As we've pointed out in the past, the advantage of single-family ownership of a vehicle is that potential buyers should be able to get the full history of it - where it's been, who's driven it, and what's been done to it. And plenty has been done to this 1966 Plymouth Fury III for sale on Hemmings.com, now powered by a built 440 backed by a stout drivetrain and restomodded to suit the tastes of the original owners' son. From the seller's description:
It is a one owner car, was originally purchased by my parents on July 5, 1966. When I turned 15 in 1982, it was given to me as my first car, as it was the very first car I ever rode in as a child, I was brought home from the hospital as a newborn in it. I have many stories which I can share and it has been a large part of my life, and the Fury shows how dedicated I was to restoring/ rebuilding it properly.The guts: The entire car has been extensively restored/ modified. Equipped with a 1969 HP440 with a mild .474 lift Hyd MP cam, Edelbrock RPM intake, Holley 750 VS carb, Jet-Hot coated 1-7/8 hooker headers, HV oil pump, MSD ignition and distributor, Griffin Radiator, dual Spal fans and shroud, auxiliary tranny cooler with metal lines, Cheetah dual pattern Shifter, full Autometer Gauges, many, many other performance parts. The front suspension and brakes were rebuilt with all new parts: rotors, calipers, MOOG brand ball-joints, tie-rods, etc. The 727 auto is Cope racing superstreet w/ a PTC 11" converter, SFI flex plate, Mopar mini starter, Dana 60 Rear axle 3.54 gear, Superstock springs, Comp Eng Shocks, SSBC rear Disc Brakes, Polished American Racing Torq-Thrust II's 15x5" 15x10" 215-70-15 front 345/65-15 drag radials rear, custom 3" mandrel bent exhaust with equalizing tube and dynomax mufflers, stainless tips. full Padded, upholstered rollbar meets drag racing specs to 8.5 seconds. It drives very well, smooth and fast, in traffic or on the open road, no troubles, lots of enjoyment.
The glory: extensively restored/modified 1966 two-door hardtop Fury III, The body has had the rear fenderwells tubbed,the rear wheel arch extended for the large tires, the c-pillar trim was removed, fender emblems were replaced with smaller name badges, the hood was cut and the front section was made to bolt on while the main section is a lift off fiberglass piece and was built with core-mat to maintain rigidity, a max wedge scoop is similar in design to the deck lid, creates a continuity of design.
Top of the line PPG primers and paint were used to finish the body, painted B3 blue with a sparkling metalflake in a clear binder then cleared with DBC2000 clear and buffed, all the aluminum trim, including the entire grille and side molding, was stripped, straightened, polished and anodized for a factory appearance, all the stainless was buffed, the potmetal was re-chromed as were the bumpers and all the interior trim, new weather-strip and rubber throughout the entire car. The interior is all new upholstery in the original silver-blue vinyl with navy blue velour inserts and embroidered emblems, the original dash pad was removed for a vintage painted style, the gauge panels are modified for a clean almost factory appearance. All interior trim panels were rechromed, new headliner and sound deadening throughout the interior, Sony CD/ with front aux port stereo and four infinity speakers in the rear deck offer plenty of sound. Notice the gauge pictures are of the car idling, you can plainly see the oil pressure, water temp, voltage, trans temp and fuel gauges work and show good numbers.
1966 Plymouth Fury 3
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Boosted Powertrain
At the heart of this SVT Lightning is its iron-block 5.4-liter SOHC, 16-valve V8 with a supercharger and an intercooler. The blower helped it deliver 380 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque in 2001, up some 20 horsepower and 10 lb-ft from the ’99 and 2000 models. The Eaton supercharged engine delivered peak boost of 8.0 psi and the engine featured an 8.4:1 static compression ratio, down from the standard 5.4 V8’s 9.0:1, which was rated at 260 horsepower and 350 lb-ft.
Power reached the rear 18-inch cast aluminum-alloy wheels via a four-speed automatic, an aluminum driveshaft and a beefy 9.75-inch, limited-slip rear axle with an acceleration-friendly 3.73:1 final-drive ratio, another upgrade for 2001. Car and Driver magazine reported a 0-60 mph time of 5.2 seconds and a quarter-mile in an E.T. of 13.8 seconds at 104 mph—impressive numbers for a 4,600-pound truck. Top speed was a drag-limited 142 mph.
A Truly Sporting Truck
Trucks generally require a suspension that can handle a full load in its bed while also providing competent driving while empty. But if you fancy one designed to a sports-car standard, then something has to give. In the case of the second-gen Lightning, Ford dropped its payload capacity to a mere 800 pounds. A standard 2001 F-150 Styleside carried a 3,180-pound payload rating, while an F-150 Flareside was rated at 2,005 pounds, some two-and-a-half times the Lightning, which featured the short-bed Flareside body. Towing capacity, likewise, was reduced from 8,800 pounds to 5,000 in the Lightning. But the Lightning’s strengths were never its payload or towing capacities, but it’s ability to perform like a sports car.
As a 21st century performance vehicle, however, the second-gen Lightning was also equipped to handle. A half-inch drop at the front was accompanied by SVT-specific coil springs and Bilstein shocks along with an exclusive 31-mm solid anti-roll bar. SVT’s influence continued at the rear with Lightning-specific five-leaf springs and a 23-mm solid anti-roll bar. The Bilstein setup at the rear included the right-rear shock staggered toward the front of the truck to reduce axle hop under heavy acceleration. The four-wheel antilock disc brakes were cribbed from the three-quarter-ton F-250, with 12.1-inch front rotors at the front and 13.1-inch discs at the rear.
As the years go on, fewer and fewer clean, unmolested low-mileage examples are out there, which is why this 2001 Ford SVT F150 Lightning now on Hemmings Auctions caught our attention. Showing just 5,525.5 miles on its odometer at the time of submission, it is said to be in “mint” condition and have an “immaculate” finish in the seller’s words. No modifications are noted to any part of the vehicle. The 18-inch factory alloys don’t appear to have any curb rash, though the Goodyear performance tires may be original. About the only deviations from stock are the tinted windows.
The latest electric-only F-150 Lightning is certainly a quick vehicle in its own right, but this 2001 edition from the engineers at SVT was built for excitement, not range. It was made with an old-school muscle-car vibe along with modern handling and braking. Which Lightning would you look good behind the wheel of?
Take a look at this second-gen Lightning on Hemmings Auctions before the bidding ends.
Stellantis
Kuniskis was there through Dodge’s Last Call campaign, the brand’s final send off for two of its iconic V8-powered muscle cars, the Dodge Challenger and Charger models, before turning the page to the next generation. Dodge’s Last Call models included the 2023 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Shakedown, 2023 Dodge Charger Super Bee, 2023 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack Swinger, 2023 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack Swinger, 2023 Dodge Charger King Daytona, 2023 Dodge Challenger Black Ghost, and the 2023 Dodge Challenger Demon 170. He also oversaw the next generation muscle car’s reveal, which confirmed the offering of an all-electric powertrain, plus he played a key role in the reveal of the all-electric 2025 Ram.
“I want to take the opportunity to warmly thank Tim for his passion, commitment and contributions to Stellantis and in defining the vision of the future electrified Ram and Dodge brands,” said Stellantis CEO, Carlos Tavares. “I wish him well in his retirement.”
Tim Kuniskis’s retirement comes at a challenging time for the company. Dodge has seen a drop in sales since the phase out of the previous Challenger and Charger models. Sales were down by 16-percent for the Charger coupe and sedan in Q1, while at the same time, Ram sales reportedly dropped by 26-percent. Vehicle shipments worldwide were down 10-percent (to 1.3 million) compared to the same three-month period a year ago. Stellantis revenue declined by a total of 15% to $20.7 billion.
Stepping up to the company’s future challenges in Kuniskis’s place is Matt McAlear, the new CEO of Dodge, who led Dodge's sales operations in the recent past. Christine Feuell, prior Chrysler CEO who had a hand in the reveal of the Halcyon Concept earlier this year, will now be in charge of the Ram brand.
Christine Feuell
Stellantis
Matt McAlear
Stellantis
“I am confident that Chris will continue the work of Tim in leading the iconic Ram brand,” said Tavares. “Matt will bring a fresh perspective, while continuing to draw on the heritage of our iconic Dodge brand and leading the transition of the brand toward a sustainable future.”
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