Hulk-Like 1971 Plymouth GTX 440 Comes With a Delightful Surprise Under the Hood

For the 1971 model year, Plymouth decided to go with a more rounded body design for the GTX, featuring a raked windshield, hidden cowl, plus that loop-like front bumper surrounding the grille and headlights. I’m not a big fan of the loop, but to each their own.

Buyers could choose between the 440 four-barrel model, the 440 Six-Pack (three two-barrels), and the 426 Hemi option, which meant that you were never down on power with any of these specs. You know how you can debate whether some American classics really are muscle cars or just pony cars? The Plymouth GTX was a bona fide muscle car.

If you can get a Hemi-powered 1971 GTX today, you should consider yourself lucky, because only 30 units were ever built with this engine, for that specific model year. Short of the Hemi, the Six Pack becomes the most powerful option, which leads us to this bright green GTX that failed to sell at auction recently.

Its owner refused a top bid of $38,000 and while this isn’t a numbers-matching car, I’m pretty sure they can do a lot better than $38k.

First, this GTX started life as a Glacial Blue Metallic example, before eventually ending up wearing green in 2021. It also comes with replacement glass, body-color bumpers, a front spoiler, black rear wing, black accent stripes, hood pins, body-color sport mirrors, twin chrome exhaust finishers with red accents, plus a set of 15” Rallye wheels with BFGoodrich Radial T/A white-letter tires.

We should also mention how this car was factory-fitted with the A33 Track Pak (upgraded brakes and cooling, heavy-duty gearbox, Hemi leaf springs, Hurst shifter, and more).

Interior highlights include the black vinyl front bucket seats and rear bench, a three-spoke steering wheel, woodgrain gauge cluster housing, a heater, AM/FM radio, the Hurst pistol-grip shifter, lap belts, and GTX-branded floor mats.

Of course, what matters most here is the engine. We’re dealing with a replacement 440 ci V8 unit, fitted with triple two-barrel carburetors and an aftermarket camshaft. Originally, this had a four-barrel 440 ci V8. However much power it’s making, it all goes to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox, reportedly overhauled at the same time as the engine.

To be fair, going from a 440-4 to a 440-6 may not sound like a significant upgrade on paper (one would have been factory rated at 370 hp, and the other at 385 hp), but it’s still worth certain considerations.