- BODY: Auto World
- WHEELS & TIRES: Road Race Replicas
Critics will look at this car and say its all wrong; that it rides too high on the chassis and looks more like an off road vehicle than a sleek, wide 2-door hardtop from the 50’s. Those critics wouldn’t be wrong, exactly, but we should always bear in mind that in the world of slot cars you’re lucky if you have more than one wheelbase choice, so a designer making a body that will fit a slot chassis has two options: he can make the car appear far too tall for its length, resulting in a cartoonish look, or he can design it for the most realistic rendition possible and take whatever comes when the time comes to mount the body. I approve the latter choice, and while its true this car does ride high on the chassis, there’s no denying Auto World did a great job rendering the body: there’s no question what car this represents, as it is accurate from the shape of the paint dividing side trim to the elaborate shape of the front and rear bumpers.
And on top of that, how cool is it to have a ‘50’s car that isn’t the same old same old! Granted, the ’58 Plymouth has been a celebrity since the infamous movie in 1983, but its still nice to see any finned Mopar in a fleet of toys. This car was made in a great many color combinations, all of which are cool looking, but as always I went for what I thought was the most realistic, so I opted for the gold and white copy, which was a very popular combination on these cars when they were new.
Thanks mainly to the movie and the book that spawned it there remains a great deal of confusion about 1958 Plymouth models. In spite of this car’s name and vanity license plate, note that this is a Belvedere, not a Fury; it’s the same car, of course; trim was the only difference, but few people know that the Fury was only available in a single color combination: eggshell white with palomino gold accents. If you wanted any other color-even the reverse of that-you opted for the Belvedere, the model just below the top-line Fury; it was available with all the same equipment the Fury came with if you checked enough boxes, and it was available in a variety of colors, including red and white. Though the year’s top engine was the 350 CI 305HP “Golden Commando,” this is an extremely rare option in any ’58 Plymouth in comparison to the much more commonly found 318 “V-800 Dual Fury” power plant. These two engines are indistinguishable to the eye when equipped with the dual-4 barrel Carter AFB’s, though the “V-800 Dual Fury’s” power rating of 290 was slightly less. Another new performance option for 1958 was the “Sure-Grip” differential, with a 3.73:1 axle ratio when ordered with a 3-speed manual or 3.31 gears with the TorqueFlite automatic, although a buyer could specify 3.73’s with their automatic if they wanted extra getaway.
All of this is academic in the case of “Furious”, this survivor belonging to Zach “Zigzag” Zimmerman of Kearny Mesa, CA. The car’s original V-800 Dual Fury 318 has long since disappeared; in its place is a bored and stroked 361 from a 1961 Chrysler 300 pushing nearly 400 HP, although Zimmerman has taken great pains to make the engine appear stock at a glance when the hood is opened. Inside, a custom-made console covered with color-keyed vinyl has been fabricated from scratch to accommodate the B&M shifter for the racer’s 4 speed A-833 manual transmission. Like the custom made front disc brakes and 5-core radiator, these modifications are so well done that they almost look factory installed, which complement the rest of the car’s period-correct look, from the baby moon caps to the stock upholstery. It’s no wonder, then, that “Zigzag” Zimmerman has his fans at Drag City despite not being one of more winning competitors on the track; due to her size and weight, “Furious” isn’t the best performer out there, but as Jules Winnfield never lets us forget: personality goes a long way!
