1965 Plymouth Belvedere Packs Modern SRT Power and Comfort

Not only does it run 11-second quarter-mile times with a modern SRT Hemi, this 1965 Plymouth Belvedere also has a plush SRT interior.

We feature a great many high-performance Mopars with modern Hemi power, but today we bring you a look at a cool, classic Plymouth packing a 6.1L SRT Hemi — and the leather interior from the SRT8 that provided the engine. This old-school Mopar muscle car runs impressive quarter-mile times, but it is also street-driven, so the owner added the SRT interior to make sure that it is as comfortable as it is quick.

Albert Long’s 1965 Belvedere

From the outside, Albert Long’s 1965 Plymouth Belvedere looks like your average Mopar muscle car from that era, but as soon as you look inside – or under the hood – it is clear that this beast is far from average.

This ’65 Belvedere is powered by a 6.1L Hemi from a 2008 SRT8 Chrysler 300C and aside from the camshaft and Hemituner tune, the engine is stock. With the help of a 727 Chrysler automatic transmission and an 8.75 rear differential, this Plymouth sends 433 horsepower to the rear wheels on 93-octane gasoline. This Belvedere is street-driven and gets around 18mpg, but more importantly, the near-stock SRT Hemi allows this old school Mopar to rocket down the quarter mile in the mid-11s.

That is all very impressive, but since Long drives his Belvedere on the street, he wanted it to be as comfortable as it is fast. To achieve that, he added the front and rear seats from a Chrysler 300C SRT8, so this classic Mopar has heated and power-adjustable leather front seats with the matching leather rear seat. He also added interior panels with a mix of leather and suede and to match the SRT seats. Just to be clear, the heated, power seats still work as they did in the 300C.

Albert Long built this unique muscle car himself with the help of Bill Cocoma and Keith Arlan, creating a classic Plymouth that runs mid-11s, gets 18mpg on the open road and offers premium SRT comfort. A special thanks to Albert Suhr for his chassis and suspension help.

Long’s Belvedere in Action

In the video above, which comes from Albert Long’s YouTube channel, his 1965 Belvedere is making a quarter mile pass at Atco Dragway in New Jersey against a modern Dodge Charger. After a solid burnout, the SRT-powered classic stages and rips away from the starting line on green, pulling down an .034 reaction time.

The Charger gets to the finish line first, but Long’s Hemi-powered Plymouth runs an 11.43 at 115 miles per hour – just a tick off of his best-ever run of 11.42 at 116.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy this unique classic Mopar muscle car with modern Hemi power!

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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