The 1975-77 Gran Fury was Plymouth’s last traditional full-sized car. And when it was gone, few shed a tear.

1976 Gran Fury Custom Sedan and Hardtop

On September 25, 1973. the Chrylser Corporation introduced its newly redesigned full-sized cars for 1974, including the Plymouth Fury. With their all-new exterior sheet metal, these C-body cars abandoned the previous ’69-’73 fuselage theme for a more formal and hefty big-car look.

Then just 22 days later, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies (OPEC) announced its embargo of oil to the United States. Over the next few months, as oil prices shot straight up and gasoline shortages spread across the country, the prospects for big, thirsty Detroit sedans of the battleship class were now far less bright.

1975 Gran Fury Brougham Sedan 

For 1975, Plymouth responded to the major market shift by moving the Fury, its traditional big-car badge, down to the intermediate class on the B-body platform, while rebranding the C-body Fury as the Gran Fury across the board. (Previously, Gran Fury was a Fury trim level.) Down-classing the Fury was a logical move, as the corporation’s big cars weren’t big sellers in these years anyway. Even before the first oil crisis, Chrysler’s volume rested mainly on its compact and mid-sized products.

As the 1974 Fury became the 1975 Gran Fury, the changes were minimal. The front end recieved a facelift as the previous quad headlamps were exchanged for a pair of 7-in sealed beams, while the rear end got a modest revision as well. The C-body platform and 121.5-in wheelbase (shared with the Dodge Monaco) carried forward unchanged. The giant 26.5-gallon fuel tank was continued as well, as if to underline the Gran Fury’s status as a grand gasoline guzzler. The engine choices were all V8s, from 318 to 440 cubic inches. The 440 V8 was EPA-rated at 10 miles per gallon in city driving.

1976 Gran Fury Custom (left) and Brougham interiors

The Fury I, Fury II, and Fury III designations were dropped for ’75 and now the trim levels were Gran Fury, Gran Fury Custom, and Gran Fury Brougham. The mid-range Custom was the leader in sales, but the total was disappointing at best: around 89,000 in ’75, 51,000 in ’76, 56,000 in ’76. The volume was a mere fraction of the numbers Plymouth rivals Ford and Chevy were racking up with their full-size cars, and for ’78 the Gran Fury was gone from the lineup. The name would return a few years later, but on considerably smaller products.

1977 Gran Fury Brougham Sedan