Modern Classic: 1956 Plymouth Fury Special 8

To qualify as "modern classics," we're choosing vehicles that are comparatively affordable now and that we think will increase in value over time. These are cars that many people would love to have: head-turners, trend-setters in their time, cars that people still see that make them smile, cars that were definitive in their own right, stylish and fun to drive. We're focusing on cars that are at least 25 years old so they can be registered and insured cheaply and aren't subject to annual inspections.


Tastes may vary, as may peoples' own definitions of "affordable." Our theoretical limit is $50,000 for a car in good to excellent condition, which rules out many of the traditional exotics. This month's selection is the 1956 Plymouth Fury Special 8.

Stock Furys were capable of 111 mph and mid-9-second 0-60 times.
With all the hype over the Prowler, people have forgotten that Plymouth offered its first performance model more than 40 years ago. The image-enhancing success of the first 300C inspired Chrysler management to order a "little 300" for each of its divisions: Dodge had the D-500, DeSoto got the Adventurer. Plymouth retained Jim Wangers, who'd later gain fame as the promotional whiz behind Pontiac's GTO, to help launch a halo model, the Fury Special 8.


Chicago Auto Show-goers first saw the Fury in January 1956. Simultaneously, at Daytona Beach, Florida, a factory-prepped and -tweaked Fury, piloted by Cunningham driver Phil Walters (a.k.a. Ted Tappet when he drove open-wheeled racers), blew through the Flying Mile at a record-setting 124.01 mph. Stock Furys were capable of 111 mph and mid-9-second 0-60 times. All were off-white, Virgil Exner-styled Forward Look Belvedere-model hardtops with tapered, gold-anodized side trim and natty eggshell and black cloth upholstery with interwoven gold metallic thread. Sounds tacky, I know, but it was "sharp" in '56.


For a nominal $500 premium over a base Belvedere, buyers also got a beefed-up driveline, with Oriflow shocks and heavy-duty springs that helped lower the car one inch. Larding the 3,510-pound Fury with a little Hemi would have created a monster that could blow off bigger, pricier Mopar brethren. So Plymouth's top motor, a 200-bhp, 276-cid V-8, was replaced with a Canadian-built 240-bhp, 303-cid engine with polyspherical 9.25:1 heads, solid lifters, a hot cam, a Carter 4-barrel carb and dual exhausts.