1966 Plymouth Belvedere hidden for a decade after Florida judge impounded it now worth $165K

As vintage cars and restorations go, the story behind this 1966 Plymouth Belvedere from Florida is one for the ages, as nearly 60 years on, it’s in the best shape of its life.

Many cars from America’s golden era have been tucked up in bubble wrap waiting for the day when old becomes new again.

Or when there’s enough green paper on the table to make decades-long inflation become a worthwhile investment.

This Plymouth Belverde isn’t your usual vintage car though, having been impounded 50 years ago and only now coming back to life.

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1966 Plymouth Belvedere resurfaces after being impounded years ago

Plymouth vintage cars are no strangers to being given new leases of life.

The Belvedere range, in particular, is often the subject of restorations. Like this $300 hunk of scrap metal from 1961.

In this tale though, the 1966 Plymouth Belvedere was bought by a man in Florida.

He’d been working on the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and gifted it to his 17-year-old son to make up for lost time.

The car, blessed with one of the extremely rare second-gen V8 Hemi 426HP engines, was quickly in a heap of bother though.

The son was reportedly caught speeding. The car and its titles were apparently seized by the Court and impounded.

At this point, few people get their car back, and if they do, it’s thanks to Bill Gates.

Nicknamed ‘The Brow’ by the Florida man, for the ‘eyebrows’ on its hood, the Plymouth Belvedere sat in the impound for a dusty 12 years.

Or did it…

A court employee takes good care of it

Reports suggest that the car was found in the garage of the Court Judge’s friend. An advert for an identical Plymouth Belvedere was placed by a Court Commissioner in 1978. Coincidence?

Well, the titles suggest the car is the same one that was impounded.

Over the next 30 years, one man kept it well-maintained. It was then traded to Florida Drag Racing Hall of Famer Ray Rappa, and given a restoration over the next three years to bring it back to its prime.

With a mere 36k miles on the clock, this 59-year-old Plymouth is now valued at a whopping $165,000.

Being sold by RevMuscleCars, the classic has increased in price by nearly 550 percent. It was bought new for just over $3k back in the 60s.

There must be something in the Belvedere paint that makes it stand the test of time. Because some even older models are still shining bright under the American sunshine.

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