So here's the Top Ten Plymouths!
1. 1971 Barracuda. 1971 was the year of the AAR 'Cuda. 340 cubic inch, high compression engine. Available in Plum Crazy Purple or Lime Green. This is the Plymouth di tutti Plymouths.
2. 1970 Superbird. Ah, the Superbird. Take one bare-bones Roadrunner. Give it a nigh-ridiculous wing spoiler and a plastic nose. 0-60 in 5.5 seconds in a car that size is nothing short of miraculous...
3. 1958 Belvedere. This one is personal - a good friend of mine has a '58 Belvedere that he restored just like Christine - same motor, same paint code, everything. It even has the push-button transmission...
4. 1966 Satellite. The Satellite had the storied 426 Hemi available as an option. That alone puts it on the list. Classic styling; sharp, crisp lines, and a no-nonsense approach to going fast (Step 1: Put enormous engine in. Step 2. VAROOOOM).
5. 1974 Duster. There's no truth to the rumor that the Duster made the list only because it was the car driven by Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke... The Duster was the last-gasp muscle car from Plymouth before the emissions debacle and gas shortage ended the muscle car era.
6. 1936 Business Coupe. Another personal favorite, my grandfather owned a '36 Business coupe for his first car when he came to America. He held onto it well into the 1980s, finally giving it to my uncle who partially restored it.
7. Savoy. The Savoy was a mid-level car with top-shelf styling, a full-sized sedan that was affordable yet didn't look cheap. As a side note, late 1950s Savoys were used as stunt doubles for the Gran Fury in Christine...
8. 1978 Fury. The late 1970s Furys were cop-car staples; countless thousands have been destroyed in TV and movies (The Blues Brothers holding the record for most cars demolished). Besides, if it's good enough for Roscoe P. Coltrane, it's good enough for the list...
9. 1948 Special Deluxe. The Special Deluxe is one of those cars that just exemplify the American spirit post WWII. Production of cars not related to the war effort stopped from 1942 through 1945; the cars immediately following the end of hostilities would set the tone for the amazing chrome masterpieces of the 1950s.
10. Trailduster. Okay, so it's just a re-badged Ramcharger. It's still the only real truck made under the Plymouth marque, and who knew Plymouths got that big?
So there's my 10 favorite Plymouths - what are yours?
That is all.
9 comments:
Dude.
"It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas."
No '74 Monaco?
Figures. I thought we were on Mopar Madness. Instead, it's Primo Plymouths. Alas, I thought I had a great addition, here....
Ah, you caught it. The Monaco is a Dodge.
Fear not. It will make the list... ;)
I still own my first car--a '69 Sport Satellite. SHe could use restoring, doesn't run...but I still have her. Name's Cassiopeia.
You've got to find a photo of the (mid-40's?) Plymouth sedan with the "Clipper Ship" hood ornament.
I am woefully under-educated when it comes to Plymouths, apparently. This counts as furthering my education.
1971 Plymouth Roadrunner. That one was, to me, the best-looking of all the Mopars from that era. I especially loved the goggle-shaped grill.
Only Mopar I've ever owned was a '74 Sebring Sattelite.
318 wasn't much off the line, but passing in the 50 to 70 range, up to 90/100 mph was positively frightening.
Front end would get so light, a fart on the steering wheel would put you three lanes over.
Still, aside from a leaky AC system, it was bulletproof. Sweet highway ride, too.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
I owed two Fury IIIs ('69 & '70). One with a 383 and the other with a 318. Both were sluggish off the line but they would haul a platoon of guys/gear and could cruise at 100+ all day. Great college car. Plenty of back seat room for "maneuvers".
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