1969 Plymouth Belvedere

Plymouth occupied the budget-friendly position within Chrysler's hierarchy of makes, with a wide range of models catering to the compact, intermediate, and full-size segments, with a dose of performance and luxury sprinkled throughout the lines. The Belvedere was the 'entry level' option within the 'intermediate'-sized models, consisting of the Road Runner, Satellite, Sport Satellite, and GTX. Its style was fresh and modern, with its all-new 'Coke bottle' styling introduced the previous year and would continue into 1970. Richard Petty had a very successful 1968 season driving the Belvedere, winning the Grand National championship in NASCAR.

Engine and Mechanical Specification
The 1969 intermediate line rested on a 116-inch wheelbase for passenger cars and a 117-inch platform for the station wagons. The passenger cars measured 202.7 inches in length and the station wagons were 208 inches. The standard six-cylinder engine was a 225 CID inline-6 with overhead valves, a cast iron block, four main bearings, solid valve lifters, a Holley one-barrel carburetor, and delivered 190 bhp at 4,400 RPM. The standard eight-cylinder engine powering the Belvedere was a 273 cubic-inch overhead valve V8 with four main bearings, solid valve lifters, and a Carter carburetor, delivering 190 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The Satellite came standard with an LA-style lightweight 318 CID V8 with 230 hp that had been introduced the previous year and would remain available on the Belvedere throughout its production. The Road Runner had a 383 CID V8 with 335 hp, and the range-topping GTX relied on a 383 CID V8 with 375 hp. The 440 six-barrel and 426 Hemi engines were optional on the Road Runner and GTX.

Pricing and Production
The Belvedere sedan with six-cylinder power was priced at $2,550, with the standard V8 boosting the price by nearly $90. The two-door coupe and station wagon with six-cylinder power was priced at $2,500 and $2,880, respectively. The addition of the standard V8 engine added approximately $90. The most popular Belvedere body style was the sedan with 12,914 examples built, followed by 7,063 of the coupe and 7,038 of the station wagon.

The Road Runner, available as a coupe, hardtop coupe, and convertible with prices that ranged from $2,945 to $3,300, was very popular with 84,420 examples sold.

The combined Satellite and Sport Satellite accounted for 114,157 sales, with prices that ranged from $2,630 to $3,350. Body styles were the same as the Road Runner plus a 6- and 9-passenger station wagon.

The range-topping GTX was offered solely as a hardtop coupe priced at $3,415 and a convertible at $3,640. A total of 14,902 examples were the hardtop coupe and 700 were convertibles.

Above the intermediate models, Plymouth offered an equally extensive list of full-size vehicles that included the Fury I, Fury II, Fury III, Sport Fury, and VIP.

The Belvedere
From 1954 through 1961, the Belvedere was a full-size model and would undergo four major styling revisions during this time. The Belvedere produced from 1962 to 1970 served as an intermediate model and would receive three major styling revisions (1962, 1965, and 1968).

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2023