CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot : The 1970-71 Plymouth Sport Fury GT

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to show that once and for all a full-sized car can be classified a performance machine. 1970 was quite a year for the performance car market, with more models available than ever before, including compacts, mid-sized, and full-sized cars. That includes this full-sized bruiser, The Plymouth Sport Fury GT.

The 1970-71 Plymouth Sport Fury GT was Plymouth’s somewhat belated attempt at a high-performance full-size model, produced in very low numbers for these two model years only. Though a Sport Fury sub-series had been offered previously as the top of Plymouth’s big-car line and was available with the division’s largest engines, the GT version offered a bit more.

As part of Plymouth’s 1970 “Rapid Transit System,” this two-door hardtop was decked out with the big-block Super Commando 440 V8 with a single four-barrel carb, good for 350 horses. A 390-bhp version with Plymouth’s Six-Pack carburetion (a trio of two-barrels) was optional. The package also included heavy-duty underpinnings and bodyside “strobe stripes.”

On the inside, the Sport Fury GT was offered with a cloth-and-vinyl or all-vinyl bench seat with fold-down center armrest. Optional all-vinyl buckets could be added for that added performance touch. If buckets were your style, a console was also available. The instrument panel was floodlit and easy to read and reach.

For 1970 only, a companion model, the S/23, was also listed, powered by the mild-mannered 318. Horsepower ratings for the basically similar 1971 Sport Fury GT were 335 standard and 385 for the six-pot engine. The 440 six bbl engine was the same engine that first appeared on the 1969 Road Runner and Super Bee. Based on the 375 hp Magnum 440, the 390 hp rating was achieved through the use of a 3x2V carburetor setup. The only difference from the 1969 version is the substitution of a cast iron intake manifold rather than the Edelbrock aluminum manifold.

Performance wasn’t too shabby either. Here’s what Road Test Magazine achieved with a Fury GT in their May of 1970 issue, testing the 440 six-pack: in the standing quarter mile, 16 Seconds at 92.5 mph.

Production numbers: only 666 Plymouth Sport Fury GT’s were produced for 1970, 61 powered by 440 6-barrel engine. Only 375 found their way to dealer lots in 1971. The only significant change for 1971 was the loss of the 440 six-pack option, with only the 375 hp 440 available.

Unfortunately, there are no CarDomain Members who own (or at least want to show off) a Sport Fury GT. However, let’s take a look at George Roarback’s award-winning 1971 Sport Fury GT. George hails from my part of the country, Connecticut. It is truly a classy Mopar!

Here is another full-sized car marketed as a Muscle Car, that saw limited sales success. We have taken a look at the Mercury Marauder X-100, and the Ford Galaxie 7 Litre, as well as the Chrysler 300 Hurst. These cars were overshadowed by the mid-sized rockets of their day, and their sales numbers reflected this. However, what do you think? Is the Plymouth Sport Fury an Obscure Muscle Car, and does it belong in the Parking Lot, or is it just a full-sized luxury car of the 70′s with no place in Muscle Car lore? Let me know.