This 1969 Plymouth Sport Satellite has undergone some changes to its appearance over the years, but its original heart still beats strongly beneath. It has some rust to contend with, but there’s nothing here that we haven’t seen before. We’ve seen plenty of pretty sad cars brought back from the brink here at Barn Finds, so this one should be a breeze for the right person. If you feel that you are that person, you will find the Plymouth in Saint Louis, Missouri, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has reached $9,500 in what is a No Reserve auction.
The Plymouth rolled off the production line wearing T5 Bronze Fire paint with a Black vinyl top. It has undergone an interesting color change because it is now finished in the darker T7 Saddle Bronze. Obviously, someone liked the Bronze theme but longed for a deeper shade. Swapping it back wouldn’t be a difficult task, and with the restoration work that will be required, it won’t add a lot to the overall workload. The vinyl top is looking quite shredded, and this has allowed moisture to find its way beneath. The result is the usual Mopar rust around the back window, but I think this could be patched. It is a similar story with the lower rear quarter panels. The rust here isn’t extensive, so patches would once again do the job. I’m sure that some of you are bracing for what we will find underneath the Satellite, but the news isn’t as bad as it could be. There are a couple of small soft spots in the frame rails, but they are definitely a repairable proposition. The story is the same with the floors and the trunk pan. There will be some people who would want to replace them due to the rust that is present. However, it looks like it would be possible to address these issues with patches. It will all come down to the budget that the buyer has available to them. There’d be nothing worse than biting off more than you could chew in a case like this. The glass looks good, as does the majority of the trim and chrome. The wheels that are fitted to the car aren’t included in the sale. The owner will fit another set with tires that hold air so that the Plymouth can be loaded onto a trailer.
The interior will require a full restoration, but the buyer will be starting this project with good bones. All of the major components are present, and while new upholstery will be on the shopping list, items like the crack in the console could be repaired. My starting point would be to clean everything thoroughly before determining what would be required to whip it into shape. There are some plus points here because the Hurst shifter looks good, as does all of the woodgrain trim. The gauge cluster features a factory tachometer, and that all appears to be in good condition. The only visible aftermarket addition is the rather nasty looking radio/cassette player that has been slotted in place of the original radio. The lack of carpet is a bonus because it gives us a clear look at the floors. You can see some holes there, but they are potentially repairable.
I tend to treat unsubstantiated rarity claims with some skepticism, which raises a big question with this Plymouth that I can’t answer. It comes equipped with an H-Code 383ci V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission. The owner claims that this is 1-of-401 cars thus equipped, but I haven’t laid an eye on any information to confirm this. I’m always willing to learn from and defer to people with greater knowledge than me. If any of our Barn Finds readers can verify this claim, I’ll be all ears. I will also be very appreciative of that sort of input. At its peak, this V8 would have given the driver 330hp to play with. At 3,567lbs, the Sport Satellite is not the lightest car on the planet. That really doesn’t matter because this car would have been capable of storming through the ¼ mile in 14.5 seconds. The Plymouth is a numbers-matching car, right through to its 8¾” rear end. It does run and yard drive, and the owner recently fitted a new fuel tank. It will need a full service and inspection and some work on the brakes before it could be considered roadworthy.
The 1969 Plymouth Sport Satellite has ridden a bit of a rollercoaster in the classic market in recent times. Values have fluctuated quite significantly, but the over-riding trend has been for values to head upward. If the claim about the drivetrain combination can be verified, that will definitely help the potential value of this beauty. These aren’t a car that commands a mega-dollar valuation, and I would expect this one to be worth around $40,000 if it was restored to a high standard. When you consider the work required and the potential value, is this a Plymouth that you might be tempted to bid on?
Definitely shows signs of water intrusion into the interior. What appears to be mold is all over the dash pad/steering wheel, and there are wet spots on the floor. Electrical components will have been affected. This one is going to require lots of $$$ and love to restore! GLWTA! :-)
I’ve had the same mold on my Mopars and they have not been under water but maybe covered up to long.
Nice GTX alternative – someone knew what they were doing with the addition of that factory tach.
Being from St. Louis, like myself, it will have been on salty roads.
Very, very rare. A Road Runner, basically…without the insurance premium. I would’ve preferred it be a Belvedere, which is even more bare-bones that a Road Runner and, infinitely cooler.
I owned a ’69 this same color. Traded my brother-in-law for it when I came back from Vietnam. He was the original owner. When I had the clutch replaced the service manager asked me “who swapped the engine”. Mine was orange in color, the 335 hp road runner version. I have heard that Chrysler would install upgrades if the correct part wasn’t immediately available, like the big spicer u-joints in place of the originals. Surprised they substituted the road runner engine, though.
This isn’t a Road Runner. It’s a GTX with a 383. What’s interesting to me is the tach. This was obviously someone’s special order car, and I’d say it’s definitely rare.
I made the mistake of buying a new 1970 Plymouth Sport Satellite thinking it would be the reliable car my 1964 Belvedere was.I bought the Satellite and kept the Belvedere as well.After a 2 year series of problems I dumped the Satellite and have owned 6 Lincolns since then,I gave the Belvedere to my mother and she finally wore it out.
Very odd that the slant 6 was not avail in ANY! Satellite until ’71!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Satellite
but it was avail in the gigantic 1970 Fury?!
Ridiculous!
If you bought a ’71 Satellite with the slant 6, i bet it would still be running happily – & you’d still be driving it. lol
yes it was, I had a 1970 Satellite slant 6 car. ran great. zero complaints.
Yaboch, somebody needs to correct the above website!
The slant 6 should not be omitted or forgotten!
Tho preferably they are best suited for compact lighter cars.
Vin code tells us it is a 1969 383 sport satellite RP GTX would start with RS.
The 1970 Sport Satellite we had was a 383 with 4 barrel carburetor .It was next to impossible to get it started and
I nearly wore out the local dealership on the 5 year 50,000 mile warranty that came with that car.
For sure it was a special order you could make it a GTX clone. This Satellte needs to get a repaint to its original color t get the money that it deserves I love this CAR
It would be senseless to clone this car into a GTX. It stands as a very desirable car on it’s own merits. As the others have mentioned this is a low production car with the specific options. Very worthwhile restoration candidate.
Oh and put the tan top on it. That’s all I have to say
A lot of underlying corrosion and other issues. I think the value as is about $10-12K. But even after a complete expensive restoration no way it will ever be a $40K car.
The wheels give it a street machine vibe especially with that color and black vinyl top. Like so many I remember. The 4 speed transmission really makes it a blast to tool around in, but please, no way that car would’ve zipped through the traps in 14.5 seconds, no way. That would have been a tough accomplishment for even a Road Runner back then with a dead stock 335 horse high performance 383. Not that it couldn’t with some work. I like the appearance of this ride but without those wheels being part of the sale….I just don’t like that tactic.
This seller is apparently married to those wheels. This is the 3rd car he’s listed for sale with those wheels mounted but will not include with the sale. It’s a weak approach in my opinion that falsely builds value in appearance.
At this point those wheels are the best thing about the car. On the west coast really nice dish mags, like those, can still be found at garage sales and flea markets for very little money.
Steve R
I’m scrolling down thinking this isn’t too bad a car, rust and all, and then I get to the interior…never mind.
“The wheels that are fitted to the car aren’t included in the sale. The owner will fit another set with tires that hold air so that the Plymouth can be loaded onto a trailer.”
What total BS!
I had a 69 sport satellite and swapped the 318 for a 340. Such a beautiful car. Sad to see the state this one is in.
Uh,no!..needs total restoration, which would cost more than it’s worth,its a $3500 car,don’t know why gambling fever folks always bud this stuff way up,JUST NOT SMART!,and believe me,I love and own 2 hemi mopars.
I Agree only about a 3500 dollar car as she sits what a shame to see it in that shape it is def a rare car and 1 of 401 is correct I believe it is more rare then the GTX and the Road Runner but over all good start for the right person
The biggest problem with our 1970 Sport Satellite was that it was impossible
to get it started on a cold morning and the and wondering if I had to hitch a ride to the machine shop made me mad.This was a good looking car,a 4 door sedan with most available options but not repairable by the Mopar dealer and so our next stop was the Lincoln dealer and that has been that way for 51 years.The Satellite was in the Mopar dealer with the engine taken apart when
we bought our first Lincoln.The Mopar represetative called and asked if we would have considered an Imperial and I told him,”No more Chryslers”of any kind.
It could have been something as silly as a carb choke plate out of adjustment! I have seen cases where an 1/8 of an inch!! closed too shut can prevent a car from starting – or at least make it very hard to start & run very rough right after starting.
On those simple cars, there isn’t much to go wrong! – ck the battery condition(is there a current draw while the car is off?) connections & cables, wires/cap/pts/condenser, plugs, fuel squirting into the carb when cold, & of course the choke.
& was the alt charging the battery the last time it ran.
& i assume the starter cranks decently. & fuel filter was changed regularly.
Chryslers factory people couldn’t make that car work and my now deceased father in law knew more about carburetors than the people that made them.The car was a dud and looking back over the last 50 years I realize that I should have went to Lincoln then but that Plymouth was a good looking car and my wife liked it for the year we owned it.I am very happy to see carburetors consigned to the scrap heap.I must admit I do not like Ford’s lesser lines being retrimmed and marketed as a Lincoln with a 2 litre engine.
a better deal than 99.9% of the ’68-’70 Chargers shown here. I hope whoever gets it does not clone it into a road runner or GTX. Rare car in it’s own right. This one you could go over the mechanicals and drive it while you save up and gather parts for the resto.
and it wouldn’t have killed the seller to spend 20 minutes and clean the damn dash.
i owned a 69 sport satellite green tan interior vynal top 4 speed with console 383 mag.owned it 15 or more yrs. mine never had a factory tac. worst move i ever made in my life and im 66 yrs. old.did a lot of drag raceing in and it nevet failled to get me home.best car i ever owned.