Mopar Memories -- yarns spun, stories told!
1965 Plymouth Belvedere I
RCSRNO writes:
In 1965, my brother and I went past the Reno Plymouth dealership. Inside was a new '65 Plymouth hemi drag car with all the goodies like lightened fenders, bucket seats, no rear seat, plexiglass side and rear windows, battery in the trunk, one windshield wiper, and of course, no radio or heater.
I remember when I closed the passenger door, the front fenders would vibrate for 30 seconds.
The dealer's '65 Plymouth hemi drag car on the showroom floor was a 4 speed model, too.
But in place of the 426 hemi was a 383.
See, the dealership was owned by Bill Harrah, the famous casino owner who loved cars. Harrah had the hemi taken out and
replaced it with the 383. Bill Harrah had put the hemi in his boat, as that was the way he could get a 426 hemi in those days.
My brother brought the car and owned it for 3 years. He raced it and won his class.
Everyone thought he had a 426 wedge in the '65. One guy wanted to use a screwdriver to see under the blue valve covers looking for the chrome covers 426 wedges used.
The people didn't know the car was maybe 1000 lbs lighter than theirs!
My brother sold the car to a friend and last we heard the '65 ended up in Australia.
Yup, those were the days....
Do you have a story about a 1962 to 1965 Mopar that you previously owned?
How about a story about one of these Mopars that somehow changed your life and made you fall in love with these beauties?
Or how about suggestions for links to other web sites with historical references and stories about these years' Mopars?
Send me a note and it will get shared with everyone viewing this page!
Thanks for contributing!
Gary H.
February 21, 2002