This Dual-Driver 1954 Plymouth Belvedere Driver’s Ed Car Is the Ultimate Survivor
This car outlasted scores of teens in its heyday. At this point, it’s basically immortal. You cannot kill it. It will outlive you.
I always assumed that our driver's ed class car was destined for the crusher. The class I took in high school had some generic Mitsubishi that had truly seen better days, and it sucked. I haven't thought about that car until just now, when I saw this eBay ad for a nice 1954 Plymouth Belvedere with dual controls.
Just think of the unspeakable horrors and driving sins this thing has experienced. Then think harder about the horrifying car-crimes it's seen because this Belvedere has a three-on-the-tree manual transmission.
Honestly, I'm surprised that the seller isn't advertising a gearbox full of jello based on that fact alone. The instructor in the right seat must have been on their A-game.
Fortunately for lovers of weird vintage finds, whoever kept this Belvedere running all these years clearly took care of it. Maybe that was their penance for shuttling sweaty teens in and out of the left seat. The seller claims it runs and drives well, although the brakes aren't great.
This '54 Belvedere only has 11,370 miles on it per the seller. If that five-digit odometer reading is true, it definitely hasn't been out much from its last maintenance stickers from the 1980s. That story is told through a ton of maintenance stickers in the door jamb—including a repurposed seed company sticker.
It's by no means in perfect condition, with a few dings here and there, original paint that could use shining up and floors that have seen better days. As far as survivors go, though, it looks like a solid car that would be easy to resurrect into show car condition—only to have your kid stall it 12 times and accidentally drive it into the garage door. Hey, that's what it's for.
It's worth bringing this big classic sedan back to its former greatness, too, especially with this weird dual-driver layout. The Belvedere was Plymouth's top full-size model for the year, packing a 230-cubic-inch straight-six engine good for 110 horsepower. Look at those cool proto-tailfins, too. The world hadn't gotten into the era of extravagant tailfin absurdity just yet, which in this case meant that there were fewer protruding points for boomer teens to knock off. How practical!
You can buy the ultimate survivor (and browse a few more photos of it) on eBay here, where bidding currently sits at $13,327 with seven days to go.
[H/T Barn Finds!]
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