1974 Plymouth Duster Survivor!

You are bidding on a rare gem. “Ginger”, a 1974 Plymouth Dusteris a true survivor. Over 90% original, this car has only 12,677 original miles. She has always been running and has always been garaged. The paint, interior, and drivetrain are all original except where noted below. This is as close to a brand new Plymouth Duster as you will find. This car came equipped from the factory with the 318 CI (5.2L) V8 engine, A904LA automatic transmission. 8.25” differential, power steering, and disc brakes. The exterior color is T5 Sienna Metallic. Interior color is parchment.

Ginger, was built in April 1974 in the Hamtramck, MI assembly plant. The car was originally sold on July 25, 1974 by Harold’s Motor, Inc. of Ashland, OH to an older woman in Mansfield, OH . The car had rustproofing applied by R&K Body & Fender on July 26, 1974. I have in my possession the original broadcast sheet, window sticker, key tags, owner’s manual, and dealer’s new car purchase order. I also have the official 1974 Chassis Service Manual. All of these will transfer with the car.

The original owner only had the car a short time when she fell, hurt her back, and was unable to drive the car. Her daughter drove her mother around in the car until the older woman was placed in a nursing home. The original owner gifted the car to her daughter 1977. I have the original transfer document dated July 14, 1977.

The daughter and her husband stored the car in their garage for years. It was not driven in the winter and has not seen snow or road salt. In 1997 their nephew talked them into showing the car. On its first showing the car received a trophy for Best in Show. Since that time the car received many trophies and plaques. Since 2004, the daughter and her husband were not able to show the car due to advancing age and health issues. They decided to sell the Duster so that they could put their other car in the garage.

According to the daughter’s husband the car had been cleaned and polished many times and was in excellent condition when they sold it. The car had original paint, original tires and rims, bumpers, spark plugs and wires, hoses and belts. The original seats were like new. The daughter’s husband has provided me with photos of the car from when they owned it, including photos of the car being shown. These will also transfer with the car to the new owner.

The daughter’s husband put the Duster up for sale, likely through a dealer or broker. I have a copy of the listing with photos of the car, showing the mileage at that time as 10,226. In the photos, the car appears with the 15-inch aluminum wheels that it currently wears. The original wheels and wheel covers were provided to me when I purchased the car. These will also transfer with the car to the winner of this auction.

The Duster was purchased and owned for a very short time by a gentleman from Martinsburg, WV. This owner had the car professionally inspected by Inspect My Ride prior to purchasing it. I have a copy of the inspection report dated April 29, 2014. This owner loved the car and showed it at the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals in 2015. Unfortunately he became seriously ill and he was no longer able to work with the car or show it.

I purchased the car from the gentleman in Martinsburg, WV in September 2015. He shed a tear as he handed me the keys. He also provided me with enough information to locate and contact the original owners. The car showed 10,733 original miles when I titled it in Virginia. The current title shows this as “Actual” mileage.

During the winter of 2016, I went through Ginger from top-to-bottom, inside and out, to ensure that she is safe and reliable. I would feel comfortable driving this car from coast to coast.

Other than replacement of typical maintenance items, the only changes I have made to the car is to replace factory rub strips with Gold Duster stripes. I replaced the differential case gears, changing the final drive ratio from 2.45:1 to 3.21:1 with a Sure Grip carrier. I had the radiator and heater core rebuilt by Glen-ray radiators in Wausau, WI. Gen-ray is licensed by Mopar for restoration. I also rebuilt the heater box and the wiper linkage, including new wiper pivot seals. I added an ammeter bypass cable to improve charging. I replaced all bulbs with LEDs and added a correct passenger-side mirror for driving safety. I replaced the exhaust system with a TTI dual exhaust. The paint and most other mechanicals are still original. It still has the original alternator and drive belts. I have kept most original parts that were replaced. I will gladly provide these to the new owner.

Before showing Ginger, I spent several weeks hand-polishing the paint and applying 5 coats of show car polish to produce the beautiful finish she has today. Because of how well this car has been kept and cared for over its lifetime, the paint finish presents as nearly flawless. Under the hood, I returned all components to the way they would have appeared when the cars was delivered to its first owner, including factory hose clamps and a correct, green-capped Mopar restoration battery. Factory chalk marks are still visible on the firewall and elsewhere from when the car was assembled.

I first showed Ginger at the 2016 Carlisle Chrysler Nationals, where she won two awards; Celebrity’s Choice and 2nd Place Participant’s Choice for her class. In 2017, Ginger was featured in the Carlisle Chrysler Nationals Survivor Tent. She has won many more trophies and awards since. She draws crowds at many cruise-ins as people marvel at this time capsule and reminisce about cars they owned back in the day.

My reason for selling the car at this time is that I am ready to move on to something different.

Ginger has been loved her entire life. Will you be the next one to love this grand lady?

$500.00 deposit required via PayPal within 48 hours of winning this auction. Balance to be paid within 7 days via bank transfer or cashier’s check. All shipping charges and arrangements are the buyer’s responsibility. OK to contact private seller with questions.

On Jan-30-20 at 10:28:51 PST, seller added the following information:

Video: Starting Ginger cold at 33 degrees F. Jan 30 2020
https://youtu.be/LPMT2laYXCw
Video: Ginger walk-around after cold start. Jan 30 2020
https://youtu.be/qWIxGrRSHms