The haunted Plymouth Fury in Stephen King's Christine is a 1958 model. In the novel, teenager Arnie Cunningham discovers the battered car in 1978 and buys it from its bitter owner, Roland D. LeBay.
Christine is not simply an old automobile. The 1958 Fury is possessed by malevolent supernatural forces and seems able to restore itself after severe damage. Its odometer even runs backward, suggesting that the car can become “younger” rather than older. As Arnie repairs and bonds with Christine, his personality and appearance increasingly come to resemble LeBay's.
The exact model year matters because Christine's identity is tied to the cultural image of the late-1950s American car: large, powerful, vividly styled, and associated with teenage freedom. The 1958 Plymouth Fury is often confused with other Plymouth models or with the cars used in screen adaptations.
King published Christine in 1983. The story is narrated largely through Dennis Guilder, Arnie's friend, whose skepticism turns into a fight for Arnie's life.