Is there room in the U.S. market for an another retro-style muscle car? According to Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's chief designer and boss of the Dodge brand, the answer to that question is yes. At last week's SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas, Gilles told show-goers at the Mopar stand that he is "seriously thinking of how to revive the Plymouth Barracuda."
"There's a lot of pressure on us to bring the 'Cuda back," said Ralph Gilles. Speaking with reporters he added that "the customers have (been) stomping their feet for it."
Being that the Plymouth brand was phased out from the Chrysler Group's portfolio back in 2001, if the 'Cuda were to be revived, it would probably be marketed under the Chrysler brand. And like the original 1970s model, it would be based off the current Dodge Challenger.
Back in the 1950s through the 1960s, a great number of Italian coachbuilders unleashed a parade of automotive classics that have withstood the test of time and continue to excite today. One of the lesser known-examples of that period is this here 1967 Ghia 450 SS Spyder, which is currently being offered for auction at eBay. It was designed by the great Giorgetto Giugiaro and manufactured by the renowned Italian design studio and coach builder, Carrozzeria Ghia, exclusively for the American market. The 450 SS Spyder features a custom ladder-frame with power coming from Chrysler's 273-cu.in (4.5-liter) V8 engine with 235HP used in the Plymouth A-body cars of the era. Read more »
A little over a year ago, we showed you some conceptual designs for a modern day successor to Plymouth's 1971-1975 Road Runner based on today's Dodge Challenger. The concept was penned by Michael Leonhard and featured in the August/September issue of Mopar Enthusiast magazine. Then, it was nothing more than a vision of what the car would look like.
However, Leonhard got in contact with Carscoop to inform us that he has put the design up for auction on eBay with the intent to build a one-off model that if all goes well, will be displayed and delivered to its owner at next year's Los Angeles Auto Show.
Leonhard's proposal, which looks pretty neat in the computer generated images, is essentially a reskinned 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 that takes styling cues from the '71-'72 Plymouth Road Runner.
The designer's plans also include a modified interior with new seat covers, door trims, headliner and rear-quarter trim while maintaining the Challenger's dashboard and console.
Underneath the skin, it is proposed that the one-off 2010 Plymouth Road Runner will get a turbocharged version of the SRT8's 6.1-liter HEMI V8 engine with 620HP and 650 lb-ft of torque for an estimated 0-60mph time of around 3.8 seconds and the quarter mile sprint in 11.9 seconds - all in theory of course.
It all sounds very nice until you read the eBay Motor's 'Buy it Now' price of US $950,000 (for the completed vehicle) combined with the fact that Leonhard has not revealed the name of what is described as, "the world leading and renowned company specializing in coach building and concept car manufacturing" that will handle the build of the car on the auction page.
Not to generalize, but even if we were passionate enough to spend the same amount of money as it would cost us to buy, let's say, a new Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, (around $350,000), a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S ($132,000), a Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS ($133,700) and still have enough cash left around for half a dozen of 2010 Corvette Grand Sports ($55,000 a piece), for a car that's in essence, a rebodied and modified $44,000 Challenger, we would like to see it in the flesh, let alone know every single detail about its build.
Naturally, those interested, may contact Leonhard for more information directly through his website here.
All the same, since we really like the project, we'd like to wish him the best of luck in his attempt to make the 2010 Plymouth Road Runner Concept a reality.
We always wondered what a Prowler would like if someone had the audacity to convert the retro hotrod that began its life in 1997 as a Plymouth and ended its career in 2002 with a Chrysler badge, into a six-passenger limousine. And at last, our prayers have been answered! Nah, we're just pulling your leg but if you find stretch Hummer limos sooo 2000, then you may want to take a look at this "one-of-a-kind" Prowler limousine that can fit two passengers up front and four at the back. The car comes complete with a hard top incorporating a sliding ragtop, Lambo-style front doors and suicide rear doors.
More of a result of pipe-dreaming than actual inside info, the 2010 Plymouth Road Runner Concept that’s featured in the August/September issue of Mopar Enthusiast magazine is based on the new Dodge Challenger using styling cues from the ’71-’72 model year Road Runners. The folks at Mopar Enthusiast beleive that if the car were to be produced today, it should be powered by a HEMI 5.7L V8 as standard with 6.1L and 7.0L V8 HEMIs being offered as optional equipment. -Continued
Being the adolescent car nuts that we are, we couldn’t resist posting this Plymouth Prowler look-alike go-kart that we found for sale on e-bay. True, you’d probably have a very hard time trying to fit in that miniscule cockpit –well, unless you look like Twiggy that is, but if anything else, you’d offer plenty of chuckles to anyone that happened to be around. -Continued
Ever wonder what happens to those dilapidated cars on MTV’s show Pimp My Ride? Well, we always thought the car owners just drove off happily with pimped rides and everyone lived happily ever after. Not the case for Laila, who is selling her pimped 1999 Plymouth Voyager on eBay for a starting bid of $22,999. She got her 5 minutes of fame and made about $22,998 from the deal since she bought the car from her dad for $1. Xzibit won’t be too happy about this one. The guys at West Coast Customs should demand some sort of royalties. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below *Update: We received an e-mail from Joe M, supporting that he is the legal owner (and seller) of the pimped Voyager. According to Joe's own words, "Laila is moving out of the country in the near future and cannot take it with her. She enjoyed owning the car very much. "
About a month back we had reported on Miss Belvedere, a 1957 Plymouth that was sealed up in a time capsule in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The vehicle was exhumed and despite the capsules ability to survive a nuclear attack, unfortunately it did not survive major water damage (see here & here). Now, the car is headed to Hackettstown, New Jersey, where Ultra One Corporation is based, and the manufacturers of a product called Safest Rust Remover. The owner of the vehicle, Robert Carney who appears to be the nephew of the person who most closely guessed Tulsa's 2007 population in 1957, and Ultra One came to an agreement to have the Plymouth chemically de-rusted and preserved. -Continued after the jump
As you can see from the pic, Ultra One certainly has their work cut out for them. But the solution is claimed to be “non-toxic, non-corrosive, and biodegradable, removing corrosion while leaving metal, rubber, plastic, seals, and most paints untouched The rust removal process is estimated to take about six months and the company promises to document the whole process on their website. There are also plans to get the engine running and all the lamps working before the final unveiling. We’ll keep everyone posted on the de-rusting process as it unfolds.
As many feared on Wednesday when workers discovered that the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere’s crypt was partially filled with water, the past 50 years had not been the kindest to Tulsa’s buried car. On Friday night (June 15), half a century after Tulsa residents closed the lid on the two-door coupe, the ceremonial curtain went up and the protective plastic wrapping removed only to reveal the ’57 Belvedere completely covered in rust.
Definitely not a happy site for any petrolhead. But you know something, this old gal is so special that all the rust in the world couldn’t take her dignity away. 50 years buried under the earth, people came, people left, the man went to the moon and back and Plymouth disappeared, but she was there, waiting patiently for her time to come to see the sun again. Maybe not the way she dreamt it to be, but heck, who can say that we are what we used to be. -More pictures and a video of the unearthing after the jump
"There's a lot of pressure on us to bring the 'Cuda back," said Ralph Gilles. Speaking with reporters he added that "the customers have (been) stomping their feet for it."
