Плимут Бельведер: История американского автомобиля

The Plymouth Belvedere is a series of American automobile models made by Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. In 1954, the Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top trim and became a full model line with sedans, station wagons, and convertible body styles. The Belvedere continued as Plymouth's full sized car until 1965 when it became an intermediate. It was replaced after the 1970 model year by the Satellite, a name originally used for the top trim level Belvederes. The word "belvedere" is Italian for "beautiful sight" or "fair view." Chrysler also had the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois, which began vehicle production in 1965. However, the Plymouth Belvedere was never assembled there. During the 1950s and 1960s Chrysler Canada built the Belvedere for Commonwealth export markets such as New Zealand, India, and South Africa, in either CKD form or in factory right hand drive. Australia's local Chrysler operation built its own variation of the model until 1960.

The Plymouth Cranbrook Belvedere was introduced as a two door pillarless hardtop on March 31, 1951. It was Plymouth's first such body design. The model was developed in response to the 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air and the Ford Victoria, the first two door hardtop in the low priced American market. The Cranbrook Belvedere was the name for the two door hardtop version of the Cranbrook and was built on the same wheelbase. Powering the Belvedere is the Chrysler flathead straight 6 engine with a 7.00:1 compression ratio producing (SAE gross). For 1952, Plymouth kept the Cranbrook Belvedere essentially unchanged. The most significant upgrade was to the color scheme; to further distinguish the top level Belvedere from other Plymouths, the two tones now flowed from the roof over the beltline onto the trunk, referred to as the "saddleback" treatment. Two tone color schemes were "sable bronze" over suede, black over "mint green", and gray over blue. Overdrive was made available as optional equipment in the 1952 Plymouth. In overdrive, the engine made three revolutions for each rear wheel revolution and four without overdrive. The engine was a complete carryover from 1951. Production for 1951 and 1952 totaled 51,266 units. The Belvedere remained a part of the Cranbrook series through the 1953 model year, which saw all Plymouth models completely restyled. Significant changes include a shorter wheelbase, a one piece windshield, flush rear fenders, and a lower hood line. In April 1953, Plymouths received the Hy Drive semi automatic transmission. The engine was carried over from 1952, with the only enhancement being a slight increase in the compression ratio to 7.10:1, which yielded a rating of A total of 35,185 Belvederes were sold in 1953.

During Oklahoma's 50th anniversary, a new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was sealed in a concrete enclosure as a time capsule in downtown Tulsa on the grounds of the brand new county courthouse. It was unearthed on June 14, 2007, during the state's centennial celebrations, and was publicly unveiled the following day. In line with the Cold War realities of late 1950s America, the concrete enclosure was advertised as having been built to withstand a nuclear attack. The concrete enclosure, however, was not airtight and allowed water to leak in, which caused significant damage to the vehicle. The controversial televised vehicle customizer Boyd Coddington was to have been the first to start the unburied car, had it been operable. The car was the prize of a 1957 contest to guess the population of Tulsa in the year 2007. The winning entrant, Raymond Humbertson, guessed 384,743 versus the actual figure of 382,457. However, Humbertson died in 1979 and now only distant relatives remain. A second car, this time a Plymouth Prowler, was encased in a vault in Tulsa's Centennial Park (formerly Central Park) in 1998 to celebrate the city's centennial. After discovering what had become of the 1957 Belvedere, the Prowler was moved above ground, and a mound was formed over it. It is to be revealed after the same time as the Belvedere, in 2048.