Pentastar Muscle

1971 - GOING, GOING . . .

All the signs were there. Performance cars in America were a dying breed, and all the information anyone needed to recognize that was right in front of their face. The trouble is, most of it was disguised as something else - something less foreboding - something less tragic.

On the plus side there were all-new intermediate (mid-sized, B-body) cars for both Plymouth and Dodge. Where all mid-sized Dodges were once known as Coronets, now only the 4-door cars would wear Coronet badging with all intermediate 2-door cars badged as Chargers. The Coronet R/T was gone and the Coronet-based Super Bee was now known as Charger Super Bee with all performance engines still available for it and the Charger R/T. A new Dodge model, spun-off from the Plymouth Valiant Duster was the Demon, with a Demon 340 heading the order sheet and effectively replacing the Dart Swinger 340.

The Belvedere name was gone from the Plymouth lineup as all mid-sized cars (except Road Runner and GTX) now wore Satellite badging. A GTX or a Charger R/T still offered the 440 4-barrel engine as standard equipment, but it was now rated as 305 "net" horsepower. The 440+6BBL at 350 "net" horsepower and the 425 horsepower 426 Hemi were optional in a GTX or Charger R/T. Net horsepower ratings were a clue to the future. Few noticed.

For the first time, the venerable 340 LA-engine was offered in a mid-sized car. Both the Road Runner and Charger Super Bee came with 383 power as standard equipment with 340, 440 4-barrel, 440+6BBL and the 426 Hemi as optional engines. All but the Hemi were down on compression and horsepower (another clue?) and most were now designed to run on low-lead fuel. A look under the hood of a 1971 performance Mopar revealed an ever-increasing number of hoses and gadgets, all designed to clean up the environment and, as we would later learn, put a stake through the heart of performance.