Gentleman’s Muscle Car: 1969 Plymouth GTX
The Dodge Coronet, Dodge Charger, Plymouth Road Runner, and Plymouth GTX are all very similar cars in many ways, but each had its own place in the market. The GTX model was offered with more and “better” options than the others, so as to be perceived as a “gentleman’s muscle car,” much in the way the AMC Marlins of the mid-60s were marketed. This is a fast performance vehicle that was designed to have a somewhat classier feel than some of its counterparts, and the black on black color scheme really makes that feature stand out on this car. As with any Mopar muscle car of the era, the GTX could be had in a variety of combinations. This particular car is a 440 4-speed vehicle with a Six Pack/Six Barrel carburetor and intake. Presented here on eBay by the dealer Vintage Car Collector in California, this GTX seems like a good buy at the asking price of $32,000 but could perhaps be had for less.
The interior of this GTX has everything a young man of the era was looking for in a muscle car: bucket seats and a 4-speed manual shifter. Though this is certainly no Cadillac, the GTX interiors always had a slightly more refined feel than did the Coronets and Road Runners. It is unclear in the listing whether or not this car has been restored, but if it has been it wasn’t anytime recently. Original or not, the interior is in great condition and this is a top-level driver-quality vehicle.
Many Mopar high-performance 440s of the era came equipped with a “Six Pack,” which is like GM’s “Tri Power” in that both setups utilize three 2-barrel carburetors to maximize power and fuel intake. Though generically referred to as Six Packs, around this time Plymouth was marketing it as Six Barrel and Dodge was using the Six Pack nomenclature. Admittedly, the Six Pack sticker looks a lot cooler than the Six Barrel sticker! This is a running and driving vehicle that should be ready to hit the streets.
There is no B-body Mopar that doesn’t have good body lines. This GTX is subtle in its gloss black paint, but there is no mistaking it for anything but a Chrysler product. Note the GTX tail panel and tail light trim, a detail that helped set this apart from its other Plymouth and Dodge counterparts. Regarding the condition of the body, the seller states “Body is very nice for all original panels. Floors, trunk are very solid. Fenders are clean. Firewall frame all look great.” For $32,000, a B-body in all original sheet metal is a good buy! As beautiful as these cars are, rust took many of them away long before their time. This appears to be an all-around solid driver and reasonably priced from a reputable dealer.
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Comments
Looks menacing just sitting there! God I like the looks of the b bodies. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my shirt.
Evidently I can’t post pic’s anymore, no more showing off :(
For 32K, one would think that they would get a set of the cones for the Magnums! Details, details! Other than that, a very nice looking car! :-)
You could buy a heck of a lot nicer new car for that price with a warranty, reliability, handling, and better over all comfort. Your wife would like it too, plus, if you couldn’t scratch up the cash for this one, your friendly banker would give you a loan…that wouldn’t happen here. I could get a new Civic Si for 2/3 this price that would leave this in the dust, esp. around the curves. (and that is coming from a life long Mopar man, though recently have come to respect many other brands. Good thing too, Chrysler is on Hospice Care, soon to join that great junkyard of automotive history)
I’d go with a Civic Type-R for a little less than this. I’d get better performance and I’d be able to drive it everyday and get decent gas mileage. But then, I’m Special Ed in 2018 economics, where people throw cash around like chump change. I look at some of these ads with a blank expression and a slight overbite.
This said, this car and a new Honda Civic do not compete for the same market. Also, in a world where a rusty 1972 Chevelle SS with an automatic and a low compression 402 that didn’t even run brought almost 24 thousand, this is actually kind of a bargain, in that world.
Supperdessucke, you are correct, these price seem insane, but present economics negates reality for most of us. Who actually buys these things at these prices? Do they work by the hour? Do they “share the wealth” around a little, or do they suck it all up for themselves and to heck with the 99%. But, with that said, I do have a soft spot for these cars, not that they are good cars in the modern sense, just because I had one as a youth and it might bring back some memories. Though, I would never pay this kind of money for nostalgia. I guess without these stupid prices, this sight wouldn’t be here for us to gawk (and that is all I need), so perhaps it is okay.
Wow, thanks for your stunning insight.
A honda !!! LMAO !!! 2 or 4 wheeled ???? LMAO !!!
Life long Mopar fan? Chrysler is on hospice care?
Mag195455, Yep. Do you think Fiat really cares about Chrysler, or do they just want those damned Jeeps and pickups? Dodge trucks now say RAM. When was the last time you saw an actual car, not a truck in a Chrysler lot? The Chrysler and Dodge names will be gone , soon. Am I the only person who sees this? The Germans really screwed up the company, and the Italians will dig the grave, who says the Axis powers lost the war!
@Billy007 – 401ks. Boomers have had 4-5 decades of unprecedented stock market growth. ‘Nuff said.
SuperD-Okay about the market, but wouldn’t that money go for better things? Better causes? Even if it is spent on you? The older I get (and I am a Boomer who used the market..I paid off my new house in 7 1/2 years) the more I understand that experiences such as travel and giving to those we love even more experiences, is by far the best way to use money. There is nothing wrong with wealth, but spending too much on something is a poor way to use it. Money should be saved, given away, and yes..spent..but wisely.
“Use your priorities as a cloak to keep you warm in hard times” – Chinese fortune cookie.
You sound like a reasonable guy. So you’ll possibly be surprised to learn that people spend more frivolous than you’d imagine. As a real estate investor myself, it’s becoming apparent that their brat kids have similar financial acumen. Frustrating times for sure.
Not much you can do about it though. You just have to stay in your lane, and be thankful for that neighborhood Honda dealer! You can get driving excitement without the nostalgia. Enjoy that while it lasts.
You’re on the wrong forum. You should be on the imports only forum.
I agree, would 20 or 30 bucks have really killed them? Something fishy here, buyer beware, at least if you are looking for an investment. (Of course, buying cars as investments has ruined our hobby, so then again, by all means, buy it NOW!)
You two appear to be on the wrong thread. 007, you and your “buy a new Honda” advice and then a half baked argument about the haves and the have nots, going round and round with Superdessucke and his sage advice as a real estate investor. This is a thread about an old American muscle car fellas. Go to Business Weekly and have your enlightening discussions there. We’ll all miss you. By the way, nice Mopar. 4 speed and big block power never goes out of style. Unless you’re shopping for a new Civic!
@Johnny Joseph – no truer words, sir, no truer words…
@Johnny Joseph
Very well said sir.
Excellent reply!
I think this one is an incredible bargain…though, the ad states it’s not an original 6 pack car…the ID# shows it is an L code…which still makes it a 440 car…this one will go quick…literally and figuratively….
In 1969 you couldn’t get a 440 6 pack in the GTX, only the Roadrunner and Super Bee.
I’m not sure why a seller would dedicate 90% of the written description to a bunch of fluff rather than an accurate and thorough description of the car.
Steve R
Yes, and I think that hood was only a RR sixpack option. I wouldn’t have it, not good for vision over the hood.
!969 1/2 Road Runner or Superbee! The hood on this car was not an option on anything! 1969 1/2 cars had fiberglass liftoff hood with this scoop held on by 4 hoodpins no hinges!
I’ll bet thats an add on scoop. To the stock hood,
I’m not even a Mopar guy or muscle car guy, but sure would love to have this one!
It is a nice looking car! Not to nit-pick, but is that steering wheel correct? Either way, still something you’d be proud to be seen in, and actually wouldn’t mind racking some miles on.
Fun yes, practical no. Only want to rack up miles 1/4 at a time, that is pretty much all they are good for. I had a 1970, fun when I was 17, now I understand that cars can be so much better in all aspects.
Billy, why would you waste your time here when you obviously hate classic cars and everything they stand for? Go buy a Prius and save us the trouble.
@MrBZ – How do you know he doesn’t already drive one?
Shouldn’t the block be turquoise for 69? Also, that engine compartment looks rough under the black paint. Clone?
Numbers are correct for a 69 440 gtx, and with a 4speed one of only 4004 made.
Thanks Mike.
Beautiful car original or not, would love it for Sunday drives and 32K seems dirt cheap when I see rust bucket Mopars going for half that much.
With as much gas as this thing gulps, those won’t be long drives, plus your rump will be sore too, they ride like a lumber truck fully loaded. If your Sunday drives really mean, squealing tires and drag races, then this might just be your car. If ya like Chryslers, how about 2 or 3 grand for a nice 90s convert? Now, that would make for a nice Sunday drive and might save a ton of cash and your marriage too, I know my wife would kick me out if I spent 32 grand on something like this.
@Billy 007 – When you drive a lumber truck fully loaded, it actually rides pretty well (not much on the corners though). The rough ride comes from the empty ones.
See later comment for my reaction to your mentioning H**da C**ic in the same paragraph as Plymouth GTX.
TriPower, is this place only for Mopar love? Are not all sides of an issue allowed in these great United States? Isn’t examining all sides of an issue the wise and prudent way to go about life? Perhaps other things we all live with on a daily basis would be equally served via that advice. BTW, I have owned both one of these and the so unadmired Civic, I know what my opinion is about which is the all around best choice. WE have to be careful about not limiting speech here on this site lest we turn into another similar site that has become simply a place to sell expensive cars. Thats just a love fest about cars where any dissenting opinions are actually banned. That just screams of fascism and old fashion greed.
I wish I could jump on this beautiful GTX.
I’ve always liked these. Great color combo too, in my opinion.
You are correct XMA, the Steering Wheel is an aftermarket, and a nice factory one would look much better IMO. Steve is also correct on the Six-pack option for 69. I am curious though if the Intake is a Edelbrock Aluminum or Factory Cast Iron. If everything checks out, it is a good buy at 32K. Black on black is a great color combo.
@Gunner – The aluminum manifolds were only on the early (’69) cars. By 1970, Chrysler took production in-house. Since in-house meant they had to work with what they knew, they cast them up out of good ol’ iron. ALL of my 440 Six Packs(1970 ‘Cuda, 1970 and 1971 Super Bee) had iron intakes.
Even though this is not an original, I can’t imagine that the constructor didn’t use the aluminum version (since it was correct for this year only – if not model).
Wow. I’m not a MOPAR guy (whatever that means…haha) but I flat out love this car, monster hood scoop and all. Where else are you going to find this kind of top tier 60’s muscle for 30K. All things equal, not going to get a big block Torino Cobra for that. Not going to get a big block Chevelle or Impala SS for that. I would love to have this car…and a revolving account at Discount Tire
I don’t know about a “Gentleman’s” muscle car, that would be more like a 454 Monte Carlo, the GTX, I figured, was for some kid who bamboozled the old man into the fancy package, and didn’t know, you could get a similarly equipped Roadrunner for a lot less. Neat looking car, but again, just a gussied up Satellite, and by no means, a Monte Carlo. Not too long ago, every Mopar like this was 6 figures (and some still are), maybe we’ve ( finally) turned a corner with these.
@Rube Goldberg – The Monte Carlo would have nightmares, if it ever came up against one of these.
Oh, I know, these were wickedly fast. Most women on a date,( sadly, the ones I knew) or a new boss on a lunch, didn’t care for their necks being snapped at every gear change, unlike the Monte, that set you back gently. I just remember, these were tinny, thin ( light) cars. The way the doors, trunk and hood sounded when closing, it was no GM.
@Rube Goldberg – You are not wrong, sir.
Thumbs up.
I’m seeing a reasonable driver. Maybe market is finally within reach.
Here is a true gentleman’s Mopar.
Partially restored, 360-V8, 3-speed automatic, rally wheels, bucket seats, and it is purple with side pipes.
At less than $12,000, how can any true gentleman looking to go cruising not get all the chick’s phone numbers?
https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1077460/1973-amc-gremlin-for-sale-in-connellsville-pennsylvania-15425
An AMC is not, and never has been, a mopar product. Even if you dropped a Chrysler motor into it, it’s still an AMC.
AMC was bought out by Chrysler in 1987 so it is unofficially a Mopar!!!!
AMC made the king of all mistakes, it bought Jeep. EVERY company that buys Jeep ends up in the dust bin of history.. I just hope Fiat eventually goes too. Of course, I am still mad about Plymouth. Chrysler should have realized that they would be better off making small affordable cars, but the Nazis that owned them, have had great success selling over priced junk, but they really blew it, didn’t they? How much would you pay for an updated Omni or TC3 ? If they could sell them for 10 or 12 grand, what an alternative to the used car market? Henry Ford understood marketing, funny how many people today do not.
AMC is not Mopar. The AMC 360 was their own, not Chryslers iirc.
Don’t let the AMC folks or the Mopar folks hear you! If there’s one thing they agree on, it is that AMC and Chrysler were still two very separate entities with the only combination vehicle being the Jeep Cherokee right, which used a redesigned AMC six cylinder until the XJ’s demise in 2001.
Nice looking car, the kind of car I would have sold my left,.. ya know.. for in my earlier years. However, the under-hood pics could be cause for concern. That positive battery cable, the rustoleum black inner aprons, and that rats nest of wiring at the firewall should warrant an in-person inspection.
It shows more than a few signs of being done on the cheap.
Steve R
#’s match or not. Original or not. Perfect body, no. The price, you can’t beat it. Great mopar for the $! My brother had a 6-pak-440 RR. 4-speed, Dana 4:10 post. Body good, primed. Perfect black interior. Sold for 65k. That was in 98. Not bad for a 69! If I had room in the garage, I’d get it.
What’s up with those screws in the fender tag? And do the rivets in the VIN tag look correct? Seems awfully cheap for a running driving late 60’s Chrysler product.
I have an original one-family (mine) B-body of this era and the fender tag was held on by one screw and one rivet. That being said, the mixture of Phillips and flat blade screws on this Road Runner’s tag are definitely not correct, but don’t necessarily raise suspicion in my mind!
Thanks for the clarification on that! I’ve only owned one Mopar & that was over 30 years ago. We didn’t pay as much attention to the details back then.
As I understood it, the Buick Grand sport was the real gentleman’s muscle car. Gotta like the look of this old GTX, menacing hood scoop and all that black on black, wow, and a six pack set up as well.
Never have drove one of those six packs but I heard they were a bit of a bear with the vacuum set up opening and snapping shut the two secondary carbs in simple light passing situations, causing some unexpected headbanging. Feedback much appreciated.🐇
@Troy s – Until now, I have avoided this particular aspect of the muscle discussion on multiple threads, but the fact is that there were so-called ‘luxury’ as well as ‘racer’ versions of the muscle offerings from almost every manufacturer.
The various ‘hot’ Cougars, 390, 428, Boss, etc… were considered the ‘Gentleman’s’ alternative to the corresponding Mustang. Likewise, Mercury offerings contrasted to those of Ford.
The AMC Rebel ‘Machine’ was considered the ‘Gentleman’s’ alternative to the AMX, Javelin, and SSC Rambler.
The entire Buick Division was considered the ‘Gentleman’s’ offerings, relative to their Chevy and Pontiac variants. Oldsmobile was the wild card, as they tried to shed the ‘stodgy’ image with which Buick was indelibly saddled, with their ‘Dr. Oldsmobile’ campaign.
Dodges were seen as the ‘Gentleman’s’ alternative to the more rowdy Plymouths. Within each, there were sup-groups that corresponded to the same formula: For Plymouth (example) the GTX / Road Runner contrast. For Dodge: the R/T Charger / Coronet vs. Super Bee.
For that matter: The Aston Martin is often referred to as the Gentleman’s Jaguar.
The bottom line is: the term ‘Gentleman’s’ applied to the (often) heavier, more well-optioned, more civilized version of that Maker’s / Division’s offerings.
Let’s hope there is no more silly discussion about the exact model that represented one or another’s so-called ‘Gentleman’s’ offerings.
Always enjoy your comments, lots of first hand knowledge and interesting stories to share about back in the day. Yeah, I was born in ’66 so I missed the first time around with these cars that have obsessed me since the age of about three, any knowledge I have was learned through conversation, books, magazines, and my own experiences with these cars on the street, a little at the track.
No brand loyalty here, like ’em all.😀
@Troy s – Thumbs up to you, too, sir.
I installed a 6-pak on my 67 R/T. Edelbrock aluminum intake. Outboard 2bbls. Had manual accelerator pumps. You adjusted the linkage for when you wanted them to kick in. You çould feel through the gas petal when it was going to kick in. AWESOMELY STIMULATING! Even played with just the primary 350cfm w/out the outboard. Would run like Hell till it wanted its’ 2 500cfm buddies. I miss that car!
@Mark J. Soderberg – The carbs were virtually identical to those on the Tri-Power Corvettes. Tri-Power equipped which also had A/C and/or Automatics included a ‘Fast-Idle Solenoid’ to mess with as well (on both Mopar as well as Chevy – solenoid was the same, but the brackets were different).
Everything you said brings back memories. You can’t see, but I’m smiling.
My friend’s father was the comptroller for the project that built the Corvette plant in Kentucky. When the plant was complete, the General Manager of the plant gave him two ‘Corvette’ jackets, one for my friend and one for me (because he knew we both had Corvettes – I had talked my friend into buying a ’65 396 Convertible, and I had a ’69 427 Tri-Power, A/C, 4-speed, convertible).
I was VERY proud of that jacket and wore it a lot.
One night, I was cruising down Scottsdale Road at Indian School, when the car suddenly caught fire! Right in the intersection! I whipped it over, popped the hood, and saw that fuel was leaking from the line onto the intake. Momentarily, I tried to decide how best to fight the fire. Then, instinctively, I ripped my treasured jacket off and began to pound at the flames. It NEVER OCCURRED TO ME TO JUST LET IT BURN!
There were two gas stations, one on each corner, and quite a crowd was gathering, to watch. As they stood there, mouths open and dumb to the event unfolding in front of their eyes, I began screaming for somebody to get a fire extinguisher. At last, ONE attendant finally un-froze and (thankfully) came rushing over to quickly put out the blaze.
After thanking him for his (eventual) action, I began to take stock while waiting for the tow truck. No fiberglass had been hurt. We would later determine that the carbs and lines were undamaged as well. In fact, all that was required for re-commissioning to active duty was a general under hood cleanup, re-tightening of the fuel line, some miscellaneous and (of course) wiring.
But my prized article of clothing, my Corvette jacket, given in appreciation by the General Manager of the Corvette plant to my friend’s father, had given it’s all in saving a Corvette from certain doom. There it lay, in smouldering tatters.
The moment was poetic.
There is nothing, just nothing like a big cubic inch V-8, with 3-2’s or 2-4’s, and a 4 speed!! I grew up in the 60’s when the V-8 was king and gas was $.25 a gallon, or less! No fancy turbo’s, superchargers, fuel injection, or Nitrous. “Ya run what ya brung.” The “computers” of the day were the mechanics who understood camshaft specifications, could read spark plugs, and knew how to jet a carburetor. They could set up dual point distributors, and knew how to “bend” a distributor, and use a timing light. Ah, this wants me to go out and cruise Woodward again, from Ted’s to the Totem Pole!!
Using a timing light, a vacuum gauge & a dwell meter is a dying art…
You see them at antique shops all the time,,,
True, somewhat like asking someone to balance a tone arm on a turntable. Of course, who uses turn tables anymore? We know that digital files are handier and sound better, so is a turn table really needed? Some tools end up in museums, way of life. Lots of cars should be in them too.
I am lucky I didn’t wrap my RR around a pole, for as well as it handled.
@Chuck – Beautiful.
1969 Mopar B-bodies are not generally cross-shopped with Honda Civics. Pretty different clienteles.
Try to convince 007 of it. This guy is all over the place on this car. One second he’s bagging on it and saying he’d buy the Civic, next time he’s talking about the hood being too high for his liking. And he’s got a ton of advice on car companies, charitable giving, and the stock market! The hood is too high! No Bond, YOU are too high.
Nice to have a fan in the crowd. Thank you Johnny for paying attention. I also commented on the cute little English Spitfire, did you?
Yes, maturity does separate.
MOPAR was dead by mid 80’s, Chrysler Motors didn’t even like term, but to a generation we know those street muscle as MOPARS.
Know of a Hemi GTX convertible “One owner barned” to this day and to hear that Chrysler starter and then the stock muffled motor, and watch it twist up on throttle blips, we put torque straps to save motor mounts.
Some day I will talk that old fart and his friend with a Roadrunner 440 six pack who years back used to cruise and bruise the city boys egos.
I have followed MOPAR awhile and what many here say of comparison to f’n Hondas, makes me wonder if they forgot or ever experienced the cruise scene, except in mom and Dads Honda, Toyota’s,and Subaru, while the big boys pounded the pavements, making them spill their 7 Ups and Sprites.
For a blast from past, kept in just great drivers shape for years of fun driving, your rice burners will always be ho hum in ten years, and this GTX will be worth more than 40K.
They didn’t, EVER. That’s two guys who wandered onto this site who were looking for an investor website. NOBODY ever compared Hondas and MOPARS. The 4 cylinder super charger little bugs do NOTHING to a man who knows what a Hemi sound is like when it revs up before mashing the gas and slamming gears. It is like heaven to a gear head. Those 4 bangers sound like an irritant.
No, the rice burners will have the value, us old timers are who keep these cars values up, but when WE are under ground, so goes the values. Besides, soon there will be no petrol, only electric cars, how much are they worth then?
@EHide Behind – Wish I could give you more than 1 Thumbs Up.
The closest mishap i have had with my R/T. After getting tthe motor in the car and everything (I thought) hooked up. Fired up on 3rd crank, with the hood and air cleaner off, around the block I went!
1/2 way around my finger tight compression fitting for my oIL gauge popped off! Pulled back in the drive with a thin shiny coat of oil overy the entire engine compartment and half the car! No damage, but a whooooole bunch of elbow grease! note to self, double, no triple check your work!
Dang gentlemen! Can’t we please just all get along? No one’s opinion here trumps someone else’s. I truly appreciate all the knowledge that is shared by everyone on Barn Finds.
Hear, hear! Spoken just like the great late philosopher, Rodney King!
And what does a haphazard napkin sketch by Picasso fetch these days?
What the heck happened to everybody’s thumbs ups? Almost everyone is at zero.
My uncle had a 69 GTX 440/auto. He bought I new and was always garage kept. It was the forest green hard top. The only things he changed was the factory mag wheels. For some reason he didn’t like them. He sold it in 1991 for $6k. Only flaw I remember was a crack in the dash from sitting in the parking lot while at work. I wished I had the money then to have bought it.