In the world of Mopars, unless it is a major custom, originality and the numbers are crucial for determining collectability. Have an original Hemi motor under the hood and you are even better off as Hemis are the king of rarity in these cars. The Belvedere was introduced by Plymouth in 1954 and remained in production until 1970. The name was inspired by an Italian word for "beautiful sight." They originally started as a trim level of the Cranbrook until replacing the Cranbrook as Plymouths highest tier full size car. In 1965 the Belvedere became the intermediate sized car and was much more compact with very different body lines than they had in the 50's. They fit nicely into the muscle car world and special versions were created to perform and compete. In current times many people are familiar with vehicles like the Dodge Demon being released basically as factory race cars. Well that is not a new trend because even back in the 60's manufacturers were making cars like this extremely clean 1967 Belvedere II. It is what is known as a light weight super stock car. That makes it 1 of only 55 cars built this way from the factory all of which were White. If that isn't rare enough then lets add in that this R023 car has it's original Hemi and since completed has traveled a mere 250 miles. The car was rumored to be used at a racing school but that hasn't been documented. However, the rest of the numbers have been decoded and documented. It is in the Chrysler Registry and sold new at Interstate Motors, Inc. in Bristol, Tennessee. This thing is the real deal and comes with its original broadcast sheet. How did it make it to 2024 with such limited miles? Well, 250 miles isn't much when you consider it is a car that primarily travels 1/4 or 1/8 of a mile at a time. The car truly is a museum level collector car and has won many awards including prestigious ones like Goodguys muscle car of the year and Mopar of the year. The body of the car is rock solid with zero rust anywhere and has its original body panels. The White paint has a great finished and is nicely complemented by the original chrome and stainless. It has the correct super stock hood up front with that wide center Ram Air scoop. It has an aggressive stance to let you know it means business and currently rides on a set of period correct Torq Thrust D wheels with the period correct bias-ply Firestone tires and matching cheater slicks on the back. It does however come with its original White Steelies with no hub caps (from the factory) which are in good condition.

A sure fire way to make any Mopar fan smile is to pop the original hood to show off the mighty 426 Hemi "elephant" motor which was named as such due to its size. These have to be one of the most recognizable motors ever produced and when it is factory original makes for a rare combination. It is fitted with dual 4 barrel Carter carburetors and a dual point Prestolite ignition. This version of the motor boasts a very healthy 425hp from the factory. Everything in the engine compartment is super clean and stock. The only modification is the air cleaner was changed out but the factory chrome circle air cleaner comes with the car and would be very easy to reinstall. Paired with the motor is the TorqueFlite 727 automatic with reverse pattern manual valve body. This was very sought after in the racing scene and makes the car 1 of 38 factory ordered this way. Basically this set up allows you to avoid accidental shifts as below neutral is the low gear, below that 2nd, and finally below that third. As you can see the accidental shift into neutral or reverse suddenly becomes completely avoidable. The rear end is the original 8 3/4 inch axle with 4.56:1 gears. With all that power, stopping is just as important and provided by the 10 inch drum brakes. It has the special Super Stock suspension package which includes special rear springs and removal of the front sway bar. Being a light weight it is of course manual steering and manual brakes as the focus was driving in straight lines and stripping all unnecessary weight. It also was ordered with no undercoating or body sealer.

That theme continues on the interior where the focus is weight savings. You will note all frills like a radio, horn, sun visor, heater, and even rear view mirror were deleted in the factory. The goal was clear, GO FAST! By taking away features like the heater that includes vents, hoses, heater boxes, heater core, brackets and control knobs. It really starts to add up after a while. As you can imagine with this low mileage the interior has seen very little wear. Well that is exactly the case because the upholstery is almost 60 years old but has clearly been taken extremely good care of. It has a split bench seat up front and it actually still has a rear bench seat which were an optional deletion on some light weights as well. The carpet is in good condition but it has no carpet padding (again, factory deletion.) The original gauges and tachometer in place but an aftermarket oil pressure and temp gauge have been hidden in the glove box so you can get a more accurate reading while preserving the all original gauges. The trunk has a nice mat finishing it out and underneath the pan is all solid. The battery on these were relocated to the trunk and this one has the large correct Mopar Performance Super Start battery.

This is an excellent example of a Super Stock light weight Mopar and truly a special piece of automotive history. It has been primarily owned by Mopar collectors since new and would be a great addition to any Mopar collection or museum. It is a really special car. It has a good clean title and is street legal but rarely gets driven to keep the mileage down. That being said it starts up, runs great and sounds very healthy. It comes with the full Govier tag breakdown and registry documentation, a broad cast sheet that is in excellent condition, the magazine article it was featured in, the original wheels and original air cleaner.