Pick of the Day: 1970 Plymouth GTX

we have been The Plymouth GTX was recently featured in ClassicCars.com Journal. Why stop at 1969? So it shouldn’t surprise you that our pick of the day is the 1970 Plymouth GTX two-door hardtop. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Allen, Texas. (Click the link to see the list)

Nineteen seventy was a big year for the muscle car market. Several factors came together to create what many today consider to be the pinnacle of that era. GTX embodies these benefits on multiple levels. One is styling: Plymouth’s Belvedere series has been completely redesigned. From the front, the “face” bears no resemblance to the 1968-69 model, but it is an evolutionary link to the 1971 model. At the sides, the bulges of the wheel wells give way to the smoothness of non-functional side scoops on both wheels. Door. At the rear, unlike the 1968-69 models, the Road Runner, GTX and Sport Satellite used arrow-shaped lenses supplemented by inserts to aesthetically divide the taillights.

The Belvedere range continues with the same models as before: Belvedere, Road Runner, Satellite, Sport Satellite and GTX. The Sport Satellite and GTX are the same trim levels, with standard bucket seats and nice touches like woodgrain on the door panels and dash. Both cars feature the same honeycomb grille, which sets them apart from the smaller cars in the range.

Another kind of power is power. The biggest difference between the two models was under the hood: the Sport Satellite came standard with a 318 V8 engine and a three-speed manual transmission, and had a choice of two 383 engines, while the GTX came with a 375 engine from the start. The 440-horsepower Super Commando and TorqueFlite automatics come standard. New to the options list is the 440 six-barrel. Previously available only on the 1969 Road Runner with the A12 package, Plymouth abandoned its street racing role in 1970 and increased the engine’s availability through all of its Rapid Transit System performance models (except the Duster 340) – yes, even the Sport Fury GT is also the recipient of this multi-carb 440 for those who specify it. Of course, the 426 Hemi is the top engine choice.

Racing stripes returned on the 1970 GTX, echoing the 1968 design but placed much higher on the body. New sporty features include a rear spoiler, a beautiful Hurst Pistol Grip shifter (four-speed), a stunning hood scoop that pops out of the hood bulge (which can be complemented by a wide, flat black racing stripe), There are also several bright colors that are commonly found at the main store near Fillmore West.

So while the GTX looked like it was at its best in 1970, it wasn’t. For one thing, Plymouth dropped the GTX convertible from the lineup after 700 units were sold in 1969 – the Road Runner convertible seemed to be the most popular. Additionally, GTX sales had been declining since 1968, and while 1970 might have been a strong year for performance cars, it was also a dismal year for sales. Taking the GTX as an example, a total of 7,748 units were produced. That’s down significantly from the nearly 19,000 built two years ago.

In some ways, this burnt orange metallic 1970 Plymouth GTX two-door hardtop is typical of the GTXs built that year, as it’s a 440 four-barrel automatic painted in the popular color of the day. However, this car has some less common features, such as stripe deletion and a Gator Grain vinyl roof, one of more than 200 cars equipped with such features. “Rotisserie restored car, painted underneath! 440 with Edelbrock aluminum heads,” says the seller. “Added air grab hood.”

While the Road Runner gets all the attention, the GTX moves around with authority and swagger, not feeling insecure around cartoon cars. For $98,500, we can’t imagine you’d care about that pesky bird either.

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