Maneuvering into the muscle car market with the Plymouth Valiant entailed a few contortions. The division packed plenty of excitement into its best-known models – the Barracuda, Superbird, and Road Runner – but as insurance and gas costs rose, the market needed a budget option.  Placing a small-block V8 in the 1964 Valiant was helpful. But keeping up with market trends meant coupling a bigger engine with the popular hardtop body style – and that became the Scamp in 1971. Sales of Valiants hit a record that year. That record was shattered in 1972, though the popular Duster was still included in Plymouth’s accounting, despite shedding its Valiant badge. Looking very ’70s is this tan over tan 1972 Valiant Scamp listed here on eBay with bidding sitting at $1075, reserve not met. The car is located in Providence, North Carolina.

The engine bay reveals some serious freshening – likely on an engine-out basis. But the seller says nothing about work performed, except that a Flowmaster exhaust system has been installed and the tires were replaced recently. Still, this 318 cu. in. V8 looks brand new, along with all its ancillaries. The master cylinder is spiffy as well. The column-shift three-speed automatic is said to be in good shape. The Scamp’s performance was respectable, even as the motor’s compression ratio and torque ratings were sinking: zero to sixty came up in just over 8 seconds.

The interior is a C+ – the headliner is intact and the seat upholstery is fine, but the back parcel shelf is slightly damaged and the dash cover is warped. Auxiliary gauges hint that the originals may not work. I’m always suspicious of steering wheel wraps, but who knows, maybe it’s a-okay under there. The trunk shows a bit of surface rust, but no holes. As picky as I seem, I know we’ve all seen worse, and the cabin condition here is tolerable – perhaps forever.

The underside is clean as a whistle, but the body is problematic. What I call “the skirts” – the lower edge of everything – are infested with rust. Not badly, but bubbles on the exterior tell you things are much worse underneath. And then there’s this rear bumper: no use trying to straighten that, it’s much too expensive. A new one is about $500 after shipping costs. The rear valence might be damaged as well. This car came with a vinyl top, which has been stripped off; that might have saved the roof. Looks like someone has performed some metal repair up there, at least to the primer stage. What should a guy pay for this Scamp? Well, very nice two-door hardtops done to the teeth will sell in the mid-teens to $20k. The new owner has body work on the docket, and perhaps interior work, but I’d like to know the story on the mechanicals. If this Scamp been rebuilt under the hood, the current bid is too low.