The ’60s and ’70s marked the peak of Plymouth’s power, and the machines it produced in that era stood the test of time.
Plymouth is still sorely missed by car enthusiasts, and although its stables were filled with terrible-looking and driving cars, the Plymouth of old helped make the American car industry what it is today. The ’90s and 2000s were the final nail in the coffin for Plymouth and were a far cry from their golden years of the ’60s and ’70s.
With big engines and muscle cars all the rage, Plymouth soared through the 1960s and ’70s, producing some of the best muscle cars ever built. From the Duster to the Superbird, Plymouth muscle cars were so good, they still turn heads today.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the best of Plymouth’s golden years, a look into 10 of their greatest ’60s and ’70s muscle car hits.
10 1970 Plymouth Valiant Duster 340
Built upon the discontinued Valiant model, the 1970 Plymouth Valiant Duster 340 was the Chrysler group’s answer to a growing desire for a more compact performance muscle car. One that still delivered a shed-load of power, but for a more affordable price, and in a smaller package.
The Duster 340 was equipped with a powerful 5.6-liter (or 340 cubic-inch, hence the name) V8 engine and produced 275 hp, making the Duster a lightweight but powerful machine. The 340 came standard with a three-speed manual transmission, but an optional four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission were also available. The duster continues today to be a cheap way of owning a classic ’70s muscle car, and its iconic styling makes it a head-turner even now.
9 1966 Plymouth Hemi Satellite
Plymouth in the early 1960s seemed to shift around what car was called what name, but it seemed by 1965, they’d finally sorted it all out. The Plymouth Satellite was now the top-of-the-range spec in the Belvedere range and was Plymouth’s sporty mid-size coupe for the next couple of years.
In 1966, Plymouth decided that the best way to make a road-going rocket ship was to take the model and strap a 7.0-liter Hemi V8 engine into the front of it, making it one of the most powerful Plymouths of the time. Official figures say the Hemi satellite produced around 425 hp; however, the actual power output was estimated to be significantly higher. The huge Hemi V8 allowed the car to go from 0 to 60 mph in around 5 seconds and also made it capable of running the quarter-mile in under 14 seconds.
8 1969 Plymouth Barracuda Cuda 440
Whatever designers were on to in 1969, it needs to be reinstated now, as the ’69 Plymouth Barracuda Cuda 440 may be a mouthful of words to say but is a bucket-full of fun to drive. The top-of-the-range model is not only one of the coolest-looking muscle cars of the period but one of the few to have not hit the stratosphere yet with its price.
The Cuda 440 was equipped with a massive 7.2-liter V8 engine, known as the “440 Six Barrel,” and featured three two-barrel carburetors allowing it to produce around 390 hp. All this meant that the Cuda 440 could go from 0 to 60 mph in around 6 seconds and had a top speed of over 130 mph. The Cuda 440 might not have been the most powerful of the Plymouth muscle cars, but it certainly is one of the coolest.
7 1969 Plymouth GTX Hemi
Pretty much any GTX ever made by Plymouth could have ended up on this list, but the second-generation 1969 Plymouth GTX Hemi was the first of two to make it. The ’69 GTX was positioned to be an upgraded version of the Road Runner, by adding great luxury to the brilliant performance, and of course, that glorious 7-liter Hemi.
Known as the “426 Hemi,” the legendary engine was renowned for its power and performance and featured hemispherical combustion chambers and dual four-barrel carburetors. The GTX also featured upgraded suspension components, including heavy-duty shocks, sway bars, and a reinforced frame. The model was one of the best muscle cars that Plymouth ever built, and while it sometimes gets overshadowed by others on this list, there’s no doubting the GTX’s raw performance.
6 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi
The collaboration between the Loony Tunes’ Roadrunner and Plymouth was always a bit of a strange one, to secure the rights to use the Road Runner name and likeness from Warner Bros’ Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons, Plymouth made a payment of $50,000. Additionally, Plymouth invested $10,000 to develop a distinctive “beep, beep” horn. The partnership was a success, and the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi stands as one of the best ever built.
The top 1970 model featured that brilliant Hemi V8 seen in so many others but is fine-tuned to perfectly fit the body of the Road Runner. Visually, the Road Runner featured a bold and distinctive design: a prominent grille, a power bulge hood with hood pins, and the iconic “Beep! Beep!” cartoon character decals on the rear quarter panels.
5 1964 Plymouth Belvedere Super Stock Max Wedge Stage III
The 1964 Plymouth Belvedere Super Stock Max Wedge Stage III may have one of the longest names in car manufacturing, but you probably would only get to the word “Stock” before it hit 60 mph from a standstill. The Stage III is a monster on the drag strip, and when made in such limited numbers, the model is one of the rarest Plymouths ever made.
Super Stock Max Wedge Stage III was equipped with a 7.0-liter Max Wedge V8 engine, which featured an oversquare design with large intake and exhaust ports, high-lift camshaft, dual four-barrel carburetors, and heavy-duty internals. The Stage III was capable of producing around 415 horsepower, making it incredibly powerful for its time.
4 1971 Plymouth GTX Hemi
In 1971 most of Plymouth’s range got a huge makeover, one of the best models to come out of it was the new and improved 1971 Plymouth GTX Hemi, a brilliant upgrade on the second generation, and an absolute beast performance-wise.
The ’71 GTX Hemi was produced in limited numbers, adding to its exclusivity and desirability among collectors, and its Hemi engine option was a whole $741 more expensive, or about $5,570 in today’s money, making it a rarer find compared to other GTX models. Again, like earlier models, the true power of the GTX Hemi was pretty severely underrated, with common estimates putting its advertised 425 hp much closer to 500 hp.
3 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury Super Stock Max Wedge Stage II
As another of Plymouth’s drag racing focussed machines, the 1963 Sport Fury Super Stock Max Wedge Stage II set the stage for the next ten years of high-performance Plymouth muscle cars: a roaring V8, lightweight chassis, and track-tuned setup meant the Stage II was one of the best muscle cars of the early ’60s.
Like the Belvedere of the year after, the Max Wedge engine allowed for some insane performance for the Sport Fury, producing 425 hp and making the car dominant on the drag strip. One of the best features of the Stage II is that, to most people, it looks just like an ordinary ’60s car. There are no fancy scoops or massive front bumper; instead, it’s just an elegantly designed car, with way too much power under the hood.
2 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird Hemi
It was tough to decide which of these two to place at the number one spot. But in the end, it came down to the fact that, while the 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird is an incredible machine and a fantastic race car, its track-focussed nature means that it’s not really one you’d like to drive on public roads very often. That being said, the car is still a legend of the period and sits comfortably among some of the greatest muscle cars of all time, it’s just a shame that Plymouth made so many of them.
Although on the surface, the Superbird does look incredibly similar to the Dodge Daytona of the year prior, underneath the two are distinctly different. That didn’t stop the Superbird from dominating the NASCAR scene, however, and with the Hemi V8 reigning supreme once again, Plymouth dominated one of the final years of the muscle car wars. The Superbird wasn’t always a commercial success however, with dealerships being reported to have taken the massive wing and front bumper mods off to try to boost sales. Today, the Superbird is one of the most iconic muscle cars of all time, but there is just one other Plymouth that nips it to the throne.
1 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda
And that car is this: the 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, a marvel of American engineering and styling and the most legendary Plymouth muscle car from the ’70s that still turns heads today. No matter from which angle you look at the Cuda, it’s still one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring of the period.
There were just 14 1970 Hemi Cuda Convertibles and 652 Hemi Cuda Hardtops ever built, making the model one of the rarest and most sought-after Plymouths of all time. With its high horsepower and torque, the Hemi Cuda could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in under 6 seconds, and complete a quarter-mile in the low 13-second range. It was all downhill from here for Plymouth, but the Hemi Cuda was a pretty good place to peak.
