(first posted 9/22/2018) Dodge’s Plum Crazy purple, which first appeared in 1970, is of course back on the option list. But it never went out of fashion for hard core Dodge Fever guys (the ones in the white hats), as this early Dodge Caravan C/V shows. It was found by cjcz92 and posted at the Cohort. That thing got a hemi?
If it’s got the optional 2.6 L Mitsubishi four, it does.
Here’s one of the original wearers of Plum Crazy. The hoods scoops are even similar. Maybe this is a Super Caravan. Or something like that.
My name’s Daniel Stern, and I would drive a purple car.
The family and I saw a 2017 Wrangler in “Extreme Purple” yesterday (basically the same color) and debated that question. The boys would, the parents not so much. But we all agreed that a Wrangler should be a fun color instead of black, white, silver, whatever…At least it’s offered.
My best friend has an ‘18 Wrangler Sahara in Nacho Orange. It’s a cool color, but too daring for me.
Hi Daniel. Me too… I love the color actually.
Plum Crazy Chargers and Challengers (late model ones) are all the rage here in Baltimore. It’s probably a popular option due to our football team, The Baltimore Ravens. The pictured muscle coupe (Plymouth Satellite? Dodge Charger? Some kind of Canadian Plodge? I know I recognize it, but just can’t place it… I must’ve been absent from Mopar class that day, sorry) appears to be our team’s exact shade of purple.
The coupe is a ’70 dodge coronet super “b”.
It’s a b body car with a big engine ,thus it’s a super b
Super Bee. Dodge’s take on the Road Runner.
Thanks guys… I was going to guess Coronet, but I remember them being boxier like this one below that I shot a couple of months ago…
…but that was likely a previous generation.
That “Ravens” purple car has the swoopy lines and Coke bottle shape of a ‘69 Charger.
I always thought that the Super Bee had that obnoxious wing and plastic beak on the front, but perhaps not in this year, or perhaps that was merely an option to satisfy NASCAR rules or something. You know, like that goofy back window cheat that the ‘80s Monte Carlo did to try to keep up with the T-Birds. 😉
The SuperBee IS a Coronet, there was also a Coronet R/T that was pretty much dressed up the same as the Superbee, but with more amenities.
You’re close with the wing car, it’s the SuperBIRD, based on the 1970 RoadRunner
The Dodge “wing” car for NASCAR was the Charger Daytona, Charger not Coronet based.
True, but, FWIW, the 1970 Superbird actually used modified Coronet front fenders and hood. In fact, I think the zany, scowling loop front bumper of the Coronet came about specifically because they wanted to be able to use that car for the NASCAR special without a lot of modifications.
The only trouble was Petty wanted one and, to get him back, Chrysler had to make a Plymouth wingcar instead of a Dodge. So, the Road Runner body shell got the Coronet doghouse for the aero nosecone.
Actually, I wonder if anyone ever tacked a Superbird nose onto a 1970 Coronet. That would be an interesting car.
The Super Bee was Dodge’s attempt at whimsy (Super B-body, get it?). It didn’t go over nearly as well as the Road Runner. In fact, Dodge had to scramble to get the Super Bee into production for midyear 1968 introduction because Dodge execs (as well as more than a few Chrysler execs) didn’t think the Road Runner would sell and were caught by surprise when it not only sold, but was a big hit..
As to the Coronet R/T, its Plymouth equivalent was the GTX. It was kind of a goofy situation with Dodge having both the Coronet R/T and Charger, but it had been that way since 1967, so I guess they just decided to run with it.
It didn’t start to get straightened out until 1971 when the 2-door Coronet was completely eliminated, with only the Charger left.
The Charger/Coronet R/T was definitely a redundancy. The 66-67s were understandable, since there was so much else different between a Charger and a Coronet in the interior, but the passenger compartments were practically identical after 68 with the Rallye dash.
It’s funny though, a lot of people dismiss the 71 Chargers for becoming so-called 2 door Coronets because of that fact, which I personally never agreed with, it was the inverse.
I did drive a purple car Mr.Stern. A1996 ford escort LX wagon.
Great car. And as far as this van goes. I’ve seen worse. And it’s nice to see any old minivan still being used
Closest I ever came to purple was a burgundy minivan I leased.
It wouldn’t look so bad if it didn’t have the out of place hood scoops. I like the choice of wheels.
It’s hard to tell from the photos, but the finish appear very ‘cloudy’. Like not enough paint was being applied when sprayed.
When I first saw this on the cohort it put me back in mind of my time in Memphis. About 15 years ago the Hispanic population really seemed to explode (or maybe it was the part of Memphis I lived in) and pretty much EVERY vehicle (truck or car) with hood scoops had a owner that was 1st generation Hispanic-American…..and some vehicles had more than the requisite 2 hood scoops.
There was also a wide spread ignorance of environmental laws with impromptu “paint/body shops” set up pretty much anywhere. Apparently neighbors never complained about the pervasive paint fumes.
But if I had to guess and wasn’t afraid of stereotyping, I would say that this van had a Hispanic owner who had his van painted at someone’s home paint booth.
And I am not sure those “wheels” aren’t really just Wal-Mart or Pep Boys wheel covers.
The modifications look entirely ‘homemade’. Again, the paint looks like it was applied very ‘dry’. The rear bumper end caps were painted purple, while the front end caps remain black. They do look like plastic wheels covers, if the pattern suits the van.
The double Trump stickers in the back windows would suggest the owner is a white male.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/who-are-donald-trumps-supporters-really/471714/
My guess is the paint is one of those single stage finishes offered by maaco type places where the clearcoat is supposedly mixed with the basecoat(offering the benefit of neither process). This is how they all look after 6 months, flat and chalky, and there’s nothing you can do to bring it back.
That would make sense, as the purple isn’t ‘pure’. It looks like something is desaturating the finish.
I think we are looking at an early prototype of what later became the Dodge Caravan GT.
Leaving aside the hood scoops, I actually sort of like it. I’ll be honest, I don’t usually like a lot of factory purples, as I think they become so bright and eye-searing it doesn’t work. However, Dodge’s Plum Crazy just works so well on a lot of their cars that I actually think its one of the best factory colors to ever come from Chrysler. I guess because, even though it’s noticeably purple, I find that it’s muted just enough that it doesn’t become gaudy, there’s an almost somewhat subtle quality to how it looks that it tends to fit with a lot of lines of the cars it was offered on. I would drive a Plum Crazy colored car, I’ll fully admit that.
Agreed, Plum Crazy to me is as classy as darker metallic blues, reds or greens.
As a big Mopar musclecar fan, I could live without ever seeing another purple car again.
I just went to the Chryslers at Carlisle show in July and it looked like a bag of Skittles threw up. Many cars, that would have been an otherwise nice original color, probably green or brown, are now purple, orange, pink, yellow or lime green. I even know an owner of an original black Road Runner that is now painted purple. I can appreciate an original Hi-Impact car and I realize it’s the owners car to do with whatever they want but as a fan, I’m over it.
“I just went to the Chryslers at Carlisle show in July and it looked like a bag of Skittles threw up.”
Hehehehe! Best line of the day! At least it’s a break from the non-stop red at gatherings of Mustangs and Camaros.
The only high impact color cars that excite me today are the regular base packages, like this flat hood 318 Challenger in the brochure. Those are unicorns
then feel free to enjoy this factory FC7 purple ’71 Satellite!
It’s a 2.6 Mini-Mag. It has the digital dash components installed out of a Chrysler, so it has the Tic Toc Tech. We installed a 3-spoke steering wheel retro fitted with an airbag. It’s called the Puff Wheel. We’re working up a graphics kit for it. It will be called the Superbox..
Sorry. I’ve only had one cup of coffee…
I’ve got a lot of love for the first gen Dodge Caravan. I had a ’90 bought new, with the Mitsubishi 3.0 SOHC V6 with the three speed tranny. That thing loved to wind and was a real runner. Lot’s of family trips, even to British Columbia. Good memories. Like most of them, the valve guides or seals started smoking near the end. The three speed tranny held up, unlike the Ultramatic (Problematic) four speed.
You mean Ultradrive! Ultramatics were on Packards (and at least in final Twin Ultramatic guise, were also problematic).
As a minivan driver (we own two T&C’s) and a Mopar Guy, I approve of this. Just because you drive a minivan, doesn’t mean it has to look boring! What I want to do with mine, now that it’s paid off, is turn it into a 70’s custom van looking thing with big mags, zoomies and a big, obnoxious mural. But I’d settle for a SuperBox!
THERE WAS ALSO A LESS-VIVID PURPLE FOR THE PLYMOUTH PROWLER. I DID SEE “PROWLER PURPLE” LATER, ON A WORK COLLEAGUE’S FIRST GENERATION NEON, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS A FACTORY COLOUR. MY DAD WORKED FOR AMC, SO I ALSO REMEMBERI WILD PLUM METALLIC ON GREMLINS AND JAVELINS. I VAGUELY REMEMBER DAD PICKING US UP FROM SCHOOL IN WILD PLUM METALLIC ’70 HORNET 4-DR WITH A FABRIC SUNROOF. THAT WOULD BE RARE
Way back in 1969 when the Ford Maverick was released, I read an article about the wild names that were being given t he colors for it. As I remember, they drew the line at “Statutory Grape”.
Please tell me that you’re going to do a “deadly sin” on the now defunct “Ultium” project.
It’s the 21st century W-Body fiasco all over again. Except they actually managed to sell more than a handful of W Bodies to mostly fleet companies.
Thank you.
https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/gm-is-ditching-its-one-size-fits-all-ultium-battery-system-and-adopting-other-cell-formats-193041348.html
Part of me does want to. I’ve been following all of this quite closely, and Mary Barra couldn’t resist doing a classic GM boner move with such a pretentious name (and program) for its EVs.
I’ve been wondering these past couple of years whether GM was purposely foot-dragging the Ultium roll out because the market wouldn’t likely have been able to absorb them all but more importantly they would have lost a huge amount per car, as has been the case with Ford. I’m not sure whether the losses in the Ultium program investments are greater or less than the losses on a per car production would have been.
In any case, they’ve presumably lost less money on their EV program so far than Ford has, but then they’ve not been nearly as transparent as Ford has, which breaks out the financials of them.
I still think Mary is doing a better job than Farley at Ford; he has zig-zagged all over the place with their EV program, which has been losing some $5B per year now for the third year in a row? He keeps changing his mind as to what’s going to actually work (be profitable). Good luck with that.
And to Mary too. EVs have turned out to be a lot harder than anyone might have thought. Musk’s personality reeks, but Tesla is still the only profitable exclusively EV maker in the world.
Anyway, as long as folks keep buying all those $65-90k pickups, GM and Ford are safe. The massive profits from them hides a large variety of sins.
> Tesla is still the only profitable exclusively EV maker in the world.
BYD?
A substantial percentage of BYD’s cars are PHV (plug in hybrids), which is where the (slim) automotive profits come from. They also sell batteries.
***It’s owner left a comment above but in case anyone’s missed it***
It does indeed have the hemi Mitsubishi 2.6, and interestingly, the digital bits from a contemporary Chrysler dash (hopefully a talking one!) and… a three spoke steering wheel with an airbag. Quite a admirable nod to safety if it’s all properly wired, I’d say. If it’s a Dodge unit it must probably be from a third gen Caravan or first gen Stratus.
He finished the original comment with …”We’re working up a graphics kit for it. It will be called the Superbox..”
Would love to see updated pics if it’s still out there 6 years later!
I like that they swapped out the low end Plodge pentastar hood ornament with a classy clear crystal one from a Chrysler.
There are several things that endear me about the first two generations of Caravan C/V:
1.) they machined up for a bespoke smooth side panel instead of just inserting spacers where the windows would have went on passenger vans, freeing up space for a clean sign advertising the van owner’s business.
2.) FWD and transverse engines means easy access between front seats, to and from the front and rear of van, and a low flat floor
3.) Optional dual hinged barn doors in back
4.) sealed-beam standard shared headlamps instead of bespoke plastic composite units that gave off poor light. The C/V’s standard sealed beams allowed the owner to easily swap out the best pair available.
4.) Good interior ergonomics, nice appearance inside and out, easy to drive, and all the famiilar Mopar minivan goodness.
Mine was an ’89 and had the corporate 2.5 under the hood .I would love to find a C/V today which is impossible here in the land of rust. I would transfer the entire drivetrain from my current ’13 rav4 into it. Even if this engine replaced the Mitsubishi 2.6 engine it wasn’t great as an engine. I’m not even talking about the transmission and its fragile differential.
I had an ’86 Plymouth Voyager, 2.2L 4 and 5 speed manual. The combination of those gave adequate performance, and actually could be enjoyable. I always wondered how low the top gear/final drive ratio was, but it didn’t have a tachometer. It wasn’t revving unreasonably high if I recall correctly. The red vinyl seats were fixed in place, didn’t recline.
Before that had an ’89 Grand Voyager with the 3.0L V6. That had expensive transmission trouble. The last one was a ’96 Grand Caravan with the 3.3L V6. With the rear seats out (didn’t stow) I hauled 4×8 sheetrock and plywood with the hatch shut. I always liked minivans. Although payload would be a concern, they had a lot more room than a compact pickup truck.
I almost forgot – for several years had a company issued ’87 Dodge Caravan just like Martin’s photo. Mine was our company’s 1st minivan in the fleet with the 3.0 V6, all the others were the 2.6 4.
Slightly off topic, but remember when I said the Ford Transit Connect was the modern equivalent of the 1st-and-2nd-gen Chrysler minivans? Well, I was right–I spotted an early ’90s Caravan (the short model) and parked my 2016 Transit Connect (also the short model) in front of it with the two face-to-face; they were almost EXACTLY the same size! Obvious styling differences aside, the Caravan is probably a little bit longer in length while the Connect has a slightly taller roof, but it’s still amazing how close the two vans are in overall stature considering their age difference. Plus, as a bonus, the Caravan had faux woodgrain paneling!
AND a hood ornament to boot! However, the hood must have come off of a different model as it’s tan while the rest of the van (sans the woodgrain) is blue. And then I noticed on the other side that the front passenger and sliding doors were also tan–the three replacement parts were likely all sourced from the same van!