1968 Plymouth Satellite

Description

In the annals of Mopar horsepower, few are as specific as the legendary A12 Roadrunners of 1969.5. With those amazing machines now pulling some pretty serious cash, it shouldn't be a surprise that tribute cars like this 1968 Plymouth Satellite are showing up. Offering a stout 440 powerplant, a no-frills interior, and brute-force good looks, it nails the A12 look without the giant price tag.

The A12's most notable feature is the fiberglass hood with a giant scoop, and that was faithfully replicated on this tribute car. However, the clumsy lift-off setup on the A12 is obviously problematic in the real world outside the drag strip, so this one uses hood pins and traditional hinges to make things slightly more user-friendly. Bright red paint works rather well with the hi-po look and was one of the original A12 colors, and the super straight bodywork looks as good here as it ever has. It's not perfect, but it's not a $75,000 trailer queen, either, so you need to get in and go out hunting next Saturday night rather than worrying about winning trophies. Fit and finish are quite good, particularly the fiberglass hood, which never even fit very well on the originals when they were new. Proper Roadrunner decals on the doors and 440 decals on the hood scoop also help cement the illusion.

The interior takes a few liberties with the original design, but I suspect there won't be any complaints from the guy who gets to drive this car on a regular basis. Factory buckets flank a custom center console filled with Auto Meter gauges, a B&M shifter, and a pair of cup holders, and that big tach front and center certainly makes a statement about this car's intent. The wood-rimmed steering wheel is far more substantial than the A12's original skinny plastic piece, but the basic gauges and no-nonsense dashboard are certainly the right look. The original Chrysler Music Master AM radio remains up high in the dash with its unique tuning knobs, but otherwise it's no-frills just like the original A12, and I suspect that's how you like it. The seat covers, carpets, door panels, and headliner are in uniformly good condition and the trunk is correctly trimmed with a reproduction mat.

The heart of the A12 was Chrysler's thumping 440 cubic inch V8, which, when driven correctly, gave even the mighty Hemi a run for its money. This car uses that same powerplant to deliver neck-snapping acceleration. The oval air cleaner is similar to the Six-Pack unit used on the A12, although there's a more user-friendly 4-barrel living underneath today. Finned valve covers and Hemi Orange paint on the block practically scream horsepower, and a billet accessory drive with a serpentine belt helps insure reliability. A big aluminum radiator doesn't seem to mind the big block heat factory behind it, and long-tube headers give it a torque curve as wide and flat as the Bonneville Salt Flats. Backed by a quick-shifting 727 TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic and 3.54 gears in a heavy-duty Dana 60 rear end, it has the same hardware as the legendary A12, but with 4-wheel power disc brakes it keeps things under control a lot better than the original. Timeless Magnum 500 wheels look a bit cooler than the A12s black steelies and carry 235/60/15 front and 245/60/15 rear Cooper radials.

This A12 tribute is the car for the guy who loves performance first and foremost, emulating one of the fastest, nastiest cars of the era. Call today!