6 was among the many precious few muscle cars from that yr that wanted no excuses. It was daring, it was unhealthy. Some said it was beautiful. Once once more, the Plymouth GTX performed upscale companion to the finances-muscle Street Runner. Both had been part of Chrysler’s revamped midsize line (which also included the Dodge Charger), and each acquired curvaceous new “fuselage” styling on a wheelbase one inch shorter than before. With the new body came a three-inch increase in rear track, which benefited handling, plus a reconfigured inside with a more-comfy driving place and superior ergonomics. Highway Runner’s commonplace 383-cid 4 barrel, for instance, misplaced 35 bhp. GTX engines, however, held out relatively unscathed. 6 lost only five bhp, to 370 and 385, respectively. The additional-value and seldom-ordered 426 Hemi held fast at 425 bhp. 4-speeds and TorqueFlites, with axle ratios as much as 4.10:1, had been still accessible, as was the Air Grabber hood.

Weight was up by about 170 pounds, nonetheless, and quarter-mile times crept greater, by almost a full second in some tests. The ‘71 GTX additionally had the stiffest suspension charges of any Mopar intermediate, and while dealing with was ample, most testers concluded that it wasn’t adequate to justify the rock-arduous experience. However clearly, there was sinew beneath that new pores and skin, and the car may nonetheless scale muscle’s twin peaks: underneath 14 seconds and over 100 mph in the quarter-mile. Because it turned out, the GTX succumbed sooner fairly than later to the forces killing scorching machinery