Highway 61 1:18 1965 Plymouth Belvedere S/SBA Ken Montgomery "Triple Nickel" for Supercars

Virgil Exner was one of the great car designers of all time, but for 1962 he got it all wrong.

The Plymouths for that year were mid-sized cars with unconventional styling, the theory being to differentiate the brand versus the full size land yachts from GM and Ford. Plymouth buyers felt abandoned by the brand and sales tanked. Cars like the 1962 Valiant V-200, complete with the infamous toilet seat trunk sold like Bobby Sherman T- shirts at a Black Sabbath concert. So Exner was out and Elwood Engel was in and fortunes changed in 1965 when the C-body Fury, the big car the line Plymouth sorely lacked was launched.

Now that the former B-body cars didn’t have to compete with full size rivals, they could be marketed for what they were: nice, solid mid-sized cars. Plymouth re-branded them as the Belvedere Model line. The cars themselves were modeled in looks after the new flagship Fury with restrained trim, mesh grill and a profile that made it appear to lean into the wind. This is one of the best model interpretations by Highway 61 featuring crisp lines and capturing the streamlined look. You could buy a Belvedere I or II in various guises, but the big attraction was the buyer could order the car several engine options including stout hemi power. The marketing department tagged this new fleet of B-body bangers “The Roaring 65’s”. Sales moved ahead by 19% year over year.

It didn’t take long for racers to back up the “roaring” claim on the drag strips where Dodge was the muscle of Mopar. Outfitted with the legendary 426 Hemi Elephant Engine, 160 Belvedere Hemi Lightweights were manufactured and promptly spent the summer of 1965 dominating the competition.

The car guys at Supercars celebrate the men that raced the Roaring 65 series with three 2009 releases including the Butch Leal’s “California Flash”, Ken Montgomery’s famous “Triple Nickel” and Jack Werst’s “Mr. 5 and 50”. Just writing that last sentence reminds me how great it was when cars and drivers had nicknames somewhat more colorful than “Junior” or “Happy”. These models are scheduled to be available on 2/13/2009 so you might want to get this review in the hands of your Valentine.

The rest of the interior is, well, not much – and we like it that way. Dodge van seats replaced the usual arrangement and anything that wasn’t needed for racing has been pitched. All three models have a Champagne Red interior typical of all Plymouth lightweights. Care has been taken to do what’s there correctly, such as the soft seat belts with photo-etch buckles, and big old tachs.

The rest of the interior is, well, not much – and we like it that way. Dodge van seats replaced the usual arrangement and anything that wasn’t needed for racing has been pitched. All models have a Champagne Red interior typical of all Plymouth lightweights. Te model features soft seat belts with photo-etch buckles and a big tach. The automatic shifter pictured will be replaced with a 4-speed for production. The legendary engine is modeled in authentic orange with 426 branded valve covers. Plumbed and wired, it looks every bit as good as the engines of American cars coming out of GMP and that’s saying something. The scissor hinged hoods are a real premium at this price point. From an underside view, the header style exhaust system gives the model chassis a raw feel with the suspension and the driveshaft both functional. The surprisingly well appointed trunk has the big battery to power the banshee under the hood. Overall shut lines are more snug than the original.

But enough wrenchead babble let’s get to the really exciting part of these cars, the chaotically decaled and wildly painted shells and the pilots that punched their gas pedal.

The Ken Montgomery car with his famous gold black colors is a prime example (note, gold colors will match on final production version and is slightly different on this pre-production version). Montgomery still races this old warhorse today though with different colors and sponsorship, quite an investment as he bought the original in 1965 with his own money. In fact he races Jack “Mr. 5 and 50” (another model in this supercar series) in a match race at late as 2006. With a stance supported by meats out back with stock unpainted wheels and spiffy Keystones Klassics up front, this car looks poised for a run.

The bottom line is you feel the love Supercars has for its craft: the subject choices, the scrutiny they bring to task to get the details as right as possible. I’m personally amazed at how many details that are cleanly executed. More than that, I found living with these Roaring 65 models for a week or two just pure fun and joy. Since the edition size for the Triple Nickel is limited to 600 pieces, we suggest you get in line early to reserve one of these highly collectible and highly recommended Roaring 65s.

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