The Belvedere nameplate first arrived in 1951 as a name for the hardtop coupe version of the Plymouth Cranbrook, a response to Chevy's Bel Air and Ford's Victoria, both of which had launched the previous year. For '54 it replaced the Cranbrook as the name for all full-size Plymouths.
For the next decade or so, it was used as a trim level designation for full-size Plymouths, initially for the top-of-the-line model, above the Plaza, but then as the second tier behind the Fury.
The Fury and Belvedere nameplates parted ways for good in 1965, with the Fury growing back to a proper full-size car on a 119" wheelbase and the Belvedere badge continuing on the 116" wheelbase as the midsize offering from Plymouth.
The Belvedere could be had as the el-strippo Belvedere I and the top-shelf Satellite, with the mid-tier Belvedere II between them.
The Belvedere II came in several body styles: wagon, pillared sedan, convertible, or as a hardtop coupe like the Dark Blue Metallic one in the photos.
The base engine would have been the classic 225 cubic inch Mopar Slant Six inline making 145 horsepower, or the 180 horse 273 LA V-8. Optional was the 2-barrel 318 V-8 rated at 230 SAE gross horsepower.
The Commando V8 badging on the front fenders tells us that this car has one of the sportier optional engines. There was the 2-barrel Commando 361 V-8, with an output of 265 horses, as well as the 4-barrel High Performance Commando 383, which put out 330 horses. Last came two versions of the 426 "Wedge" big block V-8: The High Performance Commando, which had a 4-barrel carb, a 10.3:1 compression ratio, unsilenced air cleaner, and 365 ponies, or the Super Commando 426 which is only referenced in the sales brochure with a note of "Not recommended for general highway driving. Full specifications available from your Plymouth dealer on request."
These photos were snapped with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and an EF 28-70mm f/2.8L zoom lens in October of 2020.
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