1970 Plymouth Duster
In 1970, Plymouth unveiled its new Duster model. Following in the Barracuda's footsteps, the Duster was all Valiant from the cowl forward, but the rest of the car was completely different. Using a semi-fastback and a special rear valance with twin horizontal taillights, it aspired to portray the performance and youthful look that Plymouth desired. For 1970 only, a small Valiant badge went on the front fenders just above the Duster badge.
The Duster was available in two models — the standard Duster and the high-performance Duster 340. The standard engine was Chrysler's long-serving, reliable Slant Six. The smallest available V8 was the 318 (5.2L), but the top-performing engine was by far the 340, rated at 275 hp. Performance was brisk with 1/4 mile times in the mid-14s at almost 100 mph, which was good for a car wielding less than 400 in³. With the factory optional 3.91 rear end, the car was documented to run high-13s in the 1/4 mile in stock trim.
At midyear, a "Gold Duster" trim package was added for the standard model. The Gold Duster package came with either the 225 in³ Slant Six or the 318 in³ V8. It also came with special Gold Duster badging, gold stripes on the sides and rear and other luxury trim options. Total sales in 1970 came to 217,192. 24,817 Duster 340s went out of the doors that year. At the end of 1973, Plymouth replaced the 340 cubic inch V8 with a lower performing 360 in³(5.9L) V8 due to government imposed emissions requirements.
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