I spotted this Plymouth Duster wearing what appears to be a fresh coat of “Basin Street Blues” about a mile ahead on the interstate, and caught up with him just as he peeled off. This car has all the right vibes from 1973: big rubber out back, a nice rake, throaty growl from the dual exhausts (340?), and left arm hanging out the open window (I’m almost positive I heard Bad Bad Leroy Brown blaring from the 8-track deck). Take the spoiler off the trunk, and this is just about perfect for my tastes.
?? no spoiler ? where else are the morons supposed to hang their towels to dry ? .
=8-) .
-Nate
What do you mean “no spoiler”? What’s that thing on the trunk lid?
That’s the washing line where the morons are supposed to hang their towels to dry.
Here comes Todd, heh heh, heh heh heh!
Huh-Huh-Huh, Todd’s cool!
That thing’s in way too good a condition to be Todd’s car.
+1 for the B&B reference!
I agree. I’ve watched Beavis and Butthead, and I’ve seen “Todd’s” car, and it looks pretty trashed by comparison.
Or O’Banion.
+1,lose the spoiler please.I got a soft spot for A bodies and this is a nice one
If it was a Mk2 Cortina 1600E with Deep purple’s Highway Star belting out of the 8 track then that would be what 1973 was like for me.
+1. Jon Lord, RIP.
Who doesn’t love a Duster? Could the Duster be the most lovable American car of the 1970s?
I love Dusters JP. Ive always said they are happy little cars with a dark side. I’ll get another one someday.
Ive always said they are happy little cars
Somehow, I can see the late Bob “Happy Little Trees” Ross driving one…..
This is a nice looking car, but my favourite years for the Plymouth Duster and Valiant are 1970-1972. 🙂
I remember my dad renting one way back in ’71 or ’72… the driver’s door window fell off its track the first time he shut the door. He took that one back, ended up with another Duster, same thing. CLUNK! went the driver’s door window deep into the bowels of the door. He took that one back and demanded something non-Chrysler.
Hard to believe he got two in a row. Chrysler’s build quality was usually never that consistent back then. 🙂
😀
the spoiler is perfect for 1973. right type spoiler, too.
One thing this has in common with an early 70s Nova-If you see one park on your street late at night you might as well call the cops, because it’s guaranteed the occupants are up to no good.
LOL you’ve been watching as many detective shows as me!
These were all over the road back then. My buddy up the street had a 1970 340 Duster – the fastest production car I have ever rode in up to that point, and I don’t believe I’ve been in a faster one since! His only mod was adding headers.
I bought a real beat-up, used, bare-bones 1970 Duster right after coming home from the air force in 1973. I’ve told that story here more than once…
Suddenly, they all disappeared. They rusted like crazy, and never had I closed a car door with such an unconvincing “thud”. Always make sure your seat belt was securely fastened!
I have seen a couple of these lately running around, so there are some who value these.
Highly sought after in the UK they’re still relatively affordable compared to the B & E body cars.Probably the last chance to buy a classic Mopar before prices start to turn silly
can i suggest my Volare?
it’s pretty slow though.
I’d keep hold of it Jeff one day it will be a lot more valuable
i bet when it gets more valuable i would be a lot older =D
i also have a Lincoln Mark VIII, which is more suitable for busy city driving, and i feel it will become valuable sooner.
A Volare and a Mark VIII? Nice stable. I miss my VIII….
Wow, I think I saw you and your car at the St. Ignace, MI car show and parade!
yes, i was there that day. and i think it takes quite a while for another Volare to show up on the street. i only saw one single Volare in Royal Oak last fall and one beater Dodge Aspen in Detroit two months ago, that’s all i saw for a year.
Few new body styles from 1970 have aged as well as has the Plymouth Duster.
I like the wing but it needs the black longitudinal 340 stripes to break up all that blue
A Duster, or any A-Body for that matter, with a 340, 4 speed and 3.91 gear would outrun all but the biggest dogs on the street back then. With some basic mods they can handle and brake too. Very capable cars.
A college roommate had a 73 with a 318 and a floor-shifted 3 speed (one of 3 Dusters that he had). As fast as that one was, one with a 340 would be downright frightening!
The spoiler is a must because when you bring your lawn mower over to your friend’s house you need something to tie the rope around.
I just ran a bungee cord from the trunk latch loop and any suitable hole in the lid. I’ve always hated messing with ropes.
In 1983 my first car was my Dad’s hand-me-down ’73 Duster. Gold, black vinyl roof/interior, 318-V8 and AC; it looked good! He had finally conquered a long standing gremlin with the electronic ignition before he felt comfortable giving it to me.
It was a great car that I abused terribly [Mea Culpa!] The trans went 6 mos in [with a little Power shifting help from me] and my Dad graciously fixed it, thinking it was just its time.
But what killed the Duster 6 mos later was rot in the torsion bars up front.
The car began to sag badly and the cost would have been too great! She was traded in on a 1978 Dodge Omni that was a whole other nightmare!
My older brother had a 1973-74 Plymouth Duster when he was a teenager in high school. I’m too young to remember the car, since I was only 2 yrs old at the time.
Early 1973, before Oil Crisis, was when lots of teens bought new Dusters, Dart coupes, and Nova’s. Then would jack up the rear and hop up the motors.
Some areas were not enforcing emissions laws yet. Also, these compacts had low insurance rates compared to pre-72 muscle cars.
This market was why the 1974 GTO was moved to Ventura compact. Pontiac wanted some of the buyers, but the Oil Crisis and ‘purism’ hurt it.
Dusters were popular among my high-school classmates, but they were mostly green or brown; I don’t remember anyone having one this color, which is much nicer.
Chop a couple inchesw out of the rear suspension and it would be good to go, that would fix the front wheel alignment issues and make a driver out of it rather than a poseur.
That color is Duster all the way.
As has been mentioned by others on this forum, this was in some ways Chrysler’s successful Pony entry. A well equipped 340 car without too much to make it obvious would be a fun ride.
I saw these everywhere growing up, but didn’t actually drive one until I got the updated coupe version in Volare trim, likely a 318 car (too peppy for a six). It was a replacement Rent-a-Wreck car after spending a few days in a stripper AMC Hornet sedan that went bad. Amazing how freaking GOOD that Volare was. Everything is relative.
My avatar shows 10-year old me in front of our ’73 Gold Duster, the day we replaced it with a stripper ’80 Malibu. Regrettable.
My Grandpa had this
A blue Duster with 8 cyls under the hood….MAKE IT MINE!!!! Grey torq thrusts would be my wheel of choice and I agree it needs some black…like the whole hood! Maybe some bumblebee stripes too. But Id keep that spoiler just as it is.
Dusters/Demons are still the best bang for the buck in the Mopar world. A well made, good looking car that performs well and was made/survives in numbers is a good formula for a bargain. How long will that last….who’s to say….
I personally always wanted a 1970 Duster with a 340 and 4-SPD but I settled for a 72 Scamp, needless to say I’m happy with something I never find another one of at the shows.
Please Dodge, put this color on a new Challenger in ’16! Please. Make me a happy guy.