1974 was a tumultuous year for Detroit because gas suddenly became scarcer and more expensive after the Arab Oil Embargo, so big domestic sedans were an issue for the carmakers.
The big cars built during the 1974 fuel crisis were chronically addicted to gasoline and required plenty of it to stay on the road.
Jim Sutherland
Nevertheless, the Big Three still built big cars for customers who wanted their comfortable ride and long list of options. A 1974 Plymouth Fury Gran Sedan fell within Mother Mopar’s big car category, officially known as C-Bodies in the Chrysler car alphabet because of their large size.
Wally Ostercamp is the proud owner of a beautiful 1974 Plymouth Fury Gran Sedan 4-door hardtop with only 25,000 original miles on its odometer after 50 years of service. Even better, the big Mopar is a survivor that has kept its youthful good looks because the large sedan led a pampered life with its former owners.
The ’74 Plymouth was originally purchased in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada, a city located in a region known for its long winters and cold weather. Wally told MyStarCollectorCar the big Plymouth “was always garaged” and protected from extreme weather by its first owner.
The Gran Sedan was pampered by its first owner and given to the man’s son when he passed away. The son also maintained his father’s high standards with the ’74 Plymouth during his period of ownership, but unfortunately, he also passed away and the car was listed for sale.
Wally does not live in Saskatchewan, but he was intrigued by the car because of its long legacy with one family and their high maintenance standards for the Gran Sedan. Consequently, he traveled to Saskatchewan to see the car and, after seeing it first-hand, he bought it in February 2023.
Wally is a big Mopar fan and has owned many of them over the years, including his first Mopar vehicle, a 1954 Dodge truck. His father leaned toward Chrysler products, and he influenced Wally in this area.
Wally’s 1974 Plymouth Fury Gran Sedan is a fully loaded vehicle that lists air conditioning, power windows, power seats, power steering, cruise control, among the luxury items on his car. The car has an interesting location for its horn because it is part of the lower portion of the steering wheel rim and is activated by a squeeze.
The Plymouth has its factory 400 cubic inch engine and is still coupled to its original 3-speed automatic transmission. As mentioned earlier, 1974 was a tough year for big cars because of their woeful fuel economy and Wally’s Plymouth is not exactly frugal with gasoline.
However, Wally and his Plymouth had already logged 800 miles after only a few months on the road by August 2023. Additionally, he has owned many variations of Mopar V-8 engines over the years and labels them “bullet-proof” in Wally’s words.
For Wally, the trade-off is his 1974 Plymouth Gran Sedan’s dependability factor, along with the big car’s amazing ride that he describes “as floating on air at 70 mph”. Wally added, “It’s not a really a hot rod-but it will get you there”.
We at MyStarCollectorCar believe Wally is the right owner for this big Mopar from the Me Decade because he respects its legacy and will continue the former owners’ tradition of pampering the 1974 Plymouth Fury Gran Sedan.
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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