I don’t mind clones, or tributes, or whatever you call it when someone takes a more base level car and tarts it up to resemble the muscle car that lived on the same platform, provided that the person who does the modifications does a good job. And as anyone who watches the Big B-J Show auctions knows, some clones can bring in good money if they are done to a high standard. On the other side of the coin, a poorly-done clone can undercut the benefit of having left the car alone. And in this case, I’m going to go full-attack on this 1973 Plymouth Satellite that was minding it’s own business when someone who knew Year One’s phone number started sticking stuff onto it.
From the side, your initial reaction is a moderately well-done Road Runner clone. I’ll admit that at first, all I saw were the stripes and the Rally hood. Then I noticed the “GTX” logo, which sits a bit higher than where the logo sat on the 1971 GTX. Ok, so we have three different cars here: A Satellite that was turned into a Road Runner that thinks it’s a GTX. Oh, good lord…and it gets better. In the grille, which didn’t have an adornment no matter the model? GTX. On the dash? GTX. Trunk? Road Runner disc. Mercifully, a heat gun and a plastic Bondo spreader can take care of these, and you could probably resell the badges for a mint. But that isn’t all.
Here, the poor B-body gets some points back. We have a 440-6 under the hood. At least the muscle part of muscle car is present and accounted for. Given the unkempt condition of the under hood, there’s no telling what’s really going on under here, but at least it’s a great step forward.
And then we take a huge leap backwards. I won’t knock the Tuff wheel…I’ve only seen them in black, red and blue, and they are better than the thin-as-spaghetti stock wheel that was in here already. The Satellite was already doing good, with the Rally gauges and slap-stick auto, but that wasn’t enough. Take a closer look at the hacked-in B&M shifter…it’s meant for a four-speed auto. And of course, that GTX badge that has to simply go.
Now, the kicker? The price is $20,000. And the car is in Arizona. I’m not kidding in the least when I say that I cringe at this. What would be a nice $8,000-$10,000 big block Satellite has been hacked and badged into oblivion. I sincerely wouldn’t pay over eight grand, would de-badge this car, ditch the Road Runner kit and that shifter, put a factory Slap-Stick back in it, paint it a shade that works with the interior and enjoy a sweet Satellite with a Rally hood. Remember, folks, sometimes less is more.
Click Here to see the eBay listing
definitely seen worse…honestly, an afternoon’s work would remove the extra badgery….and looking at the Ebay thing nobody’s willing to bite anyway. 46 watchers, 20 K buy it now, and no offers at all. maybe someone will wait till the end and wave 5 or 6 grand under his nose….
Wow…I didn’t think it was all that bad looking of a car. I’m not into Mopars so
I didn’t get all the details. I guess I’ll think twice before making any modifications to my car, someone might not agree with them.
It was the badging coupled with the off shifter and the unholy price that killed me. If it was more realistically priced ($10K or less) one can start making concessions. For $20K I expect more.
Surprised you didn’t mention the way the engine compartment was painted black as a violation, too. Mopars used body color under the hood.
Last year for the GTX as a stand alone model was 71, after that the GTX “package” was an option for a Road Runner. IIRC they had both GTX and Road Runner badges on them (maybe not as many as this car though…)
I have seen much worse. If its a rust-free car I think its solid and in a day you can eliminate most of the errors. I’m not completely sure this a car deserving of ‘unhinged’. We’ve all got local examples of much worse. Maybe a thread to capture some on our phones (no ebay/craigslist photos) and send them in for comparison. We’ve got a couple ringers around here, but I’m sure someone has something much worse.
How about Hemi and Road Runner badges on a slant 6 car? No kidding. I was in the gas station when the guy opened the hood to check the oil.
A bit overpriced I suppose. I don’t see getting worked up over badging. If a MOPAR aficionado wasn’t pointing it out I’d never pick up on it. For a decent price I’d enjoy having it.
In 1973 the GTX was a road runner option pack that brought the 440 with it. The roadrunner stripes are correct, as is the hood. The 440 shows it may likely be a GTX roadrunner. Some models even had the GTX badges on the side. So really its not bad at all, and despite a couple extra badges on the car, I really don’t understand what is so bad.
Its a clean relatively straight car, with the proper engine (no 6 bangers or small blocks).
Its just not the most desired of the mopar muscle cars. $20g a tad steep, sure. Is this an example of “what not to do ever” no way.
I think you may just need to go back to bed and try waking up in a slightly less picky mood….
PJ, considering I wore that deep I the AM, you might be right.
Bryan McTaggart: You are just full of crap on this car. This is a museum quality specimen compared to others I’ve seen. I’ll give you the shifter beef and it does have a couple of added emblems. That’s where your story ends. The wheels are pretty strange, but you don’t mention them. Anyone who know Mopars can see that their are paint color issues under the hood, though the interrior looks good and all there. There is a tach in the cluster so that offsets the shifter. I think the car looks great in white.
Maybe you just don’t have much knowledge about cars, Mopars in particular. You need to issue a retraction or an apology to keep any shred of credibility.
SO WHAT !!! I would love to bring a 69 YANKOVIC S/C camaro to the Mecum auction and watch those bloviated car pukes have their heads explode. Or better, a reality show with Jesse James winning and original, documented 1969 Camaro Z28 L88 Fuelie, or Shelby Mach I Boss 429 Double Cammer, or 426 convertible Hemi cuda pay for it drive it out to the parking lot and take a cutting torch to it………..tubbed. slammed, supercharged, with carbon fiber replacement panels …………now that’s entertainement………If I can’t have fun driving it, I don’t want it.
No, that’s being a dumbass… And Jesse James is a retard.
I’ve seen worse…at least it looks solid. Badges can be easily removed!
This is a typical case of Barrett-Jackson fever, and some numbnuts thought he’d cash in on the Mopar frenzy.
Too bad he doesn’t know the big bumper years aren’t high dollar cars and that it’s all in the execution.
Still, this car is far from a total loss.
Undoing the few bad points wouldn’t be all that involved, and if the body is solid and drivetrain decent, this is a great starter point, but for way less than the asking price.
Considering the cool factor of a Six Pak big block, I’d venture around the $8K zone, maybe up to $9K. More than that would be a stretch for me on this thing.
Sadly, all persons in AZ think everything is in a Barrett-Jackson class car and asks top dollar for junk! And the show Desert autos included in this price jumping been the last 6 or so yrs. Was a point when you could find nicely priced cars out here!
Still better than a Prius!
’69 GTX has a badge right in the center of the grille. I had one. Not sure where you get the info that they never had a grille badge. Car isnt really that bad. Seen a lot worse.
Must have been watching Counting Cars to get to that price.
It will sit for a long time at that price.
Looks good, I don’t get what your problem is