JANUARY 2026: A PRO STREET 1964 PLYMOUTH BELVEDERE IS AN UNTAMED BEAST OF A CAR

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It was difficult not to notice a bright orange 1964 Plymouth Belvedere at a car show with a turbo boost pipe sticking out of its front bumper.

We at MyStarCollectorCar were not alone because the car attracted plenty of attention in that rock star kind of way.

Jim Sutherland

Shawn Landsman was the Belvey’s owner, and he knew the car’s history because he was directly involved in it. The ’64 Plymouth was previously owned by Shawn’s father-in-law and was used by him as a bracket car on the track until he sold the car to Shawn.

At the time, the car was equipped with a 440 big block coupled to a Mopar 727 automatic transmission, a powertrain combination Shawn kept for racing purposes when his father-in-law sold him the Plymouth in 1995-96.

Eventually Shawn decided to put his own stamp on the ’64 Plymouth and build it into a 21st century beast after it was parked for 20 years. The car had spent most of its life on a track, but Shawn also wanted to make it street-legal for his new direction.

The process began when Shawn swapped out the 440 for a 5.7 Hemi so he could massage the Belvey into a fire-breathing monster. He added a turbo boost, a nitrous package, and a cutting- edge fuel monitoring system to achieve that goal and estimates he will double the engine’s horsepower potential from 400 horsepower to 800 horsepower once Shawn dials in the variables with his setup.

Shawn’s new goal is to take part in drag-and-drive events. Participants must drive street-legal race cars to drag events held at a series of tracks on a pre-determined route that typically covers hundred of miles over the course of a week.

The vehicles must be able to handle the rigors of a drag strip and then head out on the highway to the next race location under their own power-and without a trailer.

There are plenty of hurdles to clear for each owner to participate in a drag-and-drive event, but Shawn has built a car that can compete in these unique road adventures.

He added a big four-wheel disc brake system to handle the extra horses, along with a digital dash so he can monitor his Belvey’s vital signs, whether on the road or the track.

Shawn even stepped into the 21st century when he replaced the Belvedere’s outside and inside rear-view mirrors with small cameras that give him better sight lines in traffic. Now he can see either side of his car better than with outside mirrors, as well as a better rear view than the inside mirror it replaced in the car.

His Plymouth also sports a replacement cooling system that begins with an aluminum radiator and electric fan cooling system, along with a functional trailer towing package because Shawn wanted to bring along extra equipment and tools in a small trailer on the drag-and-drive course.

Shawn is a talented guy who did all the work himself, including paint, to help keep down the costs for his pro street Plymouth project.

Now all Shawn has left is to dial in his monster Plymouth and enjoy his new road adventures on the way to the track.                                      

Jim Sutherland

BY: Jim Sutherland

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

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