Lot details
Registration No: JKE428D
Chassis No: RP23H61290202
Mot Expiry: Nov 2012

"The best combination of brute force and tractable street manners we've ever driven" (Car and Driver commenting on the 1966 Plymouth Hemi Satellite)

Chrysler briefly offered its 426 cu in Hemi engine in very limited numbers in some of its 1965 models. But, with a 12.5:1 compression ratio and high state of tune it was really too highly strung for road use. The company certainly got the mix right for 1966, however, and one of the chief beneficiaries was the Satellite model - enter the now legendary Plymouth Satellite 426 Hemi.

Numerous changes were required to make the engine suitably streetable, including: substituting cast iron cylinder heads for alloy ones and dual Carter four barrel carburetters for the racing Holley one. The compression ratio was reduced to 10.25:1 and a milder camshaft installed. The resulting unit was quoted as having 425bhp at 5,000rpm and 490lbft of torque at 4,000rpm; but those figures were generally accepted as being conservative. The new engine added about $1,000 to the price of a Satellite two-door Hardtop or Convertible and it could be teamed with either a four-speed manual gearbox or TorqueFlite automatic. A Sure-Grip differential was optional. The quoted performance figures were 5.3 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 60mph and 13.8 seconds for the standing quarter mile, with a terminal speed of 104mph. When specified, the Hemi was coupled to a host of performance enhancing extras including heavy duty suspension and police-grade 11-inch drum brakes. Only 848 1966 Satellite Hemis were manufactured, 534 of which were equipped with the optional automatic three or four-speed transmission. This is one rare car, even in America!

The Hemi on offer is a 1966 Coupe finished in Citroen Gold (a Light Metallic Green) matched to a Citroen Gold interior. The vendor tells us it is now almost up to concours standard, having just benefited from a 2000+ hour restoration. In addition to the aforementioned engine and suspension, this car's mighty impressive specification includes: power steering; servo assisted ventilated disc brakes up front and a 727 three-speed automatic transmission. We understand the Satellite has been refurbished with a mix of new old stock parts, plus some small repro ones - eg there is a new old stock Delco battery that cost £500 on its own. According to the vendor, everything is correct right down to the French polished mahogany sports steering wheel, the new radial Red Line BFGoodrich tyres and original spinner hub caps.

This extraordinary '60s icon is being sold complete with a large history file that includes a seven page letter from Galen Govier, the world renowned Mopar guru, the original factory build sheet that contains a breakdown of all the model's factory fitted options, and both tax and MOT to the end of October 2012. Not surprisingly, the vendor currently considers the bodywork, paintwork, interior trim, engine and transmission to all be in "excellent" order. Rare and exciting muscle cars probably don't come much better than this, especially on this side of the pond. If the news of ceaseless wars and flagging economies has been getting you down of late, then this 7-litre rocket ship could be just the antidote you need. Did somebody mention fuel economy?!