Plymouth Sports Cars: Graded and Ranked
Welcome to Graded. Here, we discuss legendary marques, models, or trim packages and affix a letter grade to a selection of vehicles falling under that topic. The grades mean nothing and are completely arbitrary. I fully encourage you to tell me what I got wrong and how you would grade them instead. Have some fun with it.
Plymouth isn’t a brand that’s usually at the top of most people’s lists when thinking of great sports cars from the past. Aside from a frenzied period during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Plymouths weren’t really designed to terrorize the streets with outright performance.
But looking back on the brand’s history, there were some bright spots. Below we have gathered nine performance Plymouths that range in size, shape ,and performance, spanning the early 1960s right up to the brand’s demise at the turn of the century. It’s fairly muscle-car heavy, but some interesting offerings did emerge in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Â
1964 Plymouth Barracuda 273
Grade: C
Built in preparation/response to the Ford Mustang, the Barracuda was introduced in 1964 as a small sporty car. Sadly, its top engine choice at the time was only a 180 hp 273 cubic inch V8, although Plymouth would rectify the power shortage in the following years. The styling of this car isn’t exactly sporty to me either.
1967 Plymouth GTX Hemi
Grade: A-
A gentleman’s muscle car. The mid-size Plymouth had big-time power thanks to the standard 440 cubic inch V8 or the optional 426 HEMI. Of course, I’m going with the HEMI here. The car had a heavy-duty suspension, but don’t be fooled into thinking this car was a corner-carver.
1970 Plymouth Duster 340
Grade: B+
This is a concept I can completely get behind. Take a compact coupe, give it a sporty body and a big V8 engine. Although it may be missing some cubic inches compared to the other Plymouth muscle cars on this list, it's also missing a lot of weight.
1970 Plymouth Superbird
Grade: A+
The car, the myth, the legend. Just look at this monster. I’m not sure what’s more impressive: the fact that engineers thought this up as a way to dominate NASCAR, or that the executives actually approved it for production.
1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda AAR
Grade: A
If the Superbird is the most legendary Plymouth ever built, I’d like to nominate the 1970-1971 ‘Cuda as the second most iconic model. There were so many great special edition models to choose from during these two years, but I have to forego the big-block models and select the purpose-built AAR racecar-for-the-streets.
1979 Plymouth Volaré Road Runner
Grade: C-
By this point, Road Runner had become just a trim package and no longer a stand-alone model. The Volaré lacked the visual appeal of earlier Road Runners, and despite having a 360 cubic inch V8, it also lacked the performance. At least by 1979, power was up a few ponies to a total of 195.
1986 Plymouth Conquest TSi
Grade: B+
A completely different kind of Plymouth sports car, the Conquest was a rebadged Mitsubishi Starion. It featured the typical Japanese wedge-shape styling of the time, but with wide-body fender flares. Power came from a turbocharged 2.6-liter four-cylinder that made 170 hp. That was actually on par with a lot of V8 muscle cars at that time.
1992 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo AWD
Grade: A-
Another rebadged Mitsubishi, the Laser RS Turbo AWD offered some serious performance. The small, lightweight coupe featured a 195 hp turbocharged engine sending power to all four wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. The Laser is not as popular as its Eagle Talon and Mitsubishi Eclipse siblings, and I think that makes it even cooler.
1999 Plymouth Prowler
Grade: B
Easily the most unique-looking car built over the past 30 or so years, the Prowler isn’t for everyone. I have always thought the car looked cool, but the drivetrain never lived up to its potential. Saddled with only an automatic transmission and a V6 engine, at least by 1999, power increased to more respectable levels.
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A 20+ year industry veteran, Mike rejoins the AutoGuide team as the Managing Editor. He started his career at a young age working at dealerships, car rentals, and used car advertisers. He then found his true passion, automotive writing. After contributing to multiple websites for several years, he spent the next six years working at the head office of an automotive OEM, before returning back to the field he loves. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA). He's the recipient of a feature writing of the year award and multiple video of the year awards.
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I think the issue is that a V8 wouldn't fit in the prowler. They should have supercharged it.
I agree with every word. I had a Laser and it was awesome. Drove like a slot car. And the Superbird was possibly the ugliest car ever built. Good article.