Vehicle Description
Late-'60s and early-'70s Mopars were considered by many to be the
pinnacle of American muscle cars, and one glance at this attractive
1970 Plymouth Satellite RoadRunner Tribute explains why. With a
stout, fuel-injected 440 under the hood, a period-perfect paint
job, and a rather surprisingly luxurious A/C interior, it's rapid
transit for the guy who has already arrived.
Mopar fans love the brand-loyal, subdued colors that graced so many
of their 'sleepers' back when taking pink slips was a real thing,
and the Code FK5 Burnt Orange Metallic is a perfect choice that
continues the tradition. It's an upgrade over the very light Code
BL1 Sand Pebble Beige this Plymouth was born with and there are no
signs of the past shade anywhere to be found. It's been beautifully
restored to stock specs, and when taken out on a clear day this
Road Runner Tribute looks simply fantastic in the sunlight. The
bodywork is first-rate, and you can see how well it was done just
by checking out the ripple-free quarter panels and how flush and
easy all four doors shut. The high-end driver-quality paint has an
appropriate gloss that shines up nicely and while it has been
driven and enjoyed some since it was finished, there are only minor
imperfections to speak of and it generates a ton of attention
everywhere it goes. Even though the Satellite was technically the
higher-end submodel and more expensive to buy brand-new, the
fashion today is to revert back to those coyote-racing ways
whenever possible. Proper Road Runner ingredients like the
contrasting yellow side and rear stripes, the proper badging, and
the matte black hood stripe and the matching blacked-out wing out
back all mimic the 'Beep-Bee' style and transform this otherwise
unassuming 4-door into a menace on the street. There's also a black
vinyl top that looks grown-up and help off-set the Burnt Orange
paint a bit, and those faux scoops in the rear doors give this car
an awesome Mopar muscle car look. The blacked-out grill up front
sets the tone that this isn't just your Grandma's grocery-getter,
and it's outlined with bright, shiny chrome that's matched by the
remaining brightwork and the big bumpers found fore and aft.
The interior is extremely tasteful and upscale, wearing two-tone
upholstery that looks suitably upscale for the Mopar's mission. By
the looks of things, everything has been restored from
top-to-bottom, from the fresh seat covers on the buckets up front,
the matching rear bench out back, complementary door panels at the
flanks, plush tan carpets below and the taut perforated headliner
above. The cabin feels fresh and way more high-end than you might
expect from a bruising Mopar, and with cool touches like the custom
removable center console, it really stands apart. The dash and
instrument panel were also restored, with fresh gauges ahead of the
driver, a clean, stress-free dash pad on top (the carpet pad is
removable), and an Alpine AM/FM/CD/AUX/Bluetooth head unit in the
factory slot that powers Pioneer 6x9s in the rear package tray. An
uber-cool, dual-ring steering wheel with a proper 'Beep-Beep' horn
cover anchors the cockpit, joined on the column by the shifter for
the automatic transmission below, and the instrument panel atop the
center console controls the Holley Sniper EFI system under the
hood. Options include power steering, power brakes, and seatbelts
fore and aft, along with factory A/C that's been upgraded with new
hardware and is blowing nice and cold.
The thumping 440 cubic inch V8 under the hood definitely brings the
thunder, but it's so neatly detailed that you'll want to park it
and show it off. Choices, choices. A Holley Sniper EFI system keeps
it fed with fuel, while the stock-style Super Commando
dual-snorkeled air cleaner breathes easy, and the big block runs
smooth with plenty of horsepower and torque on tap. The black valve
covers look great atop the Hemi Orange block, and we have to say
the stock engine bay would look awesome no matter what's living
inside. A 727 TorqueFlite 3-speed automatic transmission is a great
choice to handle all that power, and it spins an 8.75 rear with
acceleration-friendly gears that don't mind higher speeds.
Stock-style exhaust manifolds feed a rumbling H-pipe dual exhaust
system and there's power discs brakes up front, which is a very
welcome upgrade on something this fast. Color-matched steek wheels
adorned with original Baby Moon hubcaps are always the right
choice, and these wear staggered 225/70/15 front and 275/60/15 rear
BFGoodrich T/A white-letter radials that finish off the killer
look.
Tastefully modified and very well built, this Road Runner Tribute
is both a smart investment and a ton of fun to drive. Call
today!
