Our Member Feature this month focuses on Ken King and his fantastic 1971 Plymouth GTX, "The Green Monster." This is our first GTX Member Feature! Growing up in central New Jersey, Ken had an affection for cars early in life thanks to his grandfather who owned a 1941 Dodge. Working on the old car would sharpen Ken's mechanical skills and sow the seed of mopar affection. His desire to educate himself would lead to Ken joining the Army to help pay for school where he would earn his degree in mechanical engineering. Ken's first car was a 1974 Dodge Charger powered by a 318 CID V8 and while the Dodge B Body was nice, Ken longed for more power which led to his hunt for a big block car. In 1985, he found that car in New Brunswick, New Jersey, a 1971 GTX. A little background on the GTX: Plymouth fielded a considerably fiery contender to the muscle car arena back in 1967 with its offering of the GTX, a Belvedere transformed into the “Gentleman’s Muscle Car” via bucket seats, luxury sport features and best of all a big powerplant in the form of a 440 or the legendary 426 street Hemi. The following year proved to be a game-changer for the GTX as it moved to the Satellite series model and was the top-of-the-line in terms of extravagance and performance! 1971 would be the last year of the standalone GTX before the nameplate was combined with the Road Runner in 1972 for their top of the line performance model. The 1971 model year saw only 2,942 GTXs produced compared Road Runner with production at 14,218. Back to the Feature! The Plymouth was sold to Ken by the original owner's son and while it was a solid roller, the rest of it was in rough shape. The interior was shotty and the engine needed an overhaul. That didn't matter to the mechanically inclined Ken who was dedicated to getting the green beauty back to life. Powering this Plymouth was the rare V code 440 Six Barrel Engine rated at 385 horsepower and capable of running the quarter mile at just under 14.80 seconds. Just 135 GTXs were produced with the 440+6 making it one rare piece. In addition to the small production run, Ken's GTX was a bench seat with an automatic column shifter linked to the hearty 727 torqueflite transmission. While serving in the Army, Ken patiently restored the GTX back to its former glory and in 1996, the potent muscle car was back on the streets. However, his selfless service kept him away from enjoying the fruits of his labor. Through several duty cycles and three deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Ken sacrificed a lot time away from his car and most importantly his family. In June 2018, he retired from the Army after 30 years of service to his country. Today, Ken keeps busy working on his vehicles which include a 1970 Dodge Challenger he finished restoring in 2013, a 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, a 1941 half track and fittingly, a 1941 Dodge Business Coupe, just like the one he and his grandfather worked on years ago. Ken says that working on the vehicles is therapy and helps him release stress from his years in the service. The 1971 Plymouth B Body Registry would like to thank Ken King, a Purple Heart Recipient, for his sacrifice and service to our country. Thank you Sir!
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AuthorRowland George is a 1971 Plymouth B Body enthusiast and researcher dedicated to acquiring information on behalf of owners and those interested in learning more about these iconic classic cars. Archives
July 2019
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