Car aficionado Tony Gabriel always enjoys a brief road trip to car events in Carlisle, Pa., where he admires the cars on display. He also makes a point of checking out the cars that are for sale. You never know what you’re going to find.
During one such excursion in the summer of 2005, he saw a bright red Plymouth Satellite with white bench seats for sale. It was in very good condition, but he wasn’t in the market for another antique car at the time, so he kept on walking.
Six months later, in January 2006, he was in his Alexandria home when he saw an ad offering a red Plymouth Satellite for sale. Without seeing the car he suspected that it was the same one he had seen in Carlisle. Sure enough, it was the same car — its new owner was selling the Plymouth.
“It’s definitely an odd ball car,” Mr. Gabriel says. However, it was so unusual to find a low mileage all original car in such good condition that he purchased it and became the sixth owner. He reports that his Satellite has a few minor battle scars, but they are barely noticeable and are fewer in number than he expected on a car almost 40 years old. The 1968 Plymouth Satellite four-door sedan is red with a white interior.
When Mr. Gabriel got his Plymouth home, he gave it a thorough inspection and made a surprising discovery: The truck was outfitted with its original plaid pattern trunk mat. The unused bumper jack is still in place, and on the inside of the trunk lid is a notice on how to use the jack.
“It’s there,” Mr. Gabriel says, “in case you need a quick refresher.”
Records indicate that a Hagerstown couple ordered the car on March 26, 1968, from Crowl’s Garage Sales and Service in Boonsboro, Md. On May 2, 1968, the couple received the car. The dealer allowed them $486.10 on the 1956 Plymouth they were trading in, which brought the price of the new car with tax and tags included to $3,170.
The window sticker lists the equipment, accessories and prices including:
c 1968 Plymouth….$2,640.00
c Air conditioner……342.85
c Power steering…….94.85
c Destination charge…64.00
c AM solid state radio..51.55
c Torqueflight trans….38.90
c Light package……..26.45
c Vinyl bench seats…..24.20
c Tinted windshield….22.35
c Deluxe wheel covers..21.30
c Undercoating………16.10
c 46 amp alternator…..11.00
c Remote left mirror…..9.40
Under the seats, Mr. Gabriel found two identical copies of the original build sheet, which indicates how the car was equipped when it left the factory in St. Louis on April 23, 1968.
In 1968, there were 11,889 Plymouth Satellite four-door sedans built with a 273-cubic-inch V-8 engine equipped with a two-barrel carburetor.
The base V-8 engine develops 190 horsepower, which is more than sufficient to propel the 3,080-pound Satellite. A label on the air cleaner boasts of a Uniflow carburetor that “conserves gasoline, saves money.” The 14-inch wheels support the car on a 116-inch wheelbase. When Mr. Gabriel replaced the tires, he opted to maintain the original appearance by installing black sidewall tires. “I want to keep it looking like it did when it rolled out of the factory,” he says.
The Convenience light package includes a light in the trunk, one in the glove box and a map/courtesy light along with an ignition light with a time delay and front fender-top signal indicator warning lights.
Everywhere Mr. Gabriel looked on the car he found original parts. Besides the original red paint, the underside of the engine hood still has the original sound-deadening hood pad.
Under the white seats is red carpeting while the remainder of the interior is basically beige.
The car now has been driven a total of 54,000 miles and still has the original shock absorbers and springs. “It has a marshmallow suspension,” Mr. Gabriel admits.
“Other than routine maintenance items and radial tires, it is all original,” Mr. Gabriel says. Probably the most amazing original and unused part of the car is the ashtray/lighter combination. Neither one has ever been used.
“You’ve got to love it,” Mr. Gabriel says. “It’s such a neat car. With drum brakes, you have to re-educate yourself to driving.”
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