This is a 1986 Plymouth Gran Fury that was modified for use in the Fox TV series “Gotham” and driven by James Gordon and Harvey Bullock, played by Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue respectively.
The car was modified with police lights, a siren, a police radio, and some other additions to make it appear like an authentic big city detective car. It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late October.
Fast Facts: 1986 Plymouth Gran Fury
- The Plymouth Gran Fury first appeared in 1975 as Chrysler repositioned the Fury model series during a turbulent era of oil crises and shrinking demand for large sedans. Early versions rode on the C-body platform, offering full-size proportions and V8 engines. The model briefly disappeared in 1977 before returning in 1979 on the downsized R-body, which shared underpinnings with the Dodge St. Regis and Chrysler Newport.
- The R-body Gran Fury retained rear-wheel drive, offered six-cylinder and V8 engines, and was particularly popular with police and government fleet buyers. The 1979 version was the last Plymouth sedan to feature Chrysler’s hefty 440 cubic inch V8, long favored by highway patrol agencies. Despite these attributes, poor timing amid economic strain and high fuel prices led to weak sales, and as a result Chrysler ended R-body production in 1981.
- For 1982, the Gran Fury shifted to Chrysler’s mid-size M-body platform, a body-on-frame layout it shared with the Dodge Diplomat and Chrysler Fifth Avenue. By the mid-1980s, the car’s squared styling appeared dated, but its mechanical simplicity and durability made it a fixture in police fleets and taxi companies. Departments in major cities like New York and Washington, D.C. continued ordering them in bulk well after most automakers had adopted front-wheel drive.
- The 1986 Gran Fury shown here gained new life when it was selected for the Fox TV series Gotham. Outfitted with police lights, a siren, and radio, it appeared on screen as the detective car for characters James Gordon and Harvey Bullock, played by Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue. Powered by a 318 cubic inch V8 with a 3-speed automatic, the car is now accompanied by studio documentation, props, and costumes, and is set to cross the block with Mecum Auctions in late October.
History Speedrun: The Plymouth Gran Fury
The Plymouth Gran Fury nameplate first appeared in 1975 as Chrysler reorganized its lineup of full-size cars. It was essentially a rebadged Fury, that had been moved upmarket to keep pace with shifting corporate strategy as well as the impact of the fuel crises of the 1970s – primarily the 1973 Oil Crisis that had sent gasoline prices skyrocketing.
This is a 1986 Plymouth Gran Fury that was modified for use in the Fox TV series “Gotham” by detectives James Gordon and Harvey Bullock, played by Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue respectively.
Built initially on Chrysler’s C-body platform, the early Gran Furys were true full-size sedans and coupes, carrying the bulk and V8 power that still defined American family cars of the mid-decade.
By 1977, however, the market had changed. High fuel prices and downsizing trends left Chrysler struggling to sell large cars, and the Gran Fury was briefly dropped. The name would return in 1979 on an entirely new platform – the Chrysler R-body.
The Gran Fury R-body Era
The R-body Gran Fury was Plymouth’s return to the full-size segment, sharing its architecture with the Dodge St. Regis and with the Chrysler Newport. These cars retained rear-wheel drive and steel unibody construction – they offered full-size space in a package slightly leaner than the outgoing C-bodies. Styling was conservative, with upright grilles, stacked rectangular headlamps, and a rather square three-box profile suited to the era.
Engines ranged from the 225 Slant-Six to small and mid-block V8s. Fleet buyers – especially police departments – were offered 360 and 400 cubic inch options, while the 1979 model year briefly carried Chrysler’s 440 big-block, though this would be for the last time. This made the earliest R-body Gran Furys significant – they were the final Plymouth sedans with the legendary 440, long a favorite among highway patrol units for somewhat obvious reasons.
Despite their practicality, the R-bodies were not particularly well-timed. High gas prices and recessionary economics in the early 1980s shrank demand for big sedans.
The car was driven by Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue in the series, playing detectives James Gordon and Harvey Bullock in the show. It’s powered by the 318 cubic inch V8 mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission, and it’s finished in gray, and it has air conditioning.
Sales were poor, leaving police agencies and government fleets as their main customers – as a result of all this, -production of R-body cars ended after 1981. Despite all of that, Chrysler saw enough demand in the fleet market to keep the Gran Fury name alive.
The Gran Fury M-body Generation
For 1982, Plymouth repositioned the Gran Fury onto Chrysler’s mid-size M-body platform, also shared with the Dodge Diplomat and Chrysler Fifth Avenue, the M-body offered rear-wheel drive, a body-on-frame design, and simple mechanicals – at a time when most competitors had switched to front-wheel drive.
This all made it a natural fit for police departments and taxi companies, as they valued the toughness offered from body-on-frame construction, and they were relatively slow to adapt to front-wheel drive vehicles.
By the mid-1980s, the Gran Fury’s squared-off styling looked dated compared to newer imports and front-drive domestics, but that mattered little to its core audience. Police departments from New York City to Washington, D.C., still bought them in bulk.
Taxi fleets embraced them as well, finding their simplicity and low running costs well suited to hard urban service. For most civilians, the Gran Fury had become less a family sedan and more a fixture of public life, spotted more often in patrol livery or in yellow paint than it was in private driveways.
The Ex-Gotham Plymouth Gran Fury Shown Here
The car you see here is a 1986 Plymouth Gran Fury was bought by the production company behind the Fox TV series “Gotham,” starring Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, and Zabryna Guevara.
It was given discreet police lighting and a siren, and a police radio, but relatively few other modifications, in order to keep it inline with what you might expect from a gritty Gotham City detective department.
The car you see in this article is a 1986 Plymouth Gran Fury was bought by the production company behind the Fox TV series “Gotham,” starring Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, and Zabryna Guevara. Image courtesy of Warner Bros Television.
The car was driven by Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue in the series, playing detectives James Gordon and Harvey Bullock in the show. It’s powered by the 318 cubic inch V8 mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission, and it’s finished in gray, and it has air conditioning.
It comes with an Automobile Film Club of America letter affirming the car’s use in the TV show by the company, as well as screen-worn costumes, a riot shield, and other props. It’s now due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late October and you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum + Warner Bros Television
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
