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Drag racer Larry Griffith was the man behind the wheel. He bought the car brand new through Ferris Motors in Savanna, Illinois. During his service in the National Guard, the dealership proudly displayed the car in its showroom—a rolling symbol of what American engineering could accomplish when built for nothing but speed.
Only 101 of these factory A990 Super Stock units ever rolled off the assembly line, each built with a single purpose: domination. Lightweight, brutal, and unapologetically raw, the Belvedere was an outlaw with a title.
Stripped to Race, Built to Win
Every inch of this car screams purpose. Plymouth engineers pulled out every comfort item you can imagine—radio, heater, back seat, and even the armrests. But they didn’t stop there.
To slash weight further, they thinned the steel body panels using chemical treatments. The windows? Swapped for lightweight glass. Aluminum took the place of steel in door hinges and window mechanisms. It was a rolling sledgehammer disguised as a two-door coupe.
What makes this particular Belvedere even rarer is its transmission. Of the 101 made, just twelve left the factory with a four-speed manual—and this is one of them. Painted in Light Tan, it’s also one of only three finished in that understated hue. Rare doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Brought Back From the Brink
This piece of muscle car royalty didn’t rot in a garage or get crushed into scrap. It underwent a full rotisserie restoration more than 20 years ago, breathing new life into the iconic racer.
Under the hood sits a rebuilt 426ci Hemi, courtesy of a collaboration between JMS Racing Engines and Ray Barton Racing Engines. Packed with forged internals, NASCAR-grade lifters, stainless valves, and topped with dual Holley carburetors, this is not your average Sunday cruiser.
The upgrades didn’t stop with the engine. A magnesium cross-ram intake, T&D roller rockers, a twin-disc clutch, and a fire-breathing four-speed A833 manual transmission all deliver the kind of punch that today’s muscle pretenders can only dream about. Out back, an 8.75-inch rear with a 4.56:1 limited-slip gearset puts all that power to the pavement.
A Legacy of Speed—and Recognition
This Belvedere isn’t just a mechanical monster. It’s also a showstopper.
Hot Rod magazine featured the car in December 2002 and listed it among the “Top 10 Rods of the Year.” It also graced the cover of Maximum Performance: Mopar Super Stock Drag Racing 1962–1969 by Jim Schild.
In 2024 alone, it swept three major events: First-in-class for Competition Stock at the Grand National Roadster Show, Best of Show – American at the Benedict Castle Concours, and first in class at the San Marino Motor Classic.
The odometer reads just 9 miles—a likely reset post-restoration—but make no mistake, this machine has earned every trophy and accolade with screaming quarter-mile runs from its heyday.
Now Up for Grabs—But Not for Long
As of now, bidding for this legend sits at just $25,000. For context, the car’s original window sticker listed it at $4,639.50 back in ’65—around $47,000 in today’s dollars. This is no ordinary classic car auction. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a genuine piece of American horsepower history.
It comes with everything a collector could ask for: the original window sticker, a broadcast sheet, a Galen’s Tag Service decode, period-correct literature, and historical racing photos.
This Belvedere isn’t just a car. It’s a symbol of a bygone era—when Detroit’s automakers cared less about creature comforts and more about quarter-mile glory.
As insurance rates and federal regulators neutered the muscle car movement in the late ’60s, cars like the “Hurst Tornado IV” became extinct. But the legacy lives on in stories, in shows—and now, possibly, in your garage.
Because few machines can claim they shattered history.
This one did it—with one blistering 10-second pass at a time.
