To see the full color article with images click the magazine image in the article.
“We purchased this car as an original stock 6 cylinder Gold Duster in 2013,” tells Jody Babcock of the rare find Mopar.
The car was bought with a plan in mind, and that plan was for Jody to build it with his son Jared through his early teens, and then by the time he was old enough to drive and race, it would be his to do so with.
The Gold Duster name was actually an option package offered by Plymouth that started mid-way through the 1970 model year. It consisted mostly of badging, gold stripes, upgraded seats, carpeting, insulation and a vinyl roof. Although it was offered with the 340 engine, many were base 6-cylinder offerings. As you can imagine, this particular car, equipped with the “leaning tower of power” Slant 6 engine and a few extra bells and whistles added to the base Duster’s very minimalist trim, was not the most popular in the lineup. But still, they’re rare and we think having one 48 years later is pretty cool.
The car ended up near the Babcock’s home in Battle Creek, Michigan when the previous owner shipped it from Northern California with hopes of building it into a 340 clone. That never happened, though, as Jody stepped in to buy it. Having been raised in a car oriented family, Jody had the horsepower bug since he was old enough to drive. “My first car was a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II which I still own. I raced the car on the street and track occasionally,” he said….to see the full color article with images…Click the magazine image below.
