Plymouth Belmont Concept: Vetten-Fighter from 1954 is auctioned

I The context of the Mecum Gallery Exposition is a real one Ami dream ready to buy. The Plymouth Belmont Concept is not only the first Plymouth with a V8 engine, but also a 4.86 meter long and 1.90 meter wide one-off, which caused open mouths at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show and later at the New York Autorama. It was supposed to mark the beginning of the attack on the Ford Thunderbird and Chevrolet Corvette. The originally blue Vette fighter, however, remained a one-off. He was dropped as 'too old' by those responsible. Managers had apparently been discouraged by weak Corvette sales in 1953 (only 300 were produced that year). The later successes of the Ford Thunderbird show, however, that the decision was made a little too quickly. In 1957 alone, Ford was able to sell a record-breaking 21,380 copies of its almost 250 hp roadster.

The one-off vehicle was specially designed for the two shows by the Chrysler Corporation under the direction of Virgil Exner. The body was built by the Briggs Manufacturing Company for Chrysler on the 2.90 meter long Plymouth wheelbase and was the first Plymouth body made from fiberglass. The first V8 in a Plymouth was not just any, but an original Dodge Poly-Head V8 with the serial number P27-1014 and came in combination with the original semi-automatic HY-Drive transmission. The fabric roof of the roadster can be stowed behind the two seats. The windshield is made of plexiglass.

Marcel Sommer

The Ford Thunderbird (pictured here) was one of the stars of the Chevrolet CorvetteRoadster segment.

A real winner

The 1.20 meter high Plymouth Belmont Concept had a guest role in the 1954 film 'Bundle of Joy' with Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds after his show appearances. 1957 followed an appearance in 'Mister Cory' with Tony Curtis. Over the years, the 152 hp front-engined roadster has won numerous awards at the most prestigious events in the United States. In recent years it has been shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, Blackhawk Collection, Imperial Palace Auto Collection and Ele Chesney Collection.