The GTX

Great cars come along once in a while. The GTX was one of those. 

In 1967 Plymouth introduced one of the all time muscle car legends. The GTX only came with two engine choices. The more affordable of the two was the 440 cubic inch big block rated at 375 horse power. The other choice was the fearsome 426 cubic inch Hemi with a conservatively rating of 425 horse power. These cars were performers and either could do zero to sixty consistently in the six second range. That's not all, according to Motor Trend Magazine the GTX was on of the best handling cars of its size produced during that era. The GTX was a solid performer and sales were brisk with nearly 13,000 produced in 1967.

In 1968, the GTX was restyled along with the rest of Chrysler's intermediates. This design which was shared with the Dodge Charger, Super Bee and the newly introduced Plymouth Road Runner was an instant classic and is the picture most people visualize when they think of classic cars of the 1960's. Engine choices remained the same and performance was exceptionally strong. Car Life Magazine called the GTX "The fastest and the most powerful standard car built in America. And the 440 is not far behind." Sales increased to over 18,000.

1968  Plymouth GTX Convertible

The GTX remained basically the same in 1969 and 1970. There was little need to change the car from a performance prospective. It was the car to beat. Changes were relegated to grill and rear end updates. The power plants remained the same with the exception of the 440 cubic inch big block in 1970. In 1970 Plymouth added a third engine option to the list. It was the famous 440 Six Barrel. The Six Barrel was actually a tri of two barrel carburetors mounted on top of the engine. Not only was it cool to look at but it added about 35 horse power to the car.

All About Detail

1969 Plymouth GTX

In 1969 Plymouth sold almost 15,000 of the cars. However, in 1970 sales had dropped to about 7,000. The car was the same. It was the market that changed.. The muscle car era was ending rapidity. High fuel prices, high insurance rates and a slowing economy had people looking for small cars with good gas mileage.

Chrysler introduced a new design for their intermediates in 1971. The design was heavily influenced by the design of jet aircraft. It was a forward leaning design and the front end of the car resembled the intake of jet aircraft. It was a love it or hate it kind of look. Unfortunately, the era of large powered cars was over and would not return for almost twenty five years. Sales dropped to about 2,600 units.

Plymouth continued the GTX name for a few more years as an option package on the Road Runner. It was never the same. The GTX had come to the performance car market late and like a shooting star it burned very bright for a while and then faded away. Today collectors and enthusiasts actively seek out this series because of their good looks, impressive power and relatively scarcity.

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Did you get a chance to review our last blog "What is a Berger?"

What in the world is a Berger? Some kind mid-west hamburger you find in up in Grand Rapids Michigan?

No sir. A Berger is Chevrolet that was specially ordered and shipped to the Car Dealership, Berger Chevrolet of Grand Rapids Michigan. The cars shipped from the General Motors as COPO’S to  Berger and when they arrived Berger began adding its own line of aftermarket high performance products and created a “Berger”.  

There were other Dealerships, such as the famous Yenko Dearlership who were doing the same during the muscle car era. Berger was only second to Yenko in production of these high performance cars. Most of the Chevrolet that Berger and Yenko created were Camaro renditions.

In fact, Berger only produce 2 1969 Corvette Bergers one of which is listed for sale at All About Detail.

1969 Corvette 427 "Berger"

If you are a Classic Car Collector here is your chance to own a very unique and rare car. If you are a Classic Corvette Collector here is a once in a life time opportunity to own a Berger.

What in the world is a Berger? It is a very Muscular Car, that has been made more muscular by Berger and it high performance products. If this were a Hamburger it would be a Hamburger with the works.

Read the comments from this question posted on LinkedIn:

Berger was a Chevy dealer in Grand Rapids Michigan that like Yenko modified Camaros for high performance. Rumor is that 2 Vettes were also done...1 in 68 and 1 in 69......Less known than Motion/Baldwin and Yenko but still a significant vehicle.
Posted by David Braddock

Phil Roder • Contact - The Corvette Shop in Tampa, Fl -
They should know.
I've owned 7 and haven't a clue.

Phil Roder • Try this -
The 1969 Corvette 427 Berger Power Pack option included chrome headers and side exhaust, high performance water pump, and engine modifications that took it from 400 HP to 450 HP.

From Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Berger was a Chevy dealer in Grand Rapids Michigan that like Yenko modified Camaros for high performance. Rumor is that 2 Vettes were also done...1 in 68 and 1 in 69......Less known than Motion/Baldwin and Yenko but still a significant vehicle
.

Matthew J. Klein • Nice! Hang onto it. Only thing more rare would be the two '69 ZL-1 'Vettes (all aluminum block). Along with the (70) 1969 Camaros that were produced, only (2) corvettes reportedly were ordered with engine costing an add'l $4k. Last heard, one owned by dentist in Colorado. Not sure if whereabouts of 2nd one. 

David's got it right. Maybe not quite as well known nationally as Yenko, Nickey, Fred Gibb and Motion/Baldwin, they were "factory authorized" and built significant vehicles.
Posted by Jon Lundberg, ASA

Hi Larry,

I do know who Berger is (Berger Chevrolet). Why do you ask?

Cool Vette. Was this the same car that went through the Mecum auction a while back?

http://mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=FL0109-76998

-Rob

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Make sure to read all of our articles such as "An Article For Classic Car Women"

Happy Hagerty Insurance

Feature Segment

Jonathan Kilnger of Hagerty Insurance

This week’s podcast show guest of Jonathan Klinger from Hagerty Insurance. For a lot of us, car insurance is one of those necessary evils we must deal with in life. We know that we need it, we know that it’s important, but for the most part we realize that dollars spent on insurance premiums are ones that we’ll never see again unless something really bad like an accident, theft, fire, or the neighbor kid’s baseball ends up causing harm to our ride. Since most of the muscle cars we all know and love qualify for antique auto status, the type of insurance that we require is truly dependent upon the amount of coverage we desire and the use of the car. Will it be a daily driver, or just an occasional fun-mobile? Will it spend time on the race track? Have we put $50,000 worth of Pro-Touring speed parts into that in no way conform to “blue book value?”
For the most part, the type of insurance that a majority of classic muscle car owners will use is called “agreed value” insurance, especially if you have a high dollar car.  This is a type of policy where you and the insurance company agree on an amount of coverage value for your car (say $40,000), and you pay a monthly premium on that.  Companies like Hagerty have been issuing these policies for years, and the premiums are far lower than those of traditional car insurance for a car of the same value. It’s a great way to get your car covered for a high dollar amount at a low price.  If you have your car insured with them for $40,000 and it’s stolen you’ll receive a check from Hagerty for $40,000. It’s that simple. What’s the catch?  Usage.  Most companies that issue “agreed value” policies do so with the provision that you are insuring a specialty car that is NOT to be used as daily transportation (i.e. the car you drive to work).  They also stipulate that your specialty car be kept in a garage when not in use. One huge plus though is that there are absolutely no requirements on limiting annual mileage and an appraisal of the car is almost never necessary.

What if you’d like to use your car more frequently, or as a daily driver?  In that case, “stated value” insurance is the way to go.  This is essentially just like regular car insurance, so you’re covered in every situation, but with a value stated on the policy for the car’s value and coverage amount.  This differs from agreed value insurance in that an appraisal of the car is usually required and you’d need to find an insurance company to work with. Allstate offer these style of policies (along with many others).  It will NOT be as cheap as the agreed value policies, but it will provide you the coverage that you’re looking for. Keep in mind that in the event of an accident or full total of the car your insurance company would still do a market analysis and try to find the current market value of the car, regardless of the State Value amount.

Jonathan did a terrific job of walking me through all of the scenarios, and did make a point to note that while most policies don’t cover cars on the race track (including Hagerty), some specialty policies are available. They too have a catch though as the race event must be cleared with the insurance company upfront, which is not a simple, or easy task. Jonathan didn’t give me an idea on what that type of policy might cost, and I didn’t ask! For the most part, if you plan to drag race or autocross your car just know that you are not covered during the act of racing itself, but you are everywhere else.

One last thing about Jonathan that you’ll be impressed by is that his daily driver is a 1930 Ford Model A. He’s on a run to drive his A every day for a year. You can follow his exploits at 365daysofa.com. I did ask if he uses a Hagerty policy on his Model A, and he admitted that since it’s his daily driver he could not do so, so he’s got a standard auto insurance policy on it and he’s just hoping that nothing bad happens. I’ll give him this; he’s honest!

-Robert Kibbe

TheMuscleCarPlace.com | Muscle Cars for Sale
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If you are looking for a Classic Car such as Jonathan's Model A please join us at All About Detail Classic Cars 


Please go to our latest article   "Good for Collectors: The Arizona Emissions Study "

**Do You Have a Top of The Line Classic Car for sale?**

There are two major errors individuals make when trying to sell a Classic Car, or for that matter any car, on line. The Pictures that they post and the Description of their beautiful Car are sometimes less than adequate.

Let us review these two aspects and see how we can improve our presentations:

The first one, Pictures, is really and easily remedied. Good camera, nice setting, good pictures. If you need an example go to a out Classic Car site   and find what catches your eye and do your best to mimic it. At All About Detail  we have had some pictures of truly gorgeous cars where the owners have submitted some of the most unattractive pictures imaginable.

Two come to mind:

•First, a sleek looking Corvette, the picture had a water hose wandering
throughout and a garbage can overflowing with trash. We had to ask for a better picture.

•The other one was an eye catching 67 Malibu 396 SS. The picture was taken in a junk
 yard with hundreds of junk cars and a shamble of a garage in the background. That
 picture did not invoke confidence and that listing was turned downed. The lesson here is
 keep in mind what you want to stand out, The Car.

Make sure the picture’s setting, the background, has no distractions of any sort. We recommend that a setting extols confidence with nice buildings and/or nice scenery in the background.

The second error, Descriptions, is how the sellers describe their cut above, sleek, ultimate driving machine, impressive, eye catching, best of steed, top of fray, real looker, and great example of a Classic Car. This is not to suggest that you be disingenuous or less that truthful. For example do not describe your Volkswagen Bug as the ultimate driving machine. You could say it is a fun driving experience though.  

Do buzz words work? All you have to do is pay attention to car ads. Those companies pay a lot of money to marketing companies for just the right words.

Below you will find a list of buzz words that I pulled from a MSN article "2010 MSN Autos Editor's Choice Awards". Try to incorporate these and ones like these into your description.

If you give attention to these your car will sell faster and for more money then when someone ask you "Do you have a Classic Car for Sale, you will say no.

All About Detail is a website offering free listing to private owners of Classic Cars.

We also offer "Kick Tire" services, comprehensive car inspection and appraisal for would be buyers.
We also offer Broker/Marketing services cor Classic cars.

 Larry