In the late 1960s, Dodge was focused on the youth movement and performance. That resulted in the Dart Swinger in 1969, a sporty 2-door hardtop. Plymouth lobbied for their version of the car and got the Scamp in 1971, based on the Valiant. The seller’s Scamp was previously owned by a little old lady and appears to have been redone from head to toe. Located in Tateville, Kentucky, this decked-out Mopar is available here on eBay where the current bid is $7,600, but the reserve is north of there.
Plymouth’s acquisition of the Scamp may have been part of a trade of sorts. Dodge wanted their own version of the successful Plymouth Duster fastback that came on the scene in 1970. So, also for 1971, the Dodge Demon debuted with Dart roots. The car would be rebranded as the Dart Sport in 1973, as they supposedly caught heat from conservative clergy over the name. Both the Scamp and Demon/Dart Sport would stick around through the retirement of the Valiant and Dart in 1976.
This Scamp appears to have just about every option offered by Plymouth in the 1970s. No attempt was made to turn the Scamp into a performance car, so your only engine choices were a Slant-Six or a 318 cubic inch V8. The seller’s car has the latter, paired with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission, power steering, and cold air factory (converted to modern approved coolant). At 77,500 miles, the Plymouth runs and drives great, thanks to lots of new parts like a Flowmaster exhaust system.
Some of the low-res photos provided show a car that appears to be in the process of receiving new paint. The vinyl top is solid, and the interior is brand new and looks mighty comfortable by 1971 standards. Four new BF Goodrich T/A radial tires have been mounted, and the wheels have been restored. Even the front grille has been replaced with NOS. If you’re looking for one of these third-generation Valiants, they may not come much nicer than this one.
Fun cars.
First car I think of when considering restoration of an early 70’s American car
Looks great…. until you get to the ridiculous aftermarket steering wheel. Why oh why???
Just so that you know, it’s a reproduction of an optional 1970-76 ‘Tuff’ steering wheel, which a few Scamps were ordered with: when the odd one showed up in a bone yard it was quite common to swap it in to replace the Klingon emblem like original.
That’s the optional Tuff wheel.
Steve R
Ahh no. Those were not available in 1971, plus it is not color matching. That is an after market thing designed to look like a late 70s factory wheel. Still, looks pretty good, though I would dye the thing to match the dash.
Steve, your slipping. Back on the stuff?
Might not have been awaiable on the Scamp in 1970 but it was for nearly every other model in that year:
Plymouth Applications
1970 – 1974 Plymouth Barracuda
1970 – 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Base
1970 – 1971 Plymouth Barracuda Gran Coupe
1970 – 1970 Plymouth Belvedere Base
1970 – 1970 Plymouth Belvedere Satellite
1970 – 1974 Plymouth Cuda
1970 – 1976 Plymouth Duster
1970 – 1975 Plymouth Duster Base
1975 – 1975 Plymouth Duster Custom
1974 – 1975 Plymouth Duster 360
1970 – 1973 Plymouth Duster 340
1970 – 1971 Plymouth GTX
1970 – 1975 Plymouth Road Runner
1970 – 1974 Plymouth Satellite Base
1971 – 1974 Plymouth Satellite Custom
1970 – 1970 Plymouth Satellite Sport
1971 – 1971 Plymouth Satellite Brougham
1971 – 1974 Plymouth Satellite Regent
1971 – 1974 Plymouth Satellite Sebring
1971 – 1974 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus
1972 – 1976 Plymouth Scamp
1975 – 1976 Plymouth Scamp Base
1975 – 1976 Plymouth Scamp Special
1975 – 1975 Plymouth Scamp Brougham
1974 – 1975 Plymouth Valiant Base
1975 – 1975 Plymouth Valiant Custom
1974 – 1975 Plymouth Valiant Brougham
1975 – 1975 Plymouth Valiant Scamp
1970 – 1976 Plymouth Valiant
They were also made and offered as late as 1979-80 on Dodge trucks.
No mike, the Tuff like wheels from the early 70s were similar but an obvious different design. I might be a Ford guy but Chrysler is a guilty habit as my Dad was in love with them.
Far from ridiculous…you, obviously, do not know Mopars at all.
Nice looking little Mopar. The rallye rims are a nice touch also. Keep it just the way it is. GLWTA.
I agree 100%! Maybe just tuck up the tail pipes a little.
Man, y’all are really giving me my fill of green interiors the last couple of days!
Cool car, but an unforced error to not offer the 340.
True but the 318 can become a 340 or a 360 after a trip to the machine shop and some new internal parts. A new crank, pistons and connecting rods will make this engine fly! A valve job or some fresh heads and the usual go fast goodies (headers, dual exhaust and intake) will really wake this bad boy up! IIRC, the 318, 340, and 360 LA engines all share the same stroke, so a simple bore job would be enough to increase the displacement to the desired level.
The 340 was available in the Swinger but not in the Scamp for 1970 because Plymouth had the Duster, and that was the home for the 340 in the Valiant line. If I’m not mistaken, the 340 was dropped in the Swinger after ’70 because it was only offered in the Demon/Dart Sport beginning in ’71.
The J-body Miradas also came with Tuff wheels.
For anyone sick of electronic cars, here is a very sensible solution, and the a/c works. Plan on about 16 mpg. I was 21 then .. had a similar car…
I agree about the steering wheel. about one in ten cars had those
So what? It’s better than some ugly, aftermarket wheel.
Really nice car. The 318 and flow masters work for me too. Steering wheel doesn’t bother me at all, but the headliner will need work. Nice overall car. Wonder what the reserve is.
This is the third time this car has been run at auction, the two previous times high bids were below its current bid of $8,400, which is still below the sellers reserve. They might be wise to considering dropping the reserve and letting it sell. It’s getting late in the season where car stuff starts to take a back seat and the previous auction results suggest it’s close to its price ceiling.
Steve R
clean for sure but the interior really clashes with the gold.
The Scamp/Demon story is one of the more interesting intramural spats in Detroit. Dodge and Plymouth were given modest budgets to facelift their A-body compacts for 1970. Dodge spent its money facelifting the Dart. Plymouth left the Valiant alone and spent its money on the Duster. The Duster was a big hit, and as Russ notes, Dodge quickly demanded their own version. Plymouth demanded the a version of the Dart Swinger in return, complete with the Dart’s longer 111″ wheelbase. That’s why the wheel openings on the Demon and Scamp don’t match front to rear – Darts had flat wheel openings, while Valiants had flared openings. Demon and Scamp mixed the two styles.
I feel nostalgic just gazing at the color combo. So seventies. This would make a nice daily driver for those of us who would choose vehicles like this over the over wrought over priced ones offered today. GLWTS.
Auction ended on 10/28/2026 with a high bid of $10,200 reserve not met, there were 21 bids from 7 bidders.
Steve R