Another of the Highland Park, Michigan offerings by Plymouth was the Satellite. It debuted in 1965 in the mid-sized B-body Belvedere model as the top of the line. Its position was subsequently usurped in 1967 by the GTX, a more bodacious muscle car aimed at a higher income bracket than pony cars and the original muscle offerings. It was offered as two-door hardtop or convertible.
At the top of the trim pecking order, the Satellite came exclusively with one of several V-8 engines, including the 273, 318, Commando 361, Commando 383, and Commando 426. As opposed to the 426 Hemi from 1966, the Commando was designed with a wedge combustion chamber. One headlight simply bookmarked each side of the rectangular grille. A standard center console and bucket seats set it apart from bench seat models, like the Road Runner. Three-speed automatic or four-speed manual transmission were available for the Satellite. A two-door hardtop and convertible model were stock.
The Street Hemi made its appearance in 1966, packing a pair of 4-barrel carburetors. This meant... View more the 425-horsepower engine kicked 490 pound-feet of torque while at 4,000 rpm. Trim changes included side-by-side headlights, a new grille, new taillights with several lateral ribs, a new rear trunk finish panel, and horizontal aluminum trim at the crease of the lower body. Both the vinyl seats and door panels featured tooled leather with a Western Scroll design as an added unusual upgrade. The GTX also was offered with this premium trim line.
A Sport model was added in 1968, when the line was expanded to include four-door sedans and convertibles plus a station wagon. A two-tone effect was achieved on the Satellite by painting the lower portion, beneath the trim, in silver. There was a minor styling change in both front and rear during 1970.
In 1971, a new fuselage styled-body, different wheelbase, new grille, and sheet metal graced the Satellite. A Custom and Brougham trim level were added above the Standard sedan. The two-door coupe with non-working rear-window came in Satellite, Satellite Sebring, and Satellite Sebring Plus versions, in accordance with the sedan trim packages. Even the station wagons had two extra levels of trim: the Custom or Regent, which featured wood trim. The loop bumper was used on the Road Runner and the GTX. In 1973, two-door versions were given rear-side windows and a more traditional front end. When the Fury replaced the Belvedere line, the Satellite was phased out in 1974 View less
