Less Than 100 Remaining: 1974 Plymouth Satellite Sundance
This was one of the cars I wrote about when I answered Barn Finds’ help wanted ad. I was going to submit it a few weeks before, but the listing was removed. Now, the car has been relisted for the same price. This Plymouth Satellite is not only mostly original, it’s one of less than 100 remaining. Find it here on Hemmings in Bend, Oregon, with an asking price of $7,200 obo.
Available for only six months in 1974 (I’m guessing one of Plymouth’s spring time trim specials), this Satellite Sundance is one of less than 300 built. At first glance, the paint appears to be in decent shape. There is a rust spot on the windshield frame of the A-pillar, but keep in mind that the car is originally from Oregon and wears original paint. The owner also mentions a rust spot in trunk near where the trunk lid meets the rubber molding on the bumper. Though it does appear to be surface rust, this should be addressed immediately before the rust becomes worse. The vinyl top is also original as well, but will need replacing, as there are spots of damage towards the C-pillar and along the driver’s and passenger’s side window frames. These areas should also be checked for rust, as vinyl tops do typically have rust lurking underneath. On the plus side, the graphics on the car appear to have aged very well. Appliance 5 spoke wheels add a nice period and aggressive look to the car (the original hubcaps are included, but no mention on the original wheels, so I would inquire about them) and are wrapped in white line tires up front and Grand Am Radial G/Ts out back. I would swap the rear tires for a set of white-line tires.
Rated at 150 horsepower SAE net, the 318 2-barrel V8 in this Satellite is backed by an automatic (either a 904 or 727, but I’m guessing 727 considering it’s a B-Body) and has recently been serviced with $750 worth of parts, including fuel pump, belts, rear differential service, transmission filter kit, fuel filter, and spark plugs. The owner does provide a link showing a short test drive of the car, which can be viewed here. I would swap the carburetor for a four-barrel and swap on a few other performance parts to match the appearance.
Ah, nothing like a mid-70s interior. The car features a white vinyl interior with gold/brown plaid fabric inserts and, like the rest of car, is original. Manual windows (in my opinion) are a plus, and the black dash and steering wheel offset the seats very well. Though there is a dash topper, the dash pad appears to be in good shape; the steering wheel does have a small crack at the top, so I would either repair it or replace it, especially keeping in mind that the rest of the interior is in good condition. The owner does mention that the fuel gauge does not work and is currently stuck on empty, but does say that all other gauges appear to be in working order (including the “fasten seat belts” indicator). The car does feature a horizontal speedometer and column shifter, but considering the condition of the interior, I’d be willing to let it slide. If I had the money, I would negotiate the price (I’m thinking $3,000 to $4,000 would suffice), buy this car, address the necessary issues, and enjoy this interesting alternative to a Roadrunner or Charger from that era.
Auctions Ending Soon
1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1Bid Now17 hours$7,100
2003 Porsche Boxster SBid Now18 hours$6,250
1966 Lincoln ContinentalBid Now20 hours$500
2000 Jaguar XJ8LBid Now4 days$1,250
1977 Datsun 280ZBid Now5 days$275
Comments
I had 73 Satellite Seabring as a College car back in the early 90’s! Paid 500 Bones for it! Awesome Ride!
Only 300 made? That’s cool, because now I’ve seen two of them.
Back in the mid 80’s I went around with my dad as he shopped the newspaper classifieds for a “station car”. In our part of suburban NJ, most up-and-coming families had one: a beater car that got driven a couple of miles to the train station five days a week by the husband who commuted to NYC. (The alternative was Mom would have to drive him over in the “good car” in morning and pick him up in the evening, and she was not into that at all.) So our train station lot was filled with a motley selection of 60’s and 70’s Darts, Novas, Impalas, Fairlanes, Galaxie 500s, Catalinas, etc. with lots of rust and old snow tires permanently on the rear wheels. As a car-crazed kid, this was like Disneyland.
One of the cars that we looked at was a 1974 Plymouth Satellite Sundance in the Aztec Gold color scheme. It was old and creaky and the graphic stripe was all cracked and faded. I still remember that fat-faced sun with it’s ambivalent expression. It was a pretty ugly car, but so was the 1975 Duster that he eventually bought, also in gold, with a slant six that really suffered from all of its smog equipment. I should have lobbied harder for a better choice, because two years later it became my first car. At least the Satellite had a 318.
My wife had a brand new one and it had a slant 6 engine in it .she paid 4100.00!when She bought it .
Sharp looking car! As to keeping it original, I probably would drive it as is until it started to show it’s age a bit more. By that time the vinyl top would be scrapped and perhaps some of that same striping color worked into the roof, hood and trunk. A 360 Intercepter under the hood would make this thing really move.
My family and I bought this car. I do not plan to do much with it other than fix rust and put a vinyl roof on it. to keep its originality. It now lives in Minnesota. We paid $5,700 which was $5,500 for the car plus the $200 dollar add that was posted the day we bought it. The car was appraised at $7,800 by High lakes restorations in Redmond Oregon.The car still drives like it rolled off of the line.
The car has already been to one car show and we were blown away at how many people knew of these cars but have not seen them in person.
The car draws a ton of attention even in its current condition. We could not be happier with the purchase.
Congratulations! I hope you have a great time with this beautiful car! I owned a brand new one in Aztec Gold from 74-79. The only survivors must be west of the Mississippi!
If you get tired of it, let me know! It’s a beauty.
Bend Oregon is the dry and arid desert plains… Not much of anything rusts there except surface rust. NO SALT.,, Cars live forever in that place except the sun can be harsh on consumables. Bend is also after some hard times 2008-2012 back in the spotlight as a wealthy desert community. Chock full of Californians and the Po’ folk pushed out of the market.
I am a Mercury Man. My Father was a Lincoln – Mercury Dealer. But,,, this is a nice car.
Hey Tucker, glad to see that you have made it over here to Barn Finds. I too am a Mercury man. Did you check out the white 69 428 XR-7 that was posted on here a few days ago?
Back to this Satellite, I remember one of these from back in the late 70s being here in my area. I always thought that it was a nice looking body style. Good luck to the new owner, I hope you enjoy the car for many years.
If it had a big block 440 and be a really hot car
So I just bought a 74 Plymouth sundance and very excited to restore it. I plan on dropping a 440 in it
I have a 74 Sundance and thinking about Restoring it but was going to do a roadrunner clone
I currently have 1 similar to this in my driveway. A far cry from being in this condition however. Mine has white bucket seats and needs a lot of help. My question’s gonna be this; How do i go about finding out if this is a true Sundance edition?
Look for the A77 on the fender tag
I just sold mine to a great kid who’s taking care of it and spending lots of time with it taking itaking it to car shows and enjoying the car I am very happy he is the new caretaker of the car
I just looked . I have the A-24 package Belvedere / Satellite package. So now I wonder. Since most have sought out the 2 door popular models. Are the lesser models have their place? I did notice that the fender tag decoding said or implied that this was more or less a Base model. So I’m moreover curious. Build it back to factory, Or build it to fit the preference/imagination?
I always build my cars so they are fun for me… Any purist can get the car later and do what they want with it…. My advice have fun with your hot rod
Then I am going to have to have a very serious talk with my son. See he can build demolition derby cars, but his real task will be to help me build 1 that’s going to his kids after I die.
I’ve owned two of the Aztec gold versions. One was really rough. The second one was much nicer. If I remember correctly the plaid upholstery was specific to the Sundance