Here’s a car from the cover of the October 2009 Mopar Action
magazine, and one that’s being debuted at Chryslers at Carlisle, July
10-12, just as this is being posted at BangShift.com. It’s Gary and Pam
Beineke’s brand new creation, Jet-X. This is the 1972 Plymouth GTX that
Chrysler never built, it has 440 Six Pack power, and if you are a
serious Mopar fan, you’ll really respect both the story and execution
behind this car.
Watch the video below, jump here for the complete photo gallery with captions and info,
or keep reading below the video for more information on how original
Mopar design-studio photos from 1968 led to the creation of the Jet-X.
Click the small button next to the time counter to go into fullscreen mode.
It was not a banner year for Chrysler muscle cars in 1972. The Hemi
option was dropped, and the air had been let out of the muscle car
balloon with government air quality regulations and an ever more
skittish insurance agencies. It was also the first year that the
Plymouth GTX went from being an actual model to becoming an option
package. The luxury/muscle machine was now demeaned into being a dress
up option. That wasn’t always the plan though, as a real 1972 GTX had
been in the design works as early as 1968.
Before the age of computer aided design and modeling, all the
physical
design elements of cars were formed by hand and actually mocked up in a
design studio. Clay
sculptors and other artisans aided in the process with the designers,
and fullsize clay models of proposed cars were created.
Such was the case with the 1972 Plymouth GTX that was in the works in
1968. A few years ago, noted Mopar collector Steve Juliano found the
original Chrysler studio photos for the 1972 GTX as designed by John
Herlitz. Working from just
those photos and a couple of interviews with Herlitz (who is now
deceased), Gary and Pam Beineke brought the car to life.
The build took the pair a year to complete in their home shop. Remember
this is not Gary and Pam’s business, but a hobby they take very
seriously and devote a lot of time and effort to.
Click for past BangShift.com photos and video on the Beineke’s 1971 Plymouth Superbird recreation and their original-owner 1987 Buick GNX.
