STOLEN 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II Hemi, four speed 4 door sedan!!! Very rare!!!
Thanks, Wes, for this group and efforts made to locate vehicles and history. Am hoping to get some more leads to what became of a very unique Mopar which was stolen in 1980.
On 3/22/1966, my father ordered a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II Hemi, four speed 4 door sedan (RH41H) at Franklin Motors (290 Franklin Ave, Wyckoff NJ- Dealer Code 61504): my grandfather was the General Manager of this dealership. It was built in St. Louis and arrived at the dealership on 4/7/1966. In March 1968, he sold it to his 2nd cousin Allen Greg Bull as he had a 1968 Hemi Road Runner coupe (RM21J8A274037) on order.
Allen Greg Bull owned the car until 1970, when he sold it to Brian McCullough. Brian’s father owned a gas station located at 821 Kinderkamack Rd. River Edge, NJ.
In late February 1972 my father saw the car for sale at a gas station located at Johnson Ave and Orchard Street in Hackensack, NJ and in March 1972, he bought it back.
How the car came to be stolen (disclaimer: my logical assessment) -
From 1979-1980 with the second oil crisis still impacting fuel prices, the 1966 Hemi car was parked more than it was used. We had many cars in the household and only a small dirt driveway and no garage, so we used the municipal parking lot adjacent to our house as an “overflow lot”. One of the cars we had sitting in the municipal parking lot was a 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible – 383/4 barrel, four speed. In Spring 1980 a note was left on the car, asking if it was for sale. My father called up the number and spoke with a person named “George” from Paterson NJ. George worked in Closter NJ, so in his daily commute to/from Paterson he passed the aforementioned parking lot. My father arranged to show the George 1968 Plymouth. I was with Dad for this showing. George was in his late 20’s-early 30’s, had red hair with a beard and was driving a 1973 Mustang Convertible (Blue exterior/White top). After showing him the 1968 Plymouth, he showed him the 1966 Hemi because Dad was considering selling it. George expressed an interest in it, however made no offer on it nor the 1968 Plymouth. On July 4th my father parked the 1966 Hemi in the parking lot next to the 1968 Plymouth, so he could do some yard clean up (as it had been parked on the side lawn of the house). On the morning of July 5th, 1980, as my mother walked downstairs to start the day, she looked out the window that faced the parking lot and the car was not there. She called to my father, “Ed, didn’t you leave the Hemi in the parking lot?” Dad responded with a “yes”, to which she replied- “well, it’s not there now….” A police report was filed that morning.
Some months passed and then in the mail came a Summons from the City of Paterson- for unpaid parking tickets on the 1966 Hemi issued a few days after it was stolen. My father got the tickets dismissed, but the car was never recovered.
What I’d like to find out:
• Was Brian McCullough the seller in 1972 when my father bought it back or had Brian sold the car on to another person by then: Have made multiple efforts to communicate him over the years, without any luck or reply. He is Class of 1960 from River Dell High School, River Edge NJ and lives in Los Angeles doing Video Production/Post Production work.
• Who is/was George: what’s done is done. I just want to know the details of the car’s demise.
• What was the car’s demise: when it was ticketed in Paterson NJ, my presumption is that the car was still intact. Had it been stripped at that moment in time would expect the car to have been impounded instead of ticketed. So, when was it stripped, what all was taken and how was the carcass disposed of.
Photos are of when Allen Greg Bull owned it in 1968, of Mom (RIP) and I in 1972 just after repurchasing (Mom is lashing the valves) and of the car and parking lot a year prior to being stolen. Thanks in advance for any information.
