1967 Plymouth Belvedere I poking out of the garage. Images: Moparts.com

We all dream about it: Stumbling upon the coolest car in the world in someone’s garage. That moment is like Christmas, the lottery, and Led Zeppelin playing in your backyard, all rolled into one! Even if the owner doesn’t want to sell, the thing is that you know about it, and you’re going to try your darnedest to get that car by any means necessary!

This recently happened to a lucky gentleman in Iowa. But how could the story get any better? What if it was a HEMI car that wasn’t supposed to be built? The whole thing unfolded on Moparts.com.

When the 426 HEMI was introduced for the street in 1966, Plymouth offered it for the Belvedere I, Belvedere II, and Satellite. But with the introduction of the GTX the next year, Plymouth restricted 426 HEMI production to this model (plus 55 “RO” Super Stock Belvedere II hardtops). This was somewhat ironic because the factory photo of the 1967 Plymouth Satellite shows it with 426 HEMI badges.

Although Chrysler’s production records don’t show it, it is known that a few non-RO Belvederes and Satellite HEMI cars were built (including at least one four-door).

The one that was just purchased in Iowa is a Belvedere I two-door sedan – the cheapest and lightest B-body Plymouth available.

The original owner unfortunately perished in an automobile accident in 1975, so it’s been sitting in his brother’s garage ever since.

The lucky buyer has known about this car for 13 years and has patiently been waiting to sign the title in his name. The Bel has just over 31,000 miles and looks great, no doubt to the blankets protecting the paint in storage. In the glovebox was a stack of papers including the original broadcast sheet, order form, manuals, old registrations, and more.

If you glance at Harms Auto’s website, you’ll find Scott Smith’s tally of the 1967 phantom HEMI Plymouths he knows about. The site has not been updated, but this is the fourth Belvedere I sedan known to survive.