Plymouth GTX

Plymouth GTX at a glance

The GTX belongs to our Plymouth catalogue and to the golden age of the American muscle car guide.

The first GTX: Belvedere GTX of 1967

The GTX was introduced for 1967 as a performance version of the Belvedere, sold as the Belvedere GTX in hardtop and convertible form. Plymouth gave it a blacked-out grille, its own rear panel, simulated fibreglass hood scoops and optional racing stripes. Inside there was a console-mounted tachometer, and outside a chrome pop-open fuel filler cap.

The engine list was short and strong. The standard 440 cu in V8, called the "Super Commando 440", had 280 kW (375 hp) and 651 Nm. The only option was the 426 Hemi with 317 kW (425 hp) and 664 Nm. Heavy-duty suspension came with every car.

Contemporary tests showed the difference between the two engines. With the 440, the GTX reached 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 15.2 seconds at 97 mph. With the Hemi, the figures were 4.8 seconds and 13.5 seconds at 105 mph.

The upscale Road Runner (1968–1970)

For 1968 the B-body was redesigned with a rounder, hourglass shape. The GTX kept the 440 as standard, and it also came with the TorqueFlite automatic, which was an extra-cost option on the new Road Runner. Plymouth now positioned the GTX as the upscale Road Runner: more trim and equipment around the same kind of engines. Dual horizontal stripes ended in a GTX emblem.

Sales fell in 1969, partly because the Road Runner was now also available as a convertible. The GTX received the optional "Air Grabber" hood, standard with the Hemi, whose openings were controlled from the dashboard. Black paint on the lower body replaced the stripes. It was the last year of the GTX convertible. Plymouth built 701, and only 11 of them had the Hemi: four with a four-speed manual and seven with the automatic.

The 1970 model had a new grille and taillights, a "power bulge" bonnet and non-functional scoops in front of the rear wheels. The Air Grabber returned as a single scoop. The GTX had become hard to tell apart from the Road Runner, and sales stayed low. Inside Plymouth's range, the full-size Sport Fury GT now also offered performance with luxury.

Engines

The three-carburettor 440 sat between the standard engine and the Hemi. For 1971 Chrysler published both gross and net figures, which shows how far apart the two measuring methods were: on paper the Hemi lost 56 kW.

Fuselage styling and the end (1971)

The last GTX of 1971 used the redesigned B-body with "fuselage" styling, a steeply raked windscreen, a hidden cowl and a loop-type front bumper. The convertible was gone. The 440 was now rated at 276 kW (370 hp), the Six Pack at 287 kW (385 hp), and the Hemi still at 317 kW (425 hp).

Rising insurance costs for performance cars hit sales hard: only 2,942 GTXs found buyers, and just 30 had the Hemi. It was the Hemi's last year in the range. From 1972 to 1974 the name survived only as the Road Runner GTX, a Road Runner with the optional 440.

In five model years the GTX never became a volume seller. Its idea was clear, though: a mid-size two-door with the biggest engines and more equipment than the budget muscle cars. At Dodge the 440 Magnum was likewise kept for the more expensive Coronet R/T, while the Super Bee and the Road Runner covered the low-price end.

Which GTX to look for

The 1967 Belvedere GTX is the original and the only year with its own body style. The 1968–1970 cars are the best known; the 1969 convertible, with 701 built, is a rare body. The 1971 car has the most dramatic shape, and only 2,942 were sold. For the plainer sister model, see our article on the Plymouth Road Runner, and compare their figures in the car rankings.

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