylinder V-engine with 230 SAE-PS as the standard engine,
  • a 6.2 liter (383 cubic inch) V8 with 325 SAE horsepower and
  • a 7.2 liter (440 cubic inch) V8 with 365 SAE horsepower.

The interior of the VIP was higher quality than the regular Fury versions. It comprised an elaborate upholstery of the seats, optionally in vinyl or real leather, walnut wood inlays on the dashboard and on the door panels, thicker carpets and better noise insulation as well as additional lighting in the interior.

The VIP took part in the technical and stylistic developments of the fourth Fury generation from 1966 to 1968. When Plymouth introduced the fifth generation of the Fury in the 1969 model year , which was completely redesigned and followed the so-called Fuselage design, a VIP version appeared again as the top model. In this model year, in addition to the conventional hardtop coupé, there was also a so-called formal coupé, which had a less steeply inclined C-pillar. At the beginning of the following model year, however, the VIP range was discontinued. Since then, the brand's top model has been called the Plymouth Fury III again, as it had been until 1965.

The VIP was priced about $ 250 higher than the Fury III. The VIP models were the most expensive coupes and sedans from the Plymouth brand. The prices corresponded roughly to those of the structurally identical, but somewhat larger Dodge Monaco . The Chrysler Newport, which was also identical in construction, but was even longer, was around US $ 150 more expensive.

production

Model year code Production figures Plymouth VIP
Hardtop Coupé Formal coupe Hardtop Sedan total
1966 VP2-H k. A. k. A. k. A. k. A.
1967 CP2-P 7912 - 10830 18742
1968 PP VIP 6768 - 10745 17513
1969 PP VIP 4740 1059 7982 13781

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (editor) and Henry Austin Clark, jr .: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942 , 2nd edition. Krause Publications (1989), ISBN 0-87341-111-0 .
  • John Gunnell (Ed.): Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975 . Krause Publishing, Iola 2002, ISBN 0-87349-461-X .
  • Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 .
  • John Lee: Standard Catalog of Chrysler 1924-1990 . Krause Publications, Iola 1990, ISBN 0-87341-142-0 , pp. 169-199.

Web links

Commons : Plymouth VIP  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Images of the Plymouth VIP Show Car from 1965 on the website www.en.wheelsage.org (accessed April 7, 2017).
  2. ↑ a b Description of the 1968 Plymouth models on the www.allpar.com website (accessed April 7, 2017).
  3. ↑ Illustration of the VIP models from 1969 on the website www.lov2xlr8.no (accessed on April 7, 2017).
  4. ↑ Information from Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , pp. 576 ff.
  5. ↑ In the first model year, Plymouth did not show the production figures for the VIP separately. This year, the VIP was recorded without differentiation together with the hardtop coupés and sedans of the Fury III series.