1970 Plymouth GTX Sitting for 30 Years Hides a Mystery Under the Hood

Sometimes it's a rare 1970 Dodge HEMI Challenger that spent its early days drag racing on public roads with a cop behind the wheel. Yup, I'm talking about the already iconic "Black Ghost." But it can also be a more common Chevy Impala that was supposed to be restored, but life got in the way and the owner never got around to doing it. Other barn finds soldier on as mysteries, like this 1970 Plymouth GTX.

Uncovered by YouTube's "Americana," this relatively rare Mopar spent a few decades in storage. There's no specific info on exactly how long it's been since it sipped gasoline, but based on the way it looks, it's been parked for about 30 years as of 2023. Which basically means it hasn't been driven since the early 1990s.

That much time off the road usually translates into severe rust issues that render the car way too expensive to restore (relative to its market value). But this GTX handled long-term storage like a champ. Yes, it's covered in a thick layer of dust and the tires are flatter than a pancake, but it's pretty much rust-free and, amazingly enough, very complete.

The interior is just as nice beyond the worn-out carpets and seats and the missing shifter. But I guess that's not exactly surprising given that the car spent all these years in a proper garage instead of a derelict, wooden barn.

But what about what's under the hood? Does this GTX still have a V8? It does, but it just sits on the frame as is, so it will need a lot of work to fire up. What's more, the unit is a bit of a mystery. While it does appear to be a Mopar engine, there's no info on displacement, model, or if it's the original mill. It's quite large, though, which means it might be period correct to some extent.

The new owner speculates that the GTX might have been used for street racing at some point and that the original 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 was replaced with a beefed-up powerplant. The latter was eventually removed. But it's unclear if the 440 RB that was put back under the hood is a numbers-matching V8 or not.

If you don't know your Mopars, the GTX was only available with the 440-cubic-inch RB and the 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8 the entire time it was in showrooms (that's from 1967 to 1971). In 1970, Plymouth offered the 440 V8 in two configurations. There was the standard four-barrel version with 375 horsepower and the optional version with three two-barrel carbs (6-BBL) and 390 horses on tap. Both were topped by the 426 HEMI and its 425-horsepower rating. This GTX left the factory with the regular 440.

How rare is it? Well, Plymouth sold 7,748 GTXs for the 1970 model year, 7,141 of which were delivered in the United States. The HEMI-powered hardtops are the rarest, at only 71 units ordered, while the 440 6-BBL version is also quite scarce, at just 678 built. Finally, 6,398 cars were ordered with the standard four-barrel 440 V8. This GTX came with an automatic gearbox, which narrows it down to one of 4,927 examples made.

All told, it's not extremely rare, but it's still worth saving, especially if the V8 turns out to be a numbers-matching unit. The good news is the new owner is planning to revive this Mopar, so it won't spend its retirement years rotting away in a garage or someone's backyard. Yay for another golden-era Mopar saved!