1966 Plymouth Belvedere Street HEMI for sale

Real H-code Street HEMI. One of 57 automatics built. 30,165 original miles. Never raced or used in winter weather, very solid throughout. Beautiful paint, updated bucket seat interior. Runs and drives beautifully!

Those hardcore guys buying the Belvedere 2-door sedan were few, as only 156 were built and only 57 of those were backed by a TorqueFlite transmission—a pretty rare piece. This EE1 Dark Blue Belvedere shows only 30,165 miles, a figure we believe is authentic. It spent almost the entirety of its life in the Pacific northwest so it’s untouched by the ravages of a rust belt winter and aside from some updated seat covers and the custom paint job on the sides of the car, it’s almost entirely original. It spent the first part of its life as a fair-weather toy and show car; despite being built for combat, it doesn’t appear to have ever really turned a wheel in anger. The bodywork is laser-straight and in excellent condition, and while the Belvedere sedan bodywork won’t win many beauty contests, it’s purposeful and the paint job enhances what’s already there—check out the way the custom stripes wrap around the rear window. The chrome trim is in excellent original condition with no evidence of previous accident damage or trauma.

The interior isn’t 100% stock, wearing a set of custom seat covers that were probably installed when the paint was done in the ‘80s and some slightly plusher carpets. The rest, however, appears original, including the tooled door panels, dash pad, and headliner. Factory gauges include all the vitals, and are joined by a trio of vintage Stewart-Warner instruments that include an oil temperature gauge and which were probably installed when the car was almost new. Buckets and a console were added at some point, and the only options appear to be the HEMI V8 and a Music Master AM radio in the dash. The trunk is massive and includes a newer trunk mat and you can see that the tire well underneath is in excellent condition.

Chrysler wasn’t doing matching-numbers in the traditional sense in 1966, but all the clues suggest that this is the car’s original engine and don’t worry, it is a real H-code car. It has been detailed and upgraded with a deeper oil pan and an upgraded Mallory ignition system, but otherwise remains stock. A pair of Carter AFB carburetors feeds it from a correct air cleaner assembly and the crinkle-coated valve covers give this big engine its nickname, “The Elephant.” It lives up to its name Street HEMI by being easy to start with a decent idle and good manners when you’re just out driving rather than looking for a fight. It stays cool and if you keep your foot off the floor it doesn’t act like the era’s nastiest powerplant. Of course, there’s always torque on tap and just a gentle squeeze of the accelerator launches it forward without any apparent effort.

The undercarriage is original and in fantastic condition with no evidence that this car has seen winter weather. The TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission is virtually indestructible and has great street manners behind the big HEMI. Out back, the 8.75-inch rear end has been recently serviced with bearings and seals, and with 3.54 gears inside, the Street HEMI lives up to its name of being usable in the real world. It’s punchy but cruises at 70 MPH on the highway. Manual steering and manual drum brakes were part of the deal when you were buying a car built for combat. Long-tube headers dump into a newer stock-style exhaust system, so it has a nice rumble that never gets annoying and since it’s a full-sized B-body, ride quality is excellent. It surely came with plain steel wheels when it was new, but it’s currently wearing a set of perfectly vintage Cragar mags with 235/60/15 white-letter radials.

This isn’t a show car or a points car, but the world is full of perfect cars. This is a HEMI you can drive and enjoy as intended without worries, a car that’s beautifully sorted and properly tuned, and which drives right. You don’t have to be afraid of cracking the throttle, just so long as it’s aimed where you want it to go. Call today!