318 V8 4-Speed! 1973 Plymouth Duster

Though the decals on this 1973 Plymouth Duster say 340, the seller says it has a 318 cubic inch V8 (confirmed by the VIN). So, someone must have gotten optimistic back in the day and added the stickers to impress people. The 318 may be a bit of a performer with a 4-speed manual transmission, but the seller has only recently gotten the car to run properly (previously in storage?). The Sunfire Yellow paint may be original, and it looks as though the Mopar once had a vinyl top.

The Duster arrived in 1970 as a fastback version of the rather uninspiring Valiant compact. Its sheet metal was completely different from the windshield back and Plymouth’s goal was to attract a younger audience. The ploy worked and the Duster went on to become one of the company’s best-selling cars; it also spawned the Dodge Demon (aka Dart Sport)

There’s uncertainty whether the 318 is original to the car at 105,000 miles. But a 340 was never there from the factory and the 4-speed manual transmission is a bit of an oddity without the 275 hp small-block. The seller goes on to say that the car has a steering column applicable to a 4-speed, which suggests the Plymouth was ordered as you see it. It also has a bucket seat interior, though the front seats are showing a lot of wear.

According to the seller, this Duster starts and moves under its own power, indicating that more tinkering may be needed. The car comes with steel wheels, but if you spring for the full asking price, he/she will throw in a set of Rallye wheels with tires (we don’t know their tread status or age). The Plymouth had factory air conditioning when new, but most of that hardware is now MIA. With some rust and blemishes shown in the photos, the car is going to need some bodywork and paint. From Pahrump, Nevada, this Duster 340 wannabe is available here on eBay for $8,900 OBO.