All in One Place — Ireland’s Surviving Right-Hand Drive Plymouths | Season 6 – Episode 46
Wheels May 21, 2026
On a day of brilliant May sunshine, Ireland Made contributor and classic car enthusiast Pat Conroy invited me to join the Limerick Classic & Vintage Car Club (LCVCC) as guests of the owners of Castle Oliver, County Limerick. Set against the backdrop of Castle Oliver, one of Ireland’s most remarkable and beautifully preserved country houses, a fantastic array of classic and vintage vehicles was displayed across the castle grounds.
LIMERICK CLASSIC AND VINTAGE CAR CLUB
Holding the ‘Cruise to the Castle’ event was the Limerick Classic and Vintage Car Club. Founded in 1985, the club aims to unite enthusiasts through social events and technical exchange, while helping safeguard the future of the hobby through public awareness and regulatory protection. Around 60 vehicles attended the May gathering, which supported Milford Hospice. Over the past 40 years, the LCVCC has also raised thousands for local charities and welcomes all car and motorcycle enthusiasts, with members’ vehicles ranging from the 1900s to the 2000s.
Pride of place in front of the castle was given to three 1959 Plymouth Belvedere cars, representing a remarkable surviving piece of Irish motoring history. What made the gathering truly unique was that these are the last surviving right-hand-drive Plymouths assembled in Ireland by F.M. Summerfield Ltd. at 138 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2.
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COMPLETELY KNOCKED DOWN
Summerfield’s of Baggot Street began its association with Chrysler in 1925 when the Dublin firm secured the franchise for Chrysler vehicles in Ireland. Initially, cars arrived fully assembled via Britain, but from 1935 onwards the company began assembling vehicles locally from Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits. In a clever marketing move, Plymouth and other Chrysler Corporation models assembled by Summerfield’s were often simply badged as “Chrysler” vehicles to strengthen brand recognition in Ireland.
After thirty-four years of vehicle assembly, F.M. Summerfield Ltd. was acquired by McGee’s of Ardee in 1954. Although the Lower Baggot Street factory continued operating under the Summerfield name, only a limited number of Plymouths were assembled there afterwards.
During 1959, F.M. Summerfield assembled just twelve standard four-door Plymouth sedan (saloons) in Dublin, alongside a batch of twenty-four extended-wheelbase seven-seat limousines, all built in right-hand drive. The two limousines displayed at Castle Oliver were among this exclusive group.
Unlike standard North American Plymouths, these limousines were developed specifically for the European market. The cars began life in Canada as CKD pillar-bodied sedans before being shipped to Société Anonyme Chrysler in Antwerp, Belgium, where the bodies were stretched to a 142-inch wheelbase and fitted with heavy-duty suspension, extra chassis strengthening and an uprated rear axle.
As an export-built model, the limousine also features several unusual details. Most notably, like all right-hand-drive 1959 Plymouths assembled by Summerfield’s in Dublin, it was fitted with a 1957 Dodge dashboard, whereas left-hand-drive American-market cars received the correct 1959 Plymouth dashboard design.
The completed bodies were then sent to Summerfield’s on Lower Baggot Street for final assembly. In Belgium, the model was sold as the Plymouth Colorado, while in Ireland Summerfield continued to market the cars under the more familiar Belvedere name. Interestingly, if you decode the chassis number of any Irish assembled limousine, it identifies the car as a six cylinder Belvedere model.
PAT CONROY’S BELVEDERES
In previous episodes of Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport, we have featured Pat Conroy’s two Plymouth Belvederes, including his V12 Jaguar powered Rat Rod and Toyota powered Belvedere limousine — see links below.
KEVIN HERRON’S BELVEDERE
A car we had not previously covered was Kevin Herron’s 1959 Belvedere limousine, easily recognised by its distinctive white roof, although this is not original specification.
While Pat and Kevin had been in conversation for years and had shared many technical discussions about their limousines, the Limerick Classic & Vintage Car Club event at Castle Oliver marked the first occasion on which Pat saw Kevin’s car in person, allowing the two Belvederes to be compared side by side.
Comparing the two Dublin built limousines, Kevin’s car sits noticeably higher than Pat Conroy’s, likely because Pat’s limousine was lowered on its torsion bars, probably when the Toyota engine was fitted. Kevin’s car runs on 1956 Plymouth 15 inch wheels and hubcaps with significantly larger tyres, while Pat’s car sits on radial tyres, contributing to its lower stance.
A passionate vintage car enthusiast from Dublin, Kevin told us the story behind his remarkably original and unspoilt Belvedere limousine. And when we say original, we really mean it. Aside from replacement tyres, brake shoes, radiator hoses, battery, a wiring loom and repairs to the interior and exterior sills, the car remains exactly as it left the F.M. Summerfield factory on Lower Baggot Street in June 1959. It even still retains the embossed Saint Christopher’s medal, the patron saint of motorists, thoughtfully fitted by Summerfield’s and attached to the dashboard when the car was new.
SIDE-VALVE ENGINE
Kevin’s Plymouth is powered by Chrysler’s long-serving and dependable flathead six-cylinder engine, a design first introduced in 1938. The 3,772cc unit produces approximately 132 bhp and is paired with a three-speed manual gearbox, with no power steering fitted. Braking is provided by drum brakes on all four wheels assisted by a bellows-type servo unit.
While renowned for its reliability and smooth running, the engine is understandably modest in performance for a limousine of this size and estimated weight of around 2,050 kg. Interestingly, 1959 marked the final year Chrysler used the flathead six before replacing it with a more modern overhead-valve six-cylinder engine in 1960.
EARL OF ROSSE
Kevin believes this car may be unique among the twenty-four Belvedere limousines built, in that it was originally purchased by a private owner rather than by a hotel or funeral director. The car was bought new by the Earl of Rosse, Birr Castle, County Offaly and was registered to him as IR 9323 on June 21 1959.
For the next twelve years, the Belvedere covered considerable mileage as the Earl’s personal transport and was also used to chauffeur a number of distinguished guests during their visits to Birr Castle. Among those carried in the limousine were Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco, along with Princess Margaret and her husband Lord Snowdon. The car can even be seen in RTÉ’s Reeling in the Years 1965, transporting Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon away from Birr Castle.
PATHWAY TO OWNERSHIP
Kevin first became aware of the Belvedere around twenty-five years ago through a friend who was working as a delivery driver. While making deliveries to the Central Hotel on High Street in Tullamore, County Offaly, his friend spotted a photograph of the limousine hanging in the hotel lobby and mentioned it to Kevin. At the time, the car was being used by the hotel owners for weddings and special occasions.
The Belvedere later passed to its second owner, believed by Kevin to have been around 1998. The new owner was a well-known figure in Irish American car circles known as “Dyker”, who lived in County Cork. Kevin finally encountered the car in person in 2001 during a visit to Cork.
Immediately taken by both the limousine itself and its remarkable history, he mentioned it to his late father, who recalled seeing another right-hand-drive 1959 Plymouth limousine for sale many years earlier at a garage on Prussia Street in Dublin. Although that car had a cracked and repaired engine block, he always regretted not buying it.
As time passed, ill health meant that Dyker could no longer properly drive or maintain the Belvedere. Keen to preserve the limousine and ensure it found a good home, Kevin made an offer for the car in March 2005, which was accepted.
Remarkably, recommissioning the Plymouth for the journey proved surprisingly straightforward. Fresh petrol was added, the tyres were inflated and the engine was jump-started. Despite having been off the road for years, the Belvedere started without complaint and was successfully driven all the way from Cork back to Dublin without incident.
BELVEDERE REMAINS UNTOUCHED
When we asked Kevin what work he had carried out on the car, his answer was “very little”. Aside from replacing the tyres, rebuilding the brakes, including the shoes, wheel cylinders, hoses and master cylinder and converting the car from its original dynamo to an alternator, the Belvedere remains remarkably untouched. As Kevin explained, “The wiring was a bit of a mess, but everything works now.” He added that the inner and outer sills were also replaced at this time, as they were “a bit crunchy”.
Kevin describes, the car is “a largely un-messed with example”, pointing out that the seats were covered for much of the 1960s and 1970s, leaving the original leatherwork in near-perfect condition. When asked how many miles the Belvedere had likely covered during its lifetime, Kevin simply laughed and replied, “probably colossal”, explaining that the car toured extensively in the ownership of the Earl of Rosse across Britain and made several trips across continental Europe during the 1960s and 1970s.
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
I asked Kevin what the Belvedere was like to drive. He explained that while the 3,772cc side-valve six-cylinder engine, producing around 132bhp, is exceptionally reliable, it is undoubtedly underpowered for a limousine of this size. He also pointed out that 1959 marked the final year Chrysler used the old flathead side-valve engine before introducing a more modern overhead-valve design across its range.
The car is fitted with a three-speed manual gearbox, although Kevin feels an automatic transmission would probably suit the limousine far better. With no power steering, driving the Belvedere is a physical experience, particularly at low speeds. As Kevin put it, “you appreciate what you are driving”, adding that keeping a car like this on the road always involves a certain amount of effort and commitment.
A TRUE IRISH SURVIVOR
Having had the opportunity to examine the car up close, we cannot overstate just how impressive its condition really is. Before completing the 177 km journey from Dublin to Limerick and returning to its storage location in County Tipperary, the sixty-seven-year-old limousine had not undertaken a significant road trip for almost nine years, aside from short runs to the local petrol station.
Prior to the trip, Kevin carried out only basic preparation work. He checked the engine, removed the carburettor and fitted a rebuild kit. He also changed the coolant, fitted a new battery, radiator hoses and brake shoes, inflated the tyres and set off.
The Belvedere completed the journey without issue, a real testament to the durability of these Dublin-built cars.
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Stretched Out – The Story of the Plymouth Belvedere – by Kevin Herron – Irish Veteran & Vintage Car Club (IVVCC) Magazine
