Plymouth GTX

Plymouth GTX
Plymouth GTX
Owerview
Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation
Production	1967–1971 (44178 units)
Assembly	St. Louis, Missouri, Unitit States
Bouk an chassis
Cless	Muscle caur
Layoot	FR layout
Platform	B-body

The Plymouth GTX wis introduced as the Belvedere GTX in 1967 bi the Plymouth division o Chrysler tae be a "gentleman's" muscle caur.

1967

1967 Plymouth GTX First Generation

It wis tae be an exceptional blend o style an performance. What differentiated it frae a normal Belvedere wis its special grille an rear fascia, shared wi the Satellite, as well as mock huid scoops, chrome "pit stop" fuel filler cap an optional racin stripes. For the performance aspect o the vehicle, a hivy duty suspension seestem wis made standard. Standard too wis Plymouth's 440 cu in (7.2 L)V8 cried the "Super Commando 440". The ingine wis ratit at 375 hp (280 kW). Buyers in 1967 coud pey an extra US$546 an replace the 440 wi Chrysler's 426 cu in (7 L) Hemi. The 426 wis nicknamed the "Elephant."

1968

Plymouth GTX

In 1968, efter ane year o production, the GTX wis gien a completely new leuk. A new oor gless body replaced the mair box lik body o 1967. The Road Runner wis introduced bi Plymouth as a performance version o the Belvedere. Thare wur major changes made in the design o aw the Plymouth B-bodies. The Road Runner's base ingine wis the new 383 cu in (6.3 L) "Super Commando" V8 (renamed the "Road Runner 383"), while the hicht performance 440 wis still standard in the GTX. The TorqueFlite automatic transmission wis standard on the GTX, wi it bein a US$206 option in the Road Runner. The GTX wis still based on the Satellite an wis offered in twa models, the 2-door convertible an the 2-door hardtop. The Road Runner wis based on the Belvedere, an haed less insulation an comfort items (paddin, vinyl ruif, trim), which reduced wecht, helped produce better track times, an kept it in the loa price field.

1969

In 1969, the GTX's sales wur hurt when the Road Runner wis an aa offered in a convertible body style. The GTX received minor cosmetic changes, as well as the introduction o the optional Air Grabber huid (standard on Hemi-ingined models), which made the huid scoops functional. The standard 440 V8 wis still rated at 375 hp (280 kW). The 69 GTX wis the last year that the convertible model wis available on the GTX (VIN RS27). Chrysler Corporation anerlie made 701 GTX convertibles in 1969. O those, elieven wur equipped wi the 426 Hemi; fower 4-speeds an seiven TorqueFlite automatics.

The 1969 GTX an aa haed standard black lawer body side paint, replacin the dual, horizontal "racin" stripe on the lawer sides o the 1968 model.

1970

The 1970 GTX received a major redesign but sales still suffered. Stylists made the lines smoother, an a "pouer bulge" huid wis introduced, as well as nan-functional rear brake air scoops. The convertible model wis dropped in 1970. The Air Grabber huid wis brocht back, but instead o haein twa narrow openins runnin lenth-wise as in 1969, it haed ane openin scoop locatit on the pouer bulge. The GTX wis available wi the standard 440 4 barrel, as well as the 440+6 barrel (three twa barrel carburetors) an the 426 Hemi. The 440+6 coud compete closely wi the Hemi, up tae hieway speeds. In keepin wi the GTX marketin strategy, the 1970 model includit mony standard features. The anerlie ither Plymouth luxury/performance model wis the full-size Sport Fury GT, biggit on the C-Body platform. The GT wis addit tae the lineup in 1970. The GT received naewhere near the recognition o the GTX, even tho thay shared mony performance features. The Sport Fury GT wis the full-size member o The Rapid Transit seestem. The Sport Fury GT wis aften viewed as mair o a mature gentleman's performance luxury caur.

1971

440+6 ingine in a 1971 Plymouth Road Runner

Tho completely redesigned for 1971, this wis the final year for the GTX as a staund-alane model wi anerlie a manual transmission. Ingine choices wur 440 fower-barrel, 440 wi three twa-barrels (Sax Pack) , an 426 Hemi. Emission restrictions sic as lawer compression ratios an faster-actin choke operation lowered the base 440 output bi 5 hp (3.7 kW), tae 370 hp (280 kW). The 440 Sax Pack wis doun tae 370 hp (280 kW), but the Hemi wis still rated at 425 hp (317 kW). Due partly tae risin insurance rates on muscle caurs, sales wur law. Thare wur less nor 3000 units produced in '71. For 1972 throu 1974 the GTX became an option package on the Road Runner.

External links

Classic GTX Archived 2010-01-13 at the Wayback Machine
Plymouth GTX
1970 Plymouth GTX site Archived 2010-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
Plymouth GTX Resources