Survivor Scamp: 1973 Plymouth Scamp 2-Door Coupe

So, what exactly is a scamp? A dictionary (remember those?) defines a scamp as “a playful, mischievous person, especially a child, who causes lighthearted trouble; a term typically used with affectional humor rather than serious condemnation.” Within the hallways of Plymouth, a Valiant Scamp was an answer to the Swinger from their cousin, the Dodge Dart. I had to take this writing assignment because the very first car I bought and made payments on as a working adult was a two-year-old ’76 Scamp. It looked very similar to this one, except mine was finished in Cinnamon Metallic. Before you go judging, please keep in mind that I had been driving stripped-down econoboxes, so a Scamp was a luxury car to me. Plus, it had a Slant-Six 225 engine, so I knew it would be rather bulletproof. Here’s a rare sight: a surviving 1973 Plymouth Valiant Scamp that’s not perfect, but is in overall good condition. It’s located in Spokane, Washington, and is listed for sale here on eBay for $4,000.

The Scamp is wearing its original paint, which I believe is called Golden Haze Poly. It looks shiny and very presentable. The seller says there are no touch ups, no bodywork, no switched out pieces and parts, and is in very good survivor condition. There is one small ding on the bottom section on the passenger door and the seller says it has “a super small amount around the rear drivers side lower quarter.” The seller claims that the floors, frame and trunk are perfect and that he has cleaned the trunk floor and treated it with a textured bed liner and then matched the floor back to the factory color. The parchment-colored vinyl top will need some attention, though, as several bubble spots are visible on the B-pillars (my ’76 had the same issue). The Scamp has new whitewalls on it as well as a set of recently sourced NOS full wheel covers.

The Scamp’s gold-and-brown interior is similar to the outside: it’s in very good survivor condition and has a lot going for it, but it’s not perfect. The vinyl and cloth seats aren’t worn, tore, or stained, and look very good as do the door panels and carpet. On the imperfect list, the seller does a good job of detailing the Scamp’s warts. It has a cracked dash pad, the woodgrain insert on the instrument cluster bezel is worn (they sell those on eBay), the headliner, sail panels, and the package tray would need to be replaced if the next owner wants to take this Scamp to the next level.  Also, the original radio was cut out for a Bluetooth stereo at one point and a Viper alarm has been installed.

Under the Scamp’s hood is the famously durable 225 “Slant Six” engine with 90,000 miles listed on the clock. It’s paired to a 3-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The Scamp has probably been sitting for some time since the seller says the next owner should have the original gas tank drained or replace it with a new one. The car does run off of a bottle. Overall, this Scamp would make a good vintage car that doesn’t need a lot of restoration. They’ll never be as collectible as their step-brother, the Plymouth Duster, but it’s still a nice-looking 2-door hardtop with a legendary engine under the hood.