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If 1968 was a good year for Plymouth fans, 1969 was great. The GTX was growing to into it's third year, and behind it were all the small missing details the previous years endured such as the Inland shifter, and limited differential options, but the GTX still received the 440 Super Commando as a standard engine and that was good for the faithful. The the 1969 Belvedere brochure Plymouth formally announced the new optional Air-Grabber hood, making the hood scoops functional. The Air-Grabber ductwork was made of fiberglass and bolted to the underside of the hood. It was painted bright red-orange and was finished off with an Air-Grabber decal. This hood was an option on the GTX when equipped with a standard 375hp 440 V-8, but was standard when the Hemi was ordered. The Air-Grabber alone was a $55.30 option. The 426 Hemi option was $700.90 for the GTX in 1969. Another option was the twin bold flat black stripes that could be ordered on the hood that stretched from the cowl to the grille, another little touch was the air inlets were painted red on the hood scoops to add effect. Changes to the GTX were subtle. The front grille was different, with a two bar motif in red with GTX mounted in the center. The taillights were recessed and the large rear tail panel plate had shrunk down to only cover the inner area of the rear deck lid. The polished aluminum trim strips on the lower body were replaced by a flat-black panel treatment with a thin red or white reflective stripe. As on all Belvedere models, the side marker lights were now rectangular instead of round. The seat facings in the GTX were also new, and the interior was now available in 11 colors, while the exterior was available in 18 colors. Outside of the Air-Grabber hood, performance specifications remained unchanged from 1968. The biggest news for performance buffs in 1969 was the wide selection of rear axle ratios and related equipment. The Performance Axle Package included a 3.55:1 axle ratio with Sure-Grip differential. A viscous fan with fan shrouds and extra-wide 26 inch radiator helped keep the engine cool during racing. The Super-Performance Axle Package added a 4.10:1 axle ratio, and was only available on the four barrel 440 and Hemi with TorqueFlight automatic transmission. The Trak Pak added a Hurst 4 speed shifter, extra heavy-duty Dana-60 3.54:1 rear axle with Sure-Grip differential, and viscous fan with dual break distributor. Finally, the Super Trak Pak added a 4:10 axle ratio with powered front disc brakes. The Trak Pak and Super Trak Pak were only available on GTX's and Hemi powered Plymouths. With Richard Petty racing a Ford in 1969 and Sox & Martin switching to a Barracuda for Drag racing activities the 1969 GTX was losing footing in the racing eyes of the public and it did not help matters much when Plymouth and Dodge started offering the A12 option to the Road Runner and Super Bee giving them a 440 with 3 Holley 2 barrel carburetors, making an under rated 390 hp and an astounding 490 pounds-feet of torque at only 3600 rpm. With all of the activity the Road Runner received, GTX sales were hurt and production numbers went down from 18,940 to 15,602 in 1969. Unfortunately this would be a trend for the GTX as it failed to out sell itself from the previous year, however it's rarity would come to make the car more desirable 35 years later. |
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