Some rare one or two year wonders that might be worth finding....

Here's some more one or two year wonders that are largely forgotten, but are still cool and wouldn't cost a mint to "Restify".  # 1. 1971-72 Dodge Demon. The 1970 Duster 340 was a sales smash and the buff magazines raved about their tremendous "Bang for the Buck". You could get the 340 in a Dart Swinger in 1970, however, the body was the much more sedate Dart / Valiant square sedan style, not the swoopy, semi-fastback muscular Duster style. Dodge wanted a piece of the action so in 1971 they basically put a Dart front clip on a 340 Duster and called it the Demon. They had every option that the Dusters had-the under-rated 275 hp high-performance 340 V8, a choice of a three or four-speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic, and 3.23:1, 3.55:1 or 3.91:1 gearing. The Demon package also included a blacked out hood, cool stripes, a Go-Wing rear spoiler,and cute emblems of a small Devil holding a pitchfork. In 1972 the hood was changed to a single scoop instead of the two used in '71. Horsepower dropped slightly from 275 to 240 mainly because the compression ratio was lowered from 10:1 in '71 to 8.5:1 in '72. Performance was still good-"Cars" magazine tested a '72 340 Duster with a Torqueflite and the 3.55:1 axle and it turned in a blistering 14.34 1/4 mile e.t.  For some reason-maybe Dodge didn't promote the car properly-they didn't sell nearly as well as their Plynouth Duster counterparts. Mr Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge built a few '71-72 Demons with Paxton Superchargers as a dealer-installed option. These were rockets, and are quite rare. You may find it hard to believe, but even in the '70's political correctness was creeping up on us. Several Christian Groups complained about the little devil with the pitchfork decals and the "Demon" name-which ironically stood for "Speed Demon" no religious connotation. Chrysler caved into the pressure and the Demon name was dropped for 1973, and the package was re-named "Dart Sport." If you can find one, they are a cool, fun ride-but I wouldn't pay any more for one than I would for a 340 Duster-that's basically what they are. # 2. 1972-73 Mercury Montego GT. These little-known gems are based on the Ford Torino chassis, which was extensively re-designed for 1972, using a body-on-frame design instead of the previous models unit-body construction. The result was a drastic improvement in ride and handling. While the 2 and 4 door Montego sedans sales were up like 136% over '71, the swoopy, fastback GT model wasn't promoted by Lincoln-Mercury. Thus, only 5,800 were built in 1972 and another 4,664 in 1973. David Pearson won a bunch of NASCAR races for the Wood brothers in this body. I personally like this style better than the Gran Torino Sport which is more common. 429 versions are going to be rare and pricey, but the majority are going to have 351C power with either a 2 or 4bbl carb, which is, if anything a plus factor. There's tons of aftermarket speed parts available for these engines to this day. Most will be automatics, but there are some 4-speed versions out there-expect to pay more for these. 302 versions will be the cheapest, but since the cars weigh close to 4,000 lbs, they are a little underpowered. If you can find one, they are a cool, unique ride, and though rare, will probably be priced lower than a same-year Mustang, Torino or Cougar simply because people don't know about them. But that's good for you, the buyer. In 1974, the fastback was dropped, and the Montego line now shared most of it's underpinnings with the Cougar, which was now based on the heavier and uglier Lincoln MKIV platform. Yuk. # 3. 1974-75 AMC Matador Coupe. The Matador was extensively redesigned for 1974 with a swoopy fastback body. It was so aerodynamic, that much to everyone's surprise-Mark Donohue and Bobby Allison won several big NASCAR races in these cars. 62,000 were sold in 1974 alone, so there out there. The bodystyle hung around until 1978, but the '74-75 models are the most desirable because they could be had with the 360 and 401 4bbl V8s. 1976 and later models had the 304 or 360 2bbls, which had the dual attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage, which contributed to their sales slide and ultimate demise. On the upside, if you find one, it will probably be cheap as even hard-core AMC enthusiasts are busy fighting with machetes for 1968-74 Javelins and AMX's. Further-although 401 versions may be rare-the AMC 360 V8 was used in millions of Jeep Grand Wagonneers until 1992, so finding a replacement engine in a junkyard will be easy, and there is good aftermarket support-Edelbrock even makes performance aluminum heads for these engines.  # 4. 1975 Plymouth Road Runner. Before you Mopar fans start howling, yes, I know the last "Real" Road Runner-i.e.-the "B" body Satellite based model ended it's run in 1974. However-the Brass at Plymouth had some pride. While Dodge shamelessly put the revered Charger name on a re-badged Chrysler Cordoba, ( Yuk! ) the boys at Plymouth put the Road Runner name on the "C" body Sport Fury which offered some performance. Look at it like Elwood Blues-"It's got Cop tires, Cop Brakes, Cop shocks...." The standard engine was a 318, but the ones to look for are the 360 and 400 versions. You got standard power front disc brakes, front and rear sway bars, a Torquelite and a 3.21:1 rear axle and the famous "Beep-Beep" horn. The buff magazines of the day derided the car and it's 16 second 1/4 mile times ( 1975 was the 1st year of catalytic converters, everything was a dog ) but at least Plymouth was TRYING. The Javelin was no more, ditto for the 'Cuda / Challenger, the Mustang was now Pinto / Capri based, there were no more GTOs, or SS Chevelles, and the Z/28 took a 2 1/2 year hiatus from 1974-77. Gee, wonder why Pontiac Trans-Am sales increased 100%-200% every year from 1973-76? ( And that was BEFORE "Smokey and the Bandit" which was released in 1977 ). On the upside over 7,000 were built so their not moon rocks, Mopar Purists snub them like the plague so they'll be cheap, and that engine bay will swallow a 440 or a crate Hemi like it grew there if you want to hot rod one. # 5. 1977 Olds Cutlass 442. "The Last of the Mohicans". The last "Real" 442-i.e. built on the "A" body platform with an engine over 400 cubes. Swoopy aero-nose and fastback rear window made this body much more aerodynamic than it's flat-nosed, notchback base model Cutlasss, Chevy Monte Carlo and Pontiac Gran Prix cousins. So much so that Richard Petty switched from Dodge to this body ( When his '74 Charger was outlawed ) and won a bunch of NASCAR races. Besides the "442" graphics you got F41 supension, cool interior options like swivel bucket seats, and a 350 or 403 V8. ( The 455 was dropped after 1976 ). More than 11,000 were built, and there is good aftermarket support for speed parts, and any suspension or brake upgrades that fit a Chevelle / Monte Carlo fit these cars. The GM mid-sizes were downsized for '78, and Olds shamelessly put the Cuatlass and 442 nameplates on everything under the sun trying to drive sales in the late '70's and early '80's, with the all time low having the legendary moniker on a 4-cylinder, front-drive Calais in 1985. However the '77 models are the last of the "big" ( 1964-77 ) Cutlass "A" bodies, and except for the smog-choked engines, arguably the best of the breed. Mastermind