Plymouth came into the 1970s, the decade that would kill the classic muscle cars, swinging hard. From its early NASCAR championship wins to its 1971-redesigned street range, the Mopar brand had a lot going for it. And while its ’70s models may not be quite as popular as the ones it built in the previous decade, things are changing. Case in point with this digital proposal, which bridges the gap between NASCAR and road-going muscle.
The now-departed carmaker’s muscle range had something for everybody. Its B-Body range, which was completely restyled for the 1971 model year, was comprised of the base Satellite two-door, the velocity-dedicated Road Runner, and the more lavish GTX. To an untrained eye, they might all look the same, which is exactly what owners of the first bet on when converting their cars to Road Runner or GTX clones, but we digress.
Digital artist Abimelec Arellano (aka Abimelec Design), who always knows how to draw attention with subtle changes—obviously also the case here—selected the ’71 GTX for this work. And while he doesn’t mention the exact reason, there would be plenty, from the fact that this was a single model year offering to Richard Petty using the name to grab the NASCAR trophy that year.
This, of course, is a GTX road car, but the pixel master fitted it with the racing-bred 426 HEMI, albeit still here in street trim—the pair of carbs towering over the V8 means keeping the hood on would’ve been sacrilegious.
GTX Super Square
The artist built on one of the most striking visual features of the ’71, namely the square fenders, hence the nickname we chose in the title. So, in a bid to bring the muscle machine to a ride height more like the kind they used in NASCAR, the artist extended the fenders upwards, so you can expect some serious chopping underneath.
The non-stock-stock-car look is completed by the steel wheels shod in Goodyear Billboard rubber. And while the windows had to go, the cabin now features the mandatory roll cage
The loop front bumper, which was shared with that of the also-redesigned Dodge Charger, was maintained. However, instead of the factory quadruple headlight arrangement, the beast now sports a dual layout—this is an ode to the General Mayhem Charger real-world build by Roadkill.
And speaking of builds that greet us in real life, the GearHeadTour YouTube video below brings a rather particular early-70s Plymouth B-Body. This would be the Tesla-swapped 1972 Satellite showcased at last year’s SEMA show, whose Electrollite moniker is self-explanatory.
