Lil Red Express:
Actually it was 1976
They also produced them in 1977. I'm not sure if any 78's or later were
made.
It was the fastest production car of 1976. It didn't exactly have any
competition.
The 360 HP (hipo not horsepower!) package that was developed for the 1974
Plymouth Duster was used in the truck. That 74 360HP Duster was the car my
father won two NHRA Stock world championships in. It was a 360 using the
340 style head castings (although only 1.88" intake valves), a cam very
similar to the 340 automatic cam, a high flow dual plane manifold (much
better than the original 340 piece) and a BIG Thermoquad four barrel carb.
That particular Duster was about the fastest thing available in 1974.
You'd have to go to a Porsche Carrera to get a good match. On the street
it would hold its own or beat the overweight Pontiac SD455's.
Unfortunately, the performance most people think of when they think Duster
is set by the lowly two barrell models. Not bad cars, but know for economy
and longevity rather than performance. The rare 360HP's were screamers for
8.5 to 1 compression smog motors.
-STE
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