1954 Plymouth Belmont Could Have Been A Corvette Rival

Haven’t heard of the Plymouth Belmont concept before? Well, if things went a little different, it could have been a serious rival to the Chevrolet Corvette of the day.

Designed by Virgil Exner, the Plymouth Belmont was first shown to the world at the 1954 Chicago Auto Show and went on to be displayed at the 1954 New York Motorama.

The car sported a curvaceous fiberglass body, a set of large chrome-surrounded headlights, chrome across the grille and front bumper, as well as whitewall tires. As the Belmont was only ever a concept, it made do with the same 114-inch chassis that underpinned a host of Plymouth sedans of that period.

Auctioned Off In 2017: There’s Only One Plymouth Belmont Concept, And It’s Up For Auction

Powering the car is a 3.9-liter naturally aspirated V8 with 150 hp, making the Belmont the very first car with a Plymouth badge to have eight-cylinders. Coupled to the V8 was a three-speed ‘Hy-Drive’ transmission that combined a torque converter with a manual gearbox.

Only one example was ever built and it will be auctioned off by Mecum Auctions during its Kissimmee 2020 sales event that kicked off on Thursday and will run through until January 12.

Shortly after being shown at a series of automotive events, the Plymouth Belmont featured in the 1954 film Bundle of Joy and, in 1957, starred in Mister Cory featuring Tony Curtis. In more recent years, the concept has been expertly restored and shown at a host of events, including the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.