That’s why the 1971 Plymouth GTX 440+6 was one of the more popular cars of 1971. It had a great look and it was that type of car which looked mean and packed a lot of horse power; enough to have your adrenaline pumping through the roof. It was a sweet car indeed and there were even people whom claimed that it was their best model to date.

This new model was a great option considering the fact that it wasn’t as pricey as other models Plymouth had been producing over the years. It was a part of the revamped midsize line of Chrysler and when it came to the fuselage, it was a curvaceous styled one, which ran on a wheelbase that was 1 inch shorter than previous ones. The new body also had things changed up a bit and that’s why there was a 3 inch increase when it came to the rear track. This would be a big improvement over the way the car handled.

The interior of the 71 GTX was also modified and when compared to the interiors of the previous models, a better accent was put on the ergonomics which included changes involving the driving position, to facilitate a greater comfort for long road trips. The performance was also a bit affected because with this new model, the weight has also been increased.

All things considered this new model really showed that Plymouth was on their game. The Plymouth GTX proved to be a step forward for the company and even though there were other models produced which were more popular, this one should not be overlooked for it’s hand in helping Plymouth build a powerful legacy.

Even though it was a good model, 1971 was the last year for this make to see the assembly line.

For the 1970 GTX one of the things this new car model had updated was the rear and the grill. With all the modifications and designs which were brought about, this model really looked sharp. Other things that this model could brag about were the much cleaner looking hood scoop and greatly updated hood. Also there was a simulated scoop added to the quarter panel, which could be easily detracted from the nice lines the previous years model had.

After so many modifications and specs had been revised, it was also the time again to have something modified when it came to the engine. Thus after a four year period Plymouth had finally decided to add a third engine option when it came to their GTX model. Now everyone interested in acquiring such a powerful car would have the option of choosing from the 440 Super Commando, the 426 Hemi, and the 440 Six Barrel. When it came to the 440 Six Barrel, this little beast had a trio of 2 barrel carburetors which was mounted on aluminum Edelbrock manifold.

To keep up with the legacy Plymouth had carved, they had to keep on holding to the performance theme which all of the previous GTX models came with, and that’s why the manufacturer’s best suspension sets were implemented. This was the exact suspension set which you could find available when purchasing the Hemi equipped models.

All things considered, this new model really packed a lot of options and the fact that it had a new engine model, really had buyers waiting in line.

Plymouth was a competitive manufacturer from the beginning and pulled out all the stops to become on of the top muscle car producers in the 60s and 70s.

When they emerged with the 69 GTX model things really took a fast, but positive turn for Plymouth. I’m not saying that they were having problems putting out great cars, but this particular model would prove to make a great difference, like many other Plymouth models had achieved.

With this model there were some minor physical changes made when it came to the choices of rear axles, as they were increased. The main difference between the Plymouth 69 GTX and the previous models was the fact that it came with a 440+6 engine option. This engine would prove to be very powerful and it would sport out a lot of torque. It had successfully achieved the replacement of the standard four barrel carburetor with three carburetors which featured two barrels each. When talking about the horsepower, it was quite impressive back then and anyone out there and today would be impressed by the staggering 390 HP this model would feature. Compared to the 440s engine, there was a 15 horse power difference noted.

When it came to the hood, the new Air Grabber would come in line, which would have air intakes featured through the hood scoops. The driver would be able to have these babies controlled from the car’s dash. This new Plymouth model had massive appeal. Plymouth soon announced a total of 15,602 models sold which was an impressive number nonetheless, given the fact that car insurance was pretty expensive back then and not many would be able to afford to have a car in general, let alone a powerful muscle car with amazing features.

On this model the Plymouth GTX once again returned to the same Belvedere platform which was used by the Road Runner.. Trying to stick to the Plymouth standards when it came to design and keeping the customers happy, this new muscle car featured a very sturdy two door hardtop but also convertible body styles.

The 68 GTX was and still is regarded as one of the best models Plymouth had created up to that date, or in fact well after this time as well. This is because no other midsized Plymouth would even get close to performing as well as this little beast.

Instead of having the 383 cid V8 engine as the main engine, the Plymouth 1968 GTX had the power train of the 67 model. You would be given the option of having the 375 bhp Magnum 440 cid four barrel as a standard, and if you would be interested in some more powerful options, then the only option available would be the 425-bhp 426 Hemi. This engine really packed some good horsepower back in the day. Compared to other Plymouth models, for which you would have to pay an extra 200 dollars, the 68 GTX had the TorqueFlite automatic as a standard and if going with the four speed manual as an alternative, which could also be pricey on other models, it also would come as a basic. The suspension upgrades were similar to one another and they featured front disk brakes and wide oval rubber. You could also have limited slip diff as a shared option. Also, there was nothing uncommon to have non-functional hood vents in both models.

Even though the new GTX was based on the Belvedere model, the two door one, it would still prove to be a very reliable and fast car which many buyers were satisfied with.

The new 67 GTX concept was based on the nice looking hardtop of the Belvedere model (the two door model) and it featured a good looking tail panel and a unique grille, a chrome gas cap and stimulated hood scoops. If you could afford them, you could also ask for twin racing stripes. As far as the interior goes, there wasn’t even a single bad thing to say about it, even from the most demanding of drivers. It was a state of the art cabin which featured embossed vinyl, bucket seats and a lot of detail.

So the GTX was sporting a TorqueFlite automatic transmission and also very nice bucket seats and the transmission used a floor shifter or a column. If you wanted, you could also go for the four speed manual gearbox. This was optional.

What the new 67 GTX wanted to achieve was speed, speed and more speed. Thus it featured a very nice standard power train which would be capable of producing an enormous amount of power but with less effort. The new engine spawned with this new model was the 375-bhp 440-cid V8 which was also was referred to as the Super Commando 440. It was actually Chrysler’s powerful engine which was designed for big cars but this model was improved to perform on high RPM and it also had a valve train and a revised camshaft, good exhaust systems and a free flowing intake.

If you were a speed maniac the only option you could go with would be the 425 Bhp 426 Hemi, which I guess it would be enough for every speed chaser. This upgrade generally cost around $600 and sold just over 700 units.

Even though until 1976 the Duster series didn’t undergo many changes, in1974 the new model would not resemble the early years of this car’s history. This 74 Duster was more like the 1973 models. One of the biggest changes that this car had been through, which is also the main difference between other models, is that it had its engine changed from the 340 to the 350. This new 360 engine was powerful enough and if you wanted you could also buy the 3.55 gears which were available and also the Hurst shifted four speed.

This car’s engine was a 340 engine, which packed enough horse power to get your heart pumping and quell anyone’s thirst for speed. When you look at the engine and it’s specs, I always think this model had a great exhaust system. We’re talking about a Jet Hot coated Dyno Max headers which are bolted the 2 1/2-inch exhaust system which is using Flormaster mufflers.

The interior of this car was rather simple; it featured a cream colored interior which was spacey enough to fit a few of your friends without them feeling like the walls are closing in on them. The materials the seats were ok, but they were high quality back then obviously. However, they have been touched by time and they need a little stitching here and there.

The tires of my Plymouth 1973 Duster needed completely replaced and I went with some simple GoodYears to save on restoration costs.

I had my car fixed a little and I removed all of the unnecessary floor metal and also I had the body braced so it would not distort having the sheet metal support missing. The frame rails of this car were built out of 120 inch thick steel box tubing and they were carefully welded across the entire floor length. That’s how my 73 Duster became a full framed Duster. The tires were replaced and they are also a sure Grip as the originals and the rear has been narrowed down by 10 inches to facilitate support.

All in all my Plymouth Duster is a wonderful car and while it still need a lot more work and my wife makes fun of it, it still makes me beam with pride every time I look at it!

The 1972 Duster featured a vinyl roof covering and a new canopy, and the roof covering could only cover the forward portion of the top and it was being sold in two colors. Even though the designers were disappointed, the planners had proven to be right in retrospect. That’s why there weren’t any changes when it came to the A bodies, because they were good enough and many people were satisfied with them. And that’s why they would still command more than 1/3 of the segment of the compact cars.

Adding new features and designs to a car that had already been received so well was kind of hard but still the designers tried to add a few more things to the Plymouth 72 Duster. The changes ultimately were concerning the rear of the car and when it came to the taillights, they were horizontally split and they were also wider, but they were split by the argent plastic lens, not by sheet metal.

Under its hood, this amazing car had the 340 V8 to cope with the road and it had a compression ration that was ultimately reduced to just 8.5:1 and the horsepower was only 240, but still a powerful car nonetheless. This was available on any Duster model. If you could afford it you could get an options ignition system which would eliminate the breaker points and the condenser.

Plymouth has made history with its cars and this model is surely a part of it.

The first year the Duster came into production it featured few options. But when the 1971 model was released, this one was fairly different from the original featuring performance hood treatments like a non scooped black out treatment which feature the 340 Wedge inscribed in a corner and also the twin scoops, which, until that time were only available for the Dodge lineup.

It had also a vinyl top and also red deck wings and a nice body stripe which came as a standard when talking about all of the 340 models. The car’s front end was given a new life with the new grille that was designed for this model. Many buyers consider this to be one of the best ones ever in the A Body lineup.

When it came to the motor, this one received a few major changes. It was the first time the Thermoquad produced by Carter was used on the 340’s top and it also had a .02 compression drop which lead to a 10.3:1 when compared to the original 10.5:1. This was because of the future changes in the lead content of gasoline.

The 340 featured a three speed manual gearbox as a standard but now the buyer had the choice of choosing between the four speed a 833 or the 727 Torqueflite, and also between the standard 831/44 rear which had featured a 3.23 Sure grip gear which was set to 3.55 and 3.91 (well these were options). When it came to the seats, these were bucket seats and they become widely available within these models. They also added a performance dash and center console.

The price of this supercar was stated to be around 2700 dollars and made it more affordable for younger consumers, which was in fact their target market.

This new model had more space inside, and when it came to weight, it was also lighter than previous models like the 340 Cuda. At that time the price for this muscle car was around 2500 dollars and it was one of the cheapest cars that Plymouth’s Rapid Transit System had to offer. Also to top things off, the price wasn’t its only advantage. It was also one of the first cars which had front disc brakes featured as a standard.

The amazing 340 V8 has a long history and it had proven itself many times in the past, and it was used for the propelling of the earlier generation of Barracuda and also the giant killer Darts up to mid fourteen second ETS running nearly at 100 miles per hour. When compared to the awesome 440 Six pack the camshaft timing was a little less radical than that of it and it also used a Carter AVS four barrel. Even though it was actually rated to be able to produce 275 BHP, more and more people who were highly skilled mechanics, said that it actually performed closer to 325 BHP.

The 1970 Duster’s engine featured a heavy duty manual gearbox with three speeds or you could also choose to go with the Torque Flite or the four speed one. The axle was a 3.23:1 and it was the standard, the gears were 3.91:1 and 3.55:1 and if you were not too low on cash, for an extra buck you could’ve had the Sure Grip limited slip diff.