1966 Plymouth Belvedere I 426 HEMI`s: let`s track them down!

[66 Belvedere I]

Did I spot this correctly @66 Belvedere I : radio- and heater-delete?

Your car looks awesome! Also nice shoes: Magnum500‘s & redlines…yummy!

Thank you, Tobias.

Unfortunately, the wheels are 'fifty footers', and early 14" dia.

Only radio-delete.

Car was purchased from Mr. Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. From what I know, and that is unverified till I bought it, the car 'lived' in NE Ohio till I brought it to South Carolina in 1989. Since I've owned it, there have been 2 owners - myself and the fellow I sold it to and then bought it back. Prior to 1983, I think I know who one of the owner(s) was/were, but again not verified. However, I recently came across a family member of said possible owner on the A-body forum. That will be my next avenue of research.

I am not yet comfortable with revealing the complete VIN, but it is not on your list. Last 3 digits are 089.

 

[TobiasM]

Thank you, Tobias.

Unfortunately, the wheels are 'fifty footers', and early 14" dia.

Only radio-delete.

Car was purchased from Mr. Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. From what I know, and that is unverified till I bought it, the car 'lived' in NE Ohio till I brought it to South Carolina in 1989. Since I've owned it, there have been 2 owners - myself and the fellow I sold it to and then bought it back. Prior to 1983, I think I know who one of the owner(s) was/were, but again not verified. However, I recently came across a family member of said possible owner on the A-body forum. That will be my next avenue of research.

I am not yet comfortable with revealing the complete VIN, but it is not on your list. Last 3 digits are 089.


View attachment 1489402View attachment 1489424

Thanks for the addtl. infos and even the FT @66 Belvedere I !

Amazing history, if I got you right: your car was sold new by Grand Spaulding DODGE ??? Did not know they also sold Plymouth, interesting!

 

[Matt B.]

Question for the experts. Is there a 1966 HP2 that is silver with a pewter interior, 4spd council? Came across this car around 97’ or 98’ north side of Mnpls/St. Paul Mn. Don’t know if it was a legitimate car or not. Wish I would have pursued it more.
Matt

 

[TobiasM]

Question for the experts. Is there a 1966 HP2 that is silver with a pewter interior, 4spd council? Came across this car around 97’ or 98’ north side of Mnpls/St. Paul Mn. Don’t know if it was a legitimate car or not. Wish I would have pursued it more.
Matt

Thanks for joining in, Matt.

As far as I can tell: there were no Belvedere I`s available with a console, only with bench-seat.

So either the car you are talking about was a modified car, that some upgraded after leaving the factory by ditching the bench and dropping in 2 buckets plus a console.

Or that car was not a Belvedere I.

 

[Matt B.]

I wish I new more about those cars then. It was under a cover off to the side. The guy had 2 67 GTX’s in this garage. I had asked about the car under the cover and he pulled it off. I remember seeing the HP2 emblem on the front fender. Opened the hood and there was the HEMI. The guy said it came from Texas.
Matt

 

[TobiasM]

I wish I new more about those cars then. It was under a cover off to the side. The guy had 2 67 GTX’s in this garage. I had asked about the car under the cover and he pulled it off. I remember seeing the HP2 emblem on the front fender. Opened the hood and there was the HEMI. The guy said it came from Texas.
Matt

“HP2” was Plymouths designation for their HEMI-cars (HemiPoweredPlymouth) used early in the 66 modelyear (cars produced until 1965-12-31). Cars from 1st of Jan. 66 just used the same “426 Hemi” designation already known from the Dodge cars.

1966 as the very first modelyear of the 426 street-HEMI-engine was special in that you could have that engine in any bodystyle of the Belvedere-series (2 door, 4 door, coupe, sedan, wagon & convertible) and at any trim-level (Belvedere I, II & Satellite).

 

[TobiasM]

1 more new car hinded to @Moparts by mattsmopars: he found that car posted on a FB group.

Pics show the same car then and now.

It was raced at Suffolk Raceway, VA and by its class it is a manual trans car.

Anybody here got more info on this new white car?

 

[Big bill]

Nice thanks for posting.

 

[TobiasM]

Dear HEMI-fellows,

sorry I`ve been absent for a while and still for whatever reason I do not get reply-notifications.

It is a pleasure to see that you gentlemen continued supplying information, thus special thanks to members @6bblgt , @gtx6970 , @mattsmopars , @dkruk & @barracudabee , most of them members over at moparts.

By that I am happy to announce we not only improved list-quality, but with 9 (!!!) new cars added we broke the 50%-barrier as we now have reachted 69 (countable) cars: now having passed the mountain`s top, things go a lot easier and faster downhill

Here are the updates:

- list-quality improved: car`s #19 & #26 identical, so the todays Bob Mazzolini-car is the former “FOX & PARSONS” dragracer, thanks to 6bblGT for that info and even supplying the fendertag. The FT also reveals a conversion from factory auto to manual-trans. @6bblgt do you have any further information on the trans-conversion (when, why, by whom?).

- new cars highlighted in YELLOW.

Thank you very much, gentlemen, and keep up tracking them.


Thanks,
Toby

 

[TobiasM]

Stumbled across one more new car on facebook, unfortunately only captured these 2 pics but not the group they were posted in.

So here comes car #74 in my list: unknown44 is a Canadian dragracer and - if my eyes deciffered the door-lettering correctly - was run under the name of "Canadian Hemi Plymouth" by Ken Scott Motors LTD. Also I think I spot the "426" badge on the lower fenders, so it is a late car (non-HP²).

That particular photo was taken on April 30th 1966 during the Canadian National Superstock Championship at Mohawk. That RL21H6 is campaigned in class A/S, so it is a manual-transmission car.

If I check my list for canadian or Canada-affiliated cars in a darker colour (probably dark blue met.), this car really seems to be a new-to-the-list-car, because:

- This car is NOT the Ray Dupuis-car (#6 on my registry), as his was an automatic.

- NEITHER is it car #8 NOR #27, as those are manuals BUT early-HP²-cars.

Anyone of you gentlemen got more input on new car #74, preferebly some more history or even a VIN?

Thanks,
Toby

 

[TobiasM]

MOPAR-gentlemen,



it has been a while, but I am happy to announce 4 new cars and some updated informations on my RL21H6-database



As before, did not find all infos/cars myself, but with help of members of moparts.org, fbbo.com and – NEW – f***book.



Thanks to everyone supporting me!



So we`re up to 71 cars, of those 39 connected to a VIN.



Not too bad a percentage of the cars they totally made: most common-sense is 136 total, with 79 manuals / 57 autos.



Anyway, different numbers are around, some talk about 134 or 138 or even in the 150`s as the total number. Others claim they made only 22 or 36-39 manual cars. If somebody has a RELIABLE source, please tell me which/why and what number(s) that source accounts for.



Inaccurancies often occour on YT-videos, when either the narrator or the owner is talking about numbers and you as a viewer realise that the total of the auto/manual#`s he just mentioned sums up to a different number than he mentioned as “total number” just a few seconds before. No offense intended, things can get fuzzy if talking so much about numbers during a YT-video and for most people it is a bit of a “stress-situation” being interviewed for a video.



Also in auction-ad`s/sales-describtions the production-numbers are all over the place, usually on the low side, trying to make the promoted car as rare (=valuable) as possible.



Talked enough, here are the updated informations:

• #3 in my list (RL21H61272299, Canadian delivery / black ext. / red int. / 4spd manual): got in contact with the 2nd owner`s son, great gentleman who shared memories and more informations on his fathers car. Also 3 vintage polaroid-photos from “back in the day” were supplied. You`ll find them attached. I know the delivery-dealer and that first owner was a drag-strip owner thus ordered this car with very purposed options. As I was updating my database today, it came to mind that this car maybe the same as #74 on my list (Dragcar “Canadian Hemi Plymouth”, no VIN known yet). I`ll get back to my “source” and as if he knows or could find out.
  
  
• #15 on my list (RL21H61247912, “Ray DUPUIS/ON/Canda”-car / bronce ext. / tan int. / 4spd manual): found an additional source for this car in that it was also featured in an HotRod-magazine-article back in 2005 => 1966 Plymouth Belvedere I - Bronze Boxcar
  
  
• #30 in my list (RL21H61278214, the former “Fever”-drag-car): got a nice feature in 2024 on YT:
  
  
• #74 on my list (Dragcar “Canadian Hemi Plymouth”, no VIN known yet): maybe is the same as #3 on my list, will ask my source of #3 if he knows or could find out.
  
  
• #75 on my list (unknown45, nowadays-drag-car “McCormack”): NEW car, probably a 66 car, sometimes with 67 frontbumber, not confirmed yet if factory Hemi-car (e-mailed them but no response)
  
  
• #76 on my list (RL21H67295785, white ext. / blue int. / 4spd manual): NEW car on my list, thanks to fbbo-member “gtx6970”! This car is still alive and kicking in “all done” condition.
  
  
• #77 on my list (“unknown46”, silver ext. / red int. / 4spd manual): NEW car, former owner Dan contacted me via FB, bought the car in 1971 and sold it around 1982/83 (both in Spokane, WA-area). He unfortunately does not remember nor is aware of any docs with the full VIN, but he might look if he finds some old photos of the car. Stunning color-combo IMHO and the only one like this in my database so far. The 2 other silver cars have blue interiors.
  
  
• #78 on my list (“unknown47”, originally owned by Gary RUFENER / blue ext. / blue int. / 4spd manual): NEW car, found it on YT, at least 2 features there (2024) and also featured in 2001 in hotrod-magazine. Current owner Merit is a big MOPAR-enthusiast from FL, with a nice collection and even holding his own MOPAR-events.

Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks again for all support.



Here are the promised photos of car #3 posted on FB by the owners son: 3 photos from back in the day of his father, 1 photo from “recent” when it went throug mecum-auction in 2018.

 

[TobiasM]

Here one example for different production numbers or the confusion which number(s) correct.

 

[YY1]

Nice work.

...but this is why I ROTFL every time I see someone ask or make a statement of "how many are left".

13x built and 3 years of research to find 9 cars?

Not to belittle the effort, but it's a much easier task with that small of a production run.

I've been looking for the 1600 give or take 1966 Coronet 440's built with 383 engines.

In 10 years, I've found 13!