The 1967 model year was the debut year for the Plymouth Belvedere GTX, which most enthusiasts simply know as the Plymouth->ke1483 GTX. The GTX was always one of the top performers in the 1960s, but was also a refined muscle car, receiving the nickname “The Gentleman’s Muscle Car” in its early years. Unfortunately, the GTX was a late arrival to the muscle car area and only lasted five model years.

In its debut year, there were 12,115 models built, which makes it a rather rare car in itself. Options were not scarce for the 1967 GTX, as it had two engines available, a 425-horsepower, 426 cubic-inch V-8 Hemi or a 375-horsepower, 440 cubic-inch V-8. It also had two transmission options, a three-speed automatic and a four-speed manual.

In addition to the engine and transmission options, there was also coupe or convertible options available. One would assume that the convertible four-speed manual option with a Hemi would be a popular option combination, due to its raw power and ability to shift with the wind in you hair, but that’s not the case. Only seven of these convertible models with four-speeds and a Hemi engine rolled off of the assembly line in the 1967 model year.

That makes this one of the rarest vehicles on the planet, let alone one of the rarest muscle cars ever built. To boot, it is a natural rarity, as opposed to a planned one, like a special edition. It just so happened that dealers ordered so few of this option combination that the factory only produced a few.

If you want to own one of the most rare mass produced automobiles on the planet, now is your chance, as RK Motors Charlotte has just placed a convertible 1967 GTX with a Hemi and a four-speed up for auction on Ebay.

Now we know that it's rare, but how has this vehicle held up over the course of the past 45 years?

Click past the jump to read our full review on this rare vehicle.

plymouth-gtx-hemi-4-speed-convertible

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: plymouth-gtx-hemi-4-speed-convertible
Pros
Cons

1967 Plymouth GTX Hemi 4 Speed Convertible

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 1967 Plymouth GTX Hemi 4 Speed Convertible
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 425 @ 5000
  • Torque: 490 @ 4000
  • Transmission: Four-speed manual
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

This GTX actually features most of its original body panels, as the only ones replaced during its frame-off restoration were the rear quarter panels. The rest of the body was carefully restored to a better-than-new condition, then it was hit with a perfect coating of primer and Chrysler Code-R Yellow paint – the original color of the car. This resulted in an absolutely perfect finish that would make the original paint job look amateurish at best.

The front end of a GTX is really the best way to tell a GTX from a plain old Belvedere, as the GTX featured a slightly modified dog bone-shaped grille – a red, white, and blue stripe was added to the center – and the GTX also received two faux hood scoops on the hood. Obviously, the hood scoops are the easiest giveaway when comparing a Belvedere to a GTX.

The front fenders are also a giveaway, as they not only feature “Belvedere” emblems, but also “GTX” emblems just below them. Obligatory chrome is present on down the side of the GTX, including around the wheel wells and down the rocker panels.

The rear quarter panel on the GTX is another clue that this is not your normal old Belvedere, but the difference is slight. This 1967 GTX, and all GTXs, features a pit stop fuel filler cap, which is one that you do not need to unscrew. You just press the fuel nozzle onto the flap and it opens with moderate pressure. The standard Belvedere has a regular old gas cap.

The last dead giveaway of a GTX is the rear light panel. The Belvedere has a plain old chrome taillight panel, whereas the GTX’s taillight panel has a solid red bar on the top and bottom of the taillight panel.

In all, this body clearly fits its nickname as the “gentleman’s muscle car,” it not only packs a muscular wallop, but it also looks pretty luxurious for a muscle car. The stellar restoration job on it definitely helps its cause too.

Interior

On the inside, the GTX continues to show off its luxurious side. It features an all-black interior with well placed chrome accents. The seats are black leather with a ladder-like design embedded in them. On the outermost sides of each front seat are chrome strips that set it all off.

The steering wheel is your typical-for-the-1960s massive wheel with a chrome center and horn ring. The outer ring of the wheel is black. Behind the steering wheel is a rectangle-shaped speedometer that pegs out at a rather frightful 150 mph.

Just like the rest of the interior, the dashboard is covered in black. There are, however, splashes of chrome to help add a little character to the GTX, including: around the glove box, on the lower edge of the dashboard, around the gauge cluster, and around the factory AM radio.

The center console is a thing of beauty on the 1967 GTX. It is trimmed front-to-back in shiny chrome and the center of it is black. The gear shifter is a rather long chrome lever that is angled rearward toward the driver to help the driver reach it more easily. Without this angled shifter, shifting this beast would be quite the challenge that even a contortionist would find difficult. Attached to the center console and angled toward the driver is a small tachometer.

The door panels feature the same black color mixed with splashes of chrome. The window crank is all chrome and there are two door-length chrome strips on the panel, one on the top and one on the bottom. Even the armrests got some chrome love, with a chrome outline and a large chrome fixture on the front of each armrest.

To remind you of what you are driving, in case the sound of that Hemi isn’t enough of a reminder, there are genuine GTX floor mats, which feature “GTX” embroidered on the front set.

Chrome is very often overdone in these classic cars, but Plymouth did a wonderful job balancing the basic black interior with chrome. All we can say is that the interior is just as stunning as the exterior, if not more stunning.

Engine and Drivetrain

Under the hood is where the GTX really separates’ itself from the regular old Belvederes. As standard equipment, the 1967 GTX comes with a respectable 375 horsepower, 480 pound-feet, 440 cubic-inch V-8 engine, which performed admirably in the GTX. What adds to the rarity of this drop-top GTX is the fact that it features the optional dual four-barrel-fed 426 cubic-inch Hemi V-8 engine, which cranks out an astonishing 425 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 490 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. The sheer size of this engine earned it the nickname “Elephant.”

The engine was meticulously restored on this GTX. Everything that an original replacement part was available on was used and where there were no original parts available, exact replicas were used. The original components include: carburetors, engine block and color, exhaust manifolds, 37-amp alternator, cooling fan, 26-inch heavy-duty radiator, fan shroud, hoses and clamps, horns, washer fluid reservoir, power steering pump, and brake booster. In the case of any classic restoration project, there were some reproduction parts used in this GTX’s engine compartment, including: drive belts, red-top battery, ignition wires and ignition coil. The exhaust is also all brand new mandrel-bent piping and replica mufflers.

The second component that makes this GTX so rare is the fact that it features a four-speed manual transmission. With this manual transmission also came a 9.75-inch ring gear in the axle, a 3.54-to-1 axle ratio, making it acceptable to drive at highway speeds; double breaker distributor, which is harder to tune but increases spark efficiency; and a free-wheeling fan, which minimizes horsepower-robbing resistance on the engine when cooling is not needed.

This engine literally looks identical to what it did when it was purchased by its original owner. The restoration company used only the highest quality replica parts and even the original parts where they could. This is without a doubt a top-10% engine bay restoration job. Bravo to these guys for not sparing a penny in this job.

The engine and drivetrain combine to push this massive muscle car to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. It also completes the 1/4-mile in just 13.5 seconds at 105 mph. Those are mighty impressive stats for a `60s muscle car.

Suspension and Braking

The front suspension is a torsion bar-and-shock-style suspension with ball joints to keep the tires even with the road. The rear suspension is a six leaf spring-style with shock absorbers. These are both outdated by today’s standards, but in the late-`60s, this was a top-of-the-line system. This means that even though the GTX is a rather monstrous car by today’s standards, it actually holds onto the road fairly nicely.

On the front of this GTX you have a power disc brake system, which was an option on the GTX. The rear end has mechanical 10-inch drum brakes, which came as a package with the front discs. The tires are original replica redline tires 7.75x14 Firestone Deluxe Champion tires wrapped around the original chrome Magnum 500 rims.

Pricing

RK Motors has a “Buy it Now” price of $199,900 on this 1-of-7 GTX, but that price seems about $30K too high for us. NADA places the value of a GTX convertible with a 426 Hemi and four-speed manual at about $166,000. We understand that the price is going to continue to shoot up on this car, but you cannot sell a car at its future value today, that’s just not how it all works. We would suggest calling RK Motors themselves and negotiating a better price.

You will likely not get them down to the $166,000 point, but if they will work down to $180,000, you have yourself a winner here. This car will increase to above that price within about five years.

Competition

You can compare cars like the 1967 Chevelle->ke1197 and 1967 Ford Torino->ke1722 to the regular 1967 GTX, but given the natural rarity of the convertible models with a Hemi and a four-speed, you cannot compare any available car to this particular model. Not even rare special editions can be compared, as they were rare by design, whereas this model is rare just by happenstance.

Conclusion

The GTX was a bad-ass car in its day, and to own one of the rarest GTXs ever built is even more intriguing. As we stated, the price is set way too high at this point, but with some savvy negotiation skills, this car could be yours for a fair market price. As long as you can get RK Motors to the $180,000 point, we would slap the TopSpeed seal of approval on the sale. Even at $199,000 it is an okay buy, but a little overpriced.