Plymouth Satellite |
|---|
|
| Topic Navigation |
|---|
|
Wikipedia: Plymouth Satellite
Page Sections History Reference Desk Images Documents |
The Plymouth Satellite was the car of NASCAR Grand National (the series that would eventually become Sprint Cup) driver's champion Richard Petty in 1967 and 1971. Richard Petty also won a Winston Cup Championsip in a Satellite in 1972.
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Plymouth Satellite page on 17 November 2018, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Plymouth Satellite is a mid-size automobile introduced in the 1965 model year as the top trim model in Plymouth's "B" platform Belvedere line. Available only in two-door hardtop and convertible models, the Satellite remained the top of the line model until the 1967 model year, when it was moved a notch down by the GTX.
The Fury name was moved to Plymouth's mid-size models for 1975, at which time the Satellite name was discontinued.
First Generation (1965-1967)
When the new, larger Plymouth Fury was introduced for 1965 on Chrysler's full-size C platform, the Plymouth Belvedere name was moved to Plymouth's "new" mid-size line for 1965. The Belvedere Satellite was the top trim model in the series, above the Belvedere I and II. It was only available as a two-door hardtop or convertible. Bucket seats and center console were standard, as well as a V8 engine. For 1965, the standard engine was the 273 cu in (4.5 L) with optional 318 cu in (5.2 L), 361 cu in (5.9 L), as well as 383 cu in (6.3 L) and 426 cu in (7.0 L) Commando" engines. This 426 had the wedge combustion chamber design, and is not the 426 "Hemi" that was offered in 1966. The front end featured single headlights on each side, and a grille divided into four thin rectangles laid horizontally.
Second Generation (1968-1970)
A restyled and higher trimmed Sport Satellite model with a standard 318 V8 was introduced in 1968. A 4-door sedan and station wagon were offered for the first time.
The 1968 model year was also the introduction of the Plymouth Road Runner that shared the same body as the Satellite and Belvedere models.
The 1968 body continued through 1970, with a minor front and rear restyling for 1970, which was the last year for the Belvedere name.
Third Generation (1971-1974)
A new design was introduced for the 1971 model year. The Satellite adopted new "fuselage" styling - in line with the facelifts on the larger Chrysler C-Body models - on the two-door, four-door, and wagon models. Unlike previous years, 4-door sedans and 2-door coupes did not share sheet metal and each carried unique styling. Sedans were available in base, Custom, and Brougham trim, while two-doors were available in base trim (with rear windows that did not roll down), Sebring trim, and Sebring Plus trim. Station wagons were available in base, Custom, or wood-trimmed Regent models. Two-door models had a loop-type front bumper, and this body was the basis for the related GTX and Roadrunner models.
For the 1973 model year, the two-door models - including the Sebring - received more conventional front end and squared up sheet metal and rear side windows
Safety requirements for the 1974 model year included 5 mph (8.0 km/h) bumpers for the sedans and wagons. The Satellite name was dropped after 1974, after which Plymouth's intermediate offerings on the B-body chassis took the Plymouth Fury name. The Satellite Sebring was replaced by the Chrysler Cordoba (a car which was originally intended to be called Plymouth Sebring) and shared an all new body with the Dodge Charger.
Reference Desk
The Crittenden Automotive Library's "Reference Desk" is a collection of materials that cannot be shared due to copyright restrictions. Information from these resources, however, can be shared. Go to the Reference Desk page for more information.
| Type | Title |
|---|---|
1983  Book | Roadrunner: A Source Book edited by Samuel A. Shields, Jr.; Motorbooks International |
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 17 January 1967 | NHTSA Recall 67V009003 1967 Dodge Charger, 1967 Dodge Coronet, 1967 Plymouth Belvedere, 1967 Plymouth Satellite Electrical System:Ignition National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Recall Page - 1 page |
