The Plymouth Belvedere was first presented in 1951 as a trim level on the Cranbrook, then in 1954 it was expanded to a full-size series. It persisted until 1970 and became one of the most recognizable nameplates for the business. But it also deserves praise for giving rise to some of the most well-known Mopars from the heyday of the muscle car.
The Road Runner is the first that comes to mind. Introduced in 1968 as a two-door only, the Road Runner acted as Plymouth entry-level midsize performance car. But don’t let the term “entry-level” fool you, this car was available with Plymouth’s most powerful mills, including the iconic 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8.
Then there’s the GTX. Launched one year before the Road Runner, it was a more upscale version of the Belvedere. But unlike the latter (and the Road Runner), it was restricted to only the largest Chrysler engines: the 426 HEMI and the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB. Known as “the gentleman’s muscle car,” it’s the rarest of the bunch and quite expensive nowadays, especially when fitted with the HEMI V8.
Finally, the Belvedere also spawned the Satellite. This one arrived for the 1965 model year when the former got a significant redesign. It was originally offered in two-door hardtop and convertible forms only, but Plymouth expanded the lineup to include a four-door sedan and a station wagon in 1967.
And while it wasn’t necessarily advertised as a high-performance car like the Road Runner and the GTX, the Satellite was also available with big V8 engines. In fact, it was one of the first Mopars offered with the 426 HEMI rated at 425 horsepower and 490 pound-feet (664 Nm) of torque.
What’s more, it was one of the few Plymouths that got the factory Super Stock treatment. Developed mostly for homologation purposes, these cars are as rare as classic muscle cars get with less than 100 built from 1965 to 1967. The 1965 Super Stock Lightweight is by far the rarest with only 11 made. In 1967, for instance, Plymouth put together 55 cars.
And with some of them wrecked or scrapped, far fewer survivors are still around in 2023. So they can get extremely expensive, fetching more than $200,000 depending on specs and racing history. The car you see is only a tribute to the 1965 Satellite Super Stock, but it looks impressively authentic and sounds ferocious.
Does it have a HEMI under the hood like a proper Super Stock? No, this tribute rocks a 440-cubic-inch V8 from the 1969 model year, but it’s not something we should scoff at. While the block may be from a less potent mill, everything else is far from stock.
The engine is fitted with beefed-up heads, Hooker headers, and an 850 Holley carburetor among other things. It also has a Spool 8 3/4 rear end with 4.30 gears, which means it should quite fast down the quarter-mile.
There’s no word on output, but I bet this Satellite generates more oomph than a production model with a HEMI V8. But what I do know for a fact is that it sounds decidedly mean when idling while shaking the garage floor it’s sitting on. But you don’t have to take my word for it, just hit the play button below and find out for yourself.
