- GTX was Plymouth’s premium muscle car for 1970
- Factory fitted “V-Code” 440 six-barrel engine
- Documented rare “1 of 328” car
Considered a “Gentleman’s Muscle Car”
Considered a “Gentleman’s Muscle Car,” the upscale Plymouth GTX 2-door Hardtop was restyled for 1970, offering cleaner side body panels along with revised front and rear end. The grille had a unique “telephone receiver” style shape and the taillight treatment was changed, and the car was no longer available as a convertible. The GTX was a member of Plymouth’s “Rapid Transit System” performance car program, and to add some visual excitement, these cars were available with “High Impact” hues, including: In Violet (Purple), Limelight (Green), Vitamin C (Orange), Tor-Red, Lemon Twist (Yellow) and Moulin Rouge (Pink).
The GTX was known as the ”RS23” model in the dealership showrooms and came standard with extra heavy-duty shocks and suspension, heavy-duty driveshaft and U-joints, heavy-duty rear axle, six-inch wide wheels, heavy-duty battery, heavy-duty brakes, bucket seats and “Power Bulge” hood.
There were only three engines available: a “Super Commando” 440-cid V8 with 375 horsepower as standard equipment, a 440-cid “Six Barrel” V8 with 390 horsepower (optional), and a 426-cid “Street Hemi” V8 with 425 horsepower (optional). Transmission choices were either a high-upshift, competition-type Torqueflite automatic, or heavy-duty 4-speed manual transmission. The rear axle ratio is 3.55:1.
The base price of $3535.00, which was $600.00 more than the lesser-equipped Road Runner, and that was the main reason that Road Runners sold in much higher numbers. Over 40,000 Road Runners were produced in the 1970 model year run, while less than 8,000 GTX examples were produced.
This GTX is a factory “FC7” car, which translates meaning it was painted “In Violet Metallic” color by the factory. Other desirable options include the “E87” 6V 440+6 engine and the “N96” Air Grabber functional hood scoop(vacuum operated). This car also features White Side Stripes and Black hood stripe (both factory options) along with a center console. An automatic was the chosen transmission as was the optional 15-inch wheels (with F60-15 Goodyear Polyglas rubber). Other options included Power Disc Brakes, Power Steering, and AM Radio. The car sold at a $4,193.70 retail price, including options and destination charge.
Today the owner of this performance Plymouth enjoys the car immensely, taking it on cruises in and around his native home in Scottsdale, AZ. The beautiful restoration took place in New York by the previous owner and to decipher the original option codes, the car had the original “Broadcast Sheet” which documents the factory equipment, and the fender tag, and these information sheets were typically inserted in the seat springs under the rear seat. Not all cars came with Broadcast Sheets, and some came with the wrong build sheet for the car. When you find a vintage Mopar with this paperwork, it adds value to the car and is an excellent way to verify options and ensure it’s properly restored.
A fully documented Mopar muscle car is a highly desirable machine to own these days, especially one that was painted with a high-impact color. This car is rare as only 328 1970 GTX models came through with the 440 six-barrel engine and Torqueflite transmission.
While this is super detailed and in top museum condition, the owner isn’t afraid to take it out on the open road and let those three Holley carburetors open up all the way…and burn some rubber while doing it!
