Honk if you remember the Plymouth Arrow. I had to hesitate because I had forgotten completely about this Mitsubishi rebadge. Some might say they were forgettable cars entirely but I’m not going to stake a position from that perspective. Considered a sporty compact, today’s discovery courtesy of Ted, has undergone sporting intention modifications way beyond Plymouth’s planned approach. Interested parties will find this Japanese Mopar located in Camden, Ohio where it’s available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $2,800, OBO.
The Plymouth Arrow, offered in the U.S. between ’76 and ’80, was actually a rebadged Mitsubishi Celeste. The total five-year sales of the sole two-door hatchback body style amounted to 146,000 units. The drive train configuration was standard for the era with a longitudinally mounted engine driving the rear wheels via a live axle. Trim levels in ’78 included the base “Arrow” with upgrades including the GS and GT editions – not sure which one this is.
Where a standard 1.6 or an optional 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine was offered, this Arrow was on a completely different trajectory. The seller states, “Comes with S&W rear ladder bar frame rails and frame connectors. Weld wheels 15×4 front 15×12 rear. Narrowed Dana 35 spline with a spool. Ladder bars, wheelie bars and Jegs seats, motor plate, and mid plate.” Going fast in a straight line was clearly the goal here. As for current power, the world will be the next owner’s oyster as this hot rod-in-waiting is a roller (I can hear the “Put an LS in it!” exclamations brewing).
The interior is somewhat gutted and the transmission tunnel appears to be opened up where it intersects the firewall – perhaps to accommodate a seriously enhanced engine and transmission? The bare floors show as being solid and for now, the original dash and instrument panel are undertaking lonely sentinel duties. The Jegs racing seat can be seen partially in this interior image and I imagine it’s one of those, “only narrow frames need to apply” kind of an arrangement.
None of the exterior images are detailed, they were taken at too far a distance, and zooming in blurs the specifics. The body looks basically sound though there may be some rust blooming in the lower portion of the driver’s side quarter. Also, it appears that the rear inner fender wheels have been removed – again, I can’t tell with certainty. I guess the question that we are left with is how structurally strong is this body in terms of its ability to handle big horsepower and torque. Oh, yeah, the rear wheels are not included in the sale.
So, we have a race car wanna-be but it’s going to require a lot of time, effort, and $$$ to turn it into something viable. A worthwhile project? It’s really hard to tell at this point. I’d keep looking but what are your thoughts?
Plymouth Narrow.
“Me and my Arrow”, a takeoff of Harry Nilssons song to promote the car. Neither very popular, but in the 70s, much to my fathers chagrin, rock and roll sold cars. Watching 70s vintage drag racing, when they torched a car on every run, it seemed, the Arrow was a very popular funny car body. Don Prudhomme, Raymond Beadle, Kenny Bernstein all ran Arrows, they just looked a bit,,um, well, funny.
This car? The Arrow was actually a decent little car. Great motors, RWD, okay, poor rusters, but they all were. This looks like a weekend bender project gone stale, and that happens. A shame, it wasn’t in too bad of shape, they are so hard to find, just parts for the other 3 still running now.
My father had one with the 2.6 liter MCA Jet motor and my goodness but it was a RUNNER. Even after sitting for a couple weeks in a bitter New England winter you could barely release the ignition key quickly enough to keep the starter from grinding as the motor jumped to life; it was impressive.
Granted the alternator was way too small and if you ran the defroster and the defogger at the same time the headlights would dim, but it was pretty quick and very reliable and he could make it dance on those winding country backroads. I’d love one a little more intact for nostalgia’s sake.
contrary to what the write up says all of them were 2,6 ,had many in the day,first thing that you did was replace the timing chain,
“contrary to what the write up says all of them were 2,6” Wrong, read the attached.
JO
More than a few of these got turned into modified stock cars in the Northeast as well. Bugs Stevens had one that was famously quick and light. Always liked the design on these. Don’t know what someone would do with this one though!
They really weren’t turned into modifieds , the Arrow’s sheet metal skins were purchased new and put onto an existing cage and chassis. After the Pinto revolution , most bodies weren’t taken from junkyards anymore ; it was easier to buy the outer skins new and weld them together instead of cutting a body off a car , removing all the interior glass ,etc, and then trimming off all the inner structure.
ls1?!!?
no!!!!!!
5.7 hemi.
Why not a 6.4 gen 3 hemi? I have two one in my ram 2500 and one in my challenger 392 both incredibly smooth and powerful
🏹
I test drove a new FireArrow at the dealership. Was very impressed with the acceleration and interior appointments. Plaid design if I remember correctly. But the interior noise and the feeble feel of the controls and knobs put me off. Ended up purchasing a new Camaro. Made the right choice, those FireArrows weren’t around long and didn’t last. I’ve never seen another one in all my years.
In its day the Fire Arrow was one of the best inexpensive rally cars out there. The 2.6L engine was strong and had a lot of torque.
NAWWW to the LS or Hemi..go old school and drop a 340 6-Pack in it.
You can buy competitive turn key low-10 second bracket cars for $10,000 to $15,000, grudge night bombers for considerably less. It will cost significantly more just to get this to the track. Only someone who hasn’t spent much time on the business end of a drag strip would try and build this. It makes no financial sense, this would need to be someone’s “dream” race car to undertake this build. This was abandoned as a project long ago, plastic bucket seats and ladder bar suspensions have been out of favor for quite a while.
Steve R
Arrows were not bad little cars. Fair price too, but they rusted so badly that they got a bad reputation early on. I would love a stock Fire Arrow if one were available for a good price, though as of late I have been slowly selling off my collection, so another car would be a poor move. I just don’t want my family to have to deal with them as it would be a chore and would they get ripped off? By selling them off now that I am still on the sunny side of the grave, the money is maximized. I am using the cash to fund college accounts for the grandkids. I don’t see that generation being to enjoy the hobby like we did, plus a college education without debt is a pretty good legacy to leave. Besides, those kids all got to take many rides in my cars, and good memories are worth a lot. Just not worth as much as a probable good future for them.
You’re doing it right. Good on you.
Put a 440 six pack and Torqueflite in it.
I bought a 1979 Plymouth Arrow in 1979 right before I got married. Fun little car to drive, but sadly had to sell it a few years later when the wife was due with our second child.
Love the Arrow. Always have. I almost bought one as my first car but my dad talked me out of it. They were very good looking cars, really ahead of their time. That said, this one is a piece of junk.
A unique but not totally uncommon choice for a drag car.I have seen one in my life that had a 440,tubbed and narrowed with a 12 point cage,was a low 8 second car….
That’s a lot of money for scrap metal.
had one that i put a 340 in rwd made it a easy job