The 1971 Plymouth Satellite arrived with bold new styling and an equally bold claim: Here was the lowest-priced two-door intermediate in the United States.
The setup for this 1971 Plymouth spot is a little corny, but it allows our cast of actors to deliver the message: While the newly restyled Satellite is handsome and expensive-looking, it’s actually quite affordable. The new exterior was a striking departure from the B-body intermediate’s previous square look, adopting a modified Chrysler fuselage theme and a 360-degree loop front bumper, all performed under the direction of design vice-president Elwood Engel. With a facelift in ’73 that included a more conventional front bumper, this same body shell would remain in production through 1974.
About the price: The actual number is not mentioned here, but near the end the announcer exclaims, “New Plymouth Satellite (is) America’s lowest-price two-door intermediate.” With a suggested retail price of $2,663 for a base Satellite Coupe, that was certainly true, it appears, but not by a lot. The Ford Torino 2-door was listed at $2,706, while the Chevrolet Chevelle came in at $2,712. In any event, the dramatic new styling and competitive pricing generated 147,000 sales. And that, along with strong Valiant and Fury volume, helped to push Plymouth back up into its traditional number three spot in the U.S. sales charts, if only for one year. Enjoy the parking-lot romantic comedy in the video below.
I love the look of the 71-72 Satellites (and the Charger). Plymouth styling came up with many winners from 1968-1972 but those big bumpers ruined the party for every manufacturer. The 1979 Mustang is the first car I can think of that had the integral plastic bumper. Maybe the 1978 Camaro.
The people in that commercial all look like familiars from other commercials and I feel that I should know the actress that played the girl.
This body style was originally intended to be used for 2nd gen Superbird w/nose cone and bi-plane rear wing, however NASCAR stepped in & reduced max engine size to 305 cubic inches for special bodies to effectively ban them. King Richard won races with a ’71 Plymouth using the unrestricted 426 Hemi, but it was a dud with restrictor plates and later wedge head engines, forcing Petty Enterprises to switch to 3rd gen Dodge Chargers during 1972.
Daisy Duke looked her best driving a yellow ’71 Sattelite with black stripes in the first five episodes of “The Dukes of Hazzard”….