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In September of 1966, Plymouth introduced its 1967 line of cars. The top of the Belvedere line was a name that had not been seen before. In the months prior to its release racing fans had no idea what the letters GTX stood for. From it's introduction to the inner sanctum of the racing community, the GTX looked like a race car, had the engine of a racecar, besides bright work and upgraded interior it appeared like, Plymouths new racecar. So naturally it surprised them when Plymouth announced it was a sneak peek at their new model to go into production. This was the first time a mid-sized Plymouth was designed and sold as a performance car with a distinct identity. It was offered with a high level of trim inside and out, giving way to the term "The Gentlemen's Musclecar". With two hood scoops, a pit-stop style gas cap on the left rear fender, the first glimpse of this car made you think speed. GTX medallions were affixed to the front fenders as well as one on the right side of the trunk lid. Chromed dual exhaust outlets finished off the rear end appearance of the GTX, and when fitted with the monster 426 hemi, this car left the competition standing... literally. The refined interior was spared no detail and featured saddle grain vinyl with luxurious "tooled leather" design on the front and rear seats. The center console separated the front buckets seats and came with side mounted courtesy lights, and lockable storage compartment. The rear seats were cut, padded and designed to simulate bucket seats. The GTX was powered by the new 375-hp 440 Super Commando four barrel V-8. It was backed up by a rugged TorqueFlight automatic transmission. The 4 speed transmission was optional and would also be accompanied by a Dana 60 heavy duty rear end with a Sure-Grip differential ratio of 3.55:1. The 426 Street Hemi was only a year old, but it had the Racing world's attention and was the only engine option for the GTX in 1967. Since this car was bred to be a racecar with high horsepower as a standard feature, plus the refinements, it was an easy favorite among the street racers. In fact when a GTX pulled into a parking lot of a local burger stand it's owner was sure to be looking to show just how fast these cars really were. As dominant as it was on the street, the GTX's prowess was even more so on the Nascar circuit. In 1967 Richard Petty entered his Blue #43 Hemi GTX into forty-three Grand National races and won an unprecedented twenty-seven races. Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin also had great success with the 67. Their red, white and blue Hemi was one of the fastest that year and handily won the S/S class at the NHRA Spring Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee. Don Grotheer was also a Plymouth man. He raced his 1967 Super Stocker on the NHRA circuit. At the Winter nationals at Pomona, California, Grotheer was AA/S class winner. He went on to become the NHRA Division 4 Super Stock Eliminator Points winner, further extending Plymouth's stronghold on the racing scene above and beyond the competition. |
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